Can Waterford Upset the Odds in Limerick

            Early in the Munster Senior Hurling Clash between Tipperary and Cork last week, when Cork were well on top, I placed a message on my Facebook and Twitter pages something along the lines that Cork were on fire, and also said that if Waterford were to beat Clare later that day in Ennis, Waterford could be meeting Tipperary at the right time this week, as it looked like they were going to go into the game this weekend having lost to both Limerick and Cork and another defeat to Waterford would mean that with only Clare to play, Tipperary would not only be out of the Munster Championship but also out of the All-Ireland Championship, which would have many in the Premier County calling for the heads of the management team.

            As we know now, Tipperary staged a brilliant second half of hurling against their greatest rival in Munster, and in the end a draw between the two sides was arguably the best result all round for the two sides playing at Thurles, and we also know that Waterford did not get anything from the game against Clare in Thurles.

            Maybe what is going to be said here might not go down well with some Waterford supporters, but it is what a lot of Waterford supporters, maybe the majority of the Waterford supporters are saying but who are being silence to a degree by some.

            We can make all the excuses in the world for the defeat to Clare last week. We can talk about injuries all we like. We can talk about how Waterford started the game without Austin Gleeson and Pauric Mahony, two of the best players on the inter-county scene in the last number of years.

We can talk about how we lost Tadhg Bourke after only fifteen minutes. We can talk about how we lost Noel Connors at the break and Darragh Fives three minutes into the second half. We can talk about the sending off of Kevin Moran, and how Maurice Shanahan finished the game with a injury and how he could not be replaced as Waterford had emptied the bench eleven minutes into the second half when Barry Coughlan had to be replaced after he picked up an injury, but for all the talking up of these withdrawals, Waterford still had fifteen players on the field of play for the majority of this game, just like Clare, but we can’t blame these injuries for the loss on Sunday last, especially when at times we talk up the strength that Waterford have at our disposal at times.

Up to now I have kept much of my feelings on the Waterford set up to myself. Anyone that reads what I have to say when it comes to Waterford hurling will know that I am not a fan of the way Waterford have played in the last number of years.

I am by no means a fan of the sweeper system or the extra defenders system that Waterford use. I firmly believe that what Derek McGrath is doing with Waterford is robbing Peter to pay Paul, by naming what is often in effect between seven and ten defenders in the starting teams he is using.

For the past four years or so, Waterford have used the same system, game in, game out, maybe with the odd exception here and there.

We are lead to believe by those who understand the ‘Sweeper System’ in hurling it is used to keep the opposition from scoring, but how successful is it. We have to remember that in the last few years while Waterford have won many games, we have also suffered some heavy defeats using a system devised we are told to keep the opposition from scoring.

Yes, Waterford have won a National League Final using it, have appeared in another, have reached an All-Ireland Final, and reached four All-Ireland Semi Finals using it, but it is my belief that the stronger hurling sides can make the system favoured by the Waterford management team, pointless by keeping the ball well aware from the player that Waterford have as the spare man, which is often Tadhg Bourke or if he is not playing Darragh Fives.

Galway showed how to make the system pointless in last year’s All-Ireland Final when they were content to shoot for points all day, and did so hitting twenty six points. Any side that hits twenty six scores in a game, be they be points or a combination of points and goals deserves to win any game.

Speaking of Tadhg Bourke and Darragh Fives, both are set to miss this weekend’s game with Tipperary and a number of games after this.

One wonders when it is only these two players that have played in the spare man position in the last few years who will be asked to play the role this weekend, as we can assume that the Waterford management team will not change the system that they favour.

With the Clashmore and Tourin Club men out, normally you would expect someone like Kevin Moran maybe to fall back and play the role, but the De La Salle Club man is also missing this weekend, so you wonder who will play the role. Maybe we might be surprised and what the majority of the Waterford supporters want to see and Derek McGrath and his selectors will go with six backs and also play six forwards, as it would take someone some time to get used to playing the role of the free man, something that cannot happen in the space of seven days on the training field.

We know that there will be changes this weekend for Waterford. There has to be because of all the injuries picked up last weekend.

Many will be hoping that Austin Gleeson might be fit to start and maybe slot into the half back line, and maybe Pauric Mahony come into the attack if Maurice Shanahan is not deemed fit to play. However it would be hoped that if the pair are not 100% fit that they are not risked and maybe do more damage to the players going forward.

With all of the players last week going off because of injury all defenders and with Kevin Moran who is also a defender you have to wonder what players will come in.

Ian Kenny would be expected to come in at full back in place of Barry Coughlan. Shane Fives would also be an option for the number three shirt with the Ballygunner man playing in one of the corners.

Darragh Lyons was not named in the match day twenty six last week and he would be an option also to play in the full back line, as would Shane McNulty who was named to start in attack last weekend.

Reports last weekend suggested that Conor Prunty last weekend was injured. If he was deemed fit to start this weekend he would be an option to play somewhere in the defence.

With Kevin Moran, Tadhg Bourke and Darragh Fives all options to play at centre back out of contention, Derek McGrath and his selectors could ask Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh a player who has played successfully in the half back line in the past to drop back and play somewhere in the half back line.

The Stradbally man has a lot of miles put onto the legs since he last played in the half back line for Waterford and while he would be giving it his all, you wonder would he be suited now to the centre back position. Maybe he could play on one of the wings with Philip Mahony moving to the centre back position.

Conor Gleeson is another player that could very successfully play in the anywhere in the backs, while Jamie Barron has played for Waterford in defence in the past.

Many might not think so, but for me Tom Devine is another player that could move from attack to defence and do an excellent job there.

For me the big Modeligo man will play his best hurling when facing the ball and therefore might be suited to playing in the half back line in any of the three positions there.

Should the Waterford management team be forced to move players like Michael Walsh and Tom Devine into defence for this and maybe the remainder of the championship, they have plenty of cover to come into attack and fill the voids left.

Players like Colin Dunford, Brian O’Halloran, Patrick Curran, Stephen Bennett, Thomas Ryan, DJ Foran, Mikey Kearney and Stephen Roche all started on the bench last week and are players that in the eyes of many are getting somewhat of a raw deal when it comes to getting chances to shine from the off who if called upon will not let Waterford down, and never have. Last Sunday for example after coming on, Thomas Ryan and Stephen Bennett were possibly Waterford’s best two forwards on the day.

This weekend’s game against Tipperary is a big one. It’s one of the biggest games that Waterford has played in recent years.

The importance of a win for Waterford cannot be highlighted enough. Another defeat for Waterford would almost certainly mean that our hopes of appearing at Croke Park on All-Ireland Final day for the second year in a row would be over.

I have no doubting that Waterford despite the players that are missing this weekend are good enough to beat Tipperary, but a lot depends on the system used by those charged with preparing the team.

Last Autumn I got involved in a debate while attending one of the club senior hurling championship games in Dungarvan. The question was asked ‘are Waterford good enough to win an All-Ireland (senior) Final.’

I stayed out of the debate till just before the subject changed. I said I think this current Waterford Senior Hurling Panel are good enough to win an All-Ireland sooner rather than later, but i added that what is needed is a change of voice in the dressing room. Take from that what you like. My reason for saying what I did is that a sizeable amount of players have won All-Ireland’s at Minor and Under 21 level (playing good hurling). Many of the panel have also contested Munster Finals at these age levels, and a number of also played on successful colleges teams with De La Salle and Dungarvan Colleges/Coláiste na Déise. It takes good players to win titles at these levels and good players do not become bad players over night.

I have long written off Waterford’s chances of winning anything this year. I did so when I heard that the league was not important this year, and to be relegated would not be the end of the world.

If a management team or part of it is talking about getting relegated before a ball is struck, you can’t but wonder.

Brian Cody is without doubt the greatest hurling manager in the history of the G.A.A.

You don’t hear him tell the press at the start of the year that the league or even the Leinster Championship is not important. Cody’s Cats might not win a competition every year, but they take every competition seriously.

Year after year in recent times as the big names that won so much down the years decide to call it a day, people have spoken of the end of a great era. But Kilkenny are still there, winning the league this year, with what was a new look side to many, and maybe with a side that most outside the county would know little about.

Cody also appears when he sees something not going to plan to be able to call someone from his bench, maybe one of those players that those outside of Kilkenny would know little about and send him on and make an impact. Can we say that here in Waterford in recent years, when we seem to be starting with a core group of fifteen, sixteen or seventeen players and using the same four or five subs regardless of how the game is going?

As I have said, I have long written off Waterford’s chances this year, despite thinking that we have some fine players.

Living just over two miles from the Waterford/Tipperary County Boundary, I would love nothing more than to see Waterford to beat our neighbours this coming Sunday. But sadly I cannot see it happen.

When Waterford last played Tipperary at the Gaelic Ground in Tipperary, the Premier County side ran out 5-19 to 0-13 winners. I would hope to think that Waterford would do much better this time out, but I really can’t see it happen.

The Gaelic Grounds is never a happy hunting ground for Waterford when it comes to the big games. The Déise County seldom seem to be able to get a big win there.

One has to wonder why Waterford and Tipperary has to travel to Limerick for this game. We know that it is to all purposes a home game for Waterford. Why this style championship was introduced beggars believe. Despite what we were being told towards the end of last year, Walsh Park was never going to be an option for Waterford playing home games.

I was not in Ennis last Sunday and heard from some that were there that the view standing from the terraces around the field was far from perfect, but if people found the view bad, it has to be said that it was far safer to stand on concrete steps than it would to stand on a gravel surface in Walsh Park. The surface around the ground at Walsh Park would mean that had Waterford played Tipperary there this weekend it would mean that there would be a lot of disappointed supporters of both counties who could not get into the ground.

Cork was never an option for this weekend for the staging of this game, and neither was Killarney.

As soon as the new look championship was introduced  or even began to be spoken about, Waterford County Board should have known that Waterford would have two games at home this year and that there was a possibility that one or both of these was going to be against Tipperary and Cork.

Instead of talking up Walsh Park and telling us that it was the only option for Waterford, we should be shouting as loud as we can to fixture planners that we did not have a ground up to the required standard to host home games, this year and maybe even next year, and that we should have the right to nominate a home venue, and that venue for this game with Tipperary at least should have been Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park.

There is some that will say that Munster Championship games should not be played outside of Munster, but some years back there would be some that would have made the same arguments when it comes to the Ulster Football Championship between 2004 and 2006 inclusive had the final of the competition played at Croke Park. So there is a precedent of playing championship games outside of a province before, albeit not in the Munster Hurling Championship.