Derek McGrath after the full-time whistle
commanding performance, Derek
McGrath’s post match mission statement
on Sunday adhered to the theme
he’s established from the off this year.
Measured, hyperbole free and
cognisant of the bigger picture, the
Waterford manager is quite happy to
have his team labelled as Championship
outsiders, despite their remaining
the only unbeaten senior side in the
country.
“I think we will always be underdogs,”
he said following Sunday’s
win over I’m not really sure what
our motivation is other than making
ourselves better. I just felt that last
year we let ourselves down with out
approach.
“We let the outside world get to us
last year, we were told that Waterford
hurling can’t play this way, that we
don’t do tactics. I was to influenced
by that. It’s not an answer to critics or
anything like that. It’s not an answer
to perceptions. We’re just working
out what’s best for us. We’re nearly
there.”
To see his team re-affi rming what
they did so impressively in their
League winning campaign must be
enormously satisfying.
“Yeah,” he conceded. “I have to say
that’s the most pleasing thing.”
McGrath, referring back to his
experience as De La Salle College
manager, stated: “We beat Thurles
CBS and I was dreading meeting
them again in the All-Ireland Final,
not to re-motivate the team but just to
find a different angle.
“We were warts and all in on the
League, we wanted it like no other
team did. To be able to do that and
approach a Championship day when
the echoes of ‘Ah that was only the
League’ are in your circle, that’s very
satisfying to be able to turn up, have
the (first half) wobble and go again…
“And if I meet another Waterford
person who says, ‘Well at least you’re
in the (All-Ireland) Quarter-Final
now.’ I must have met five or six of
them out on the fi eld there, including
my own father.
“That sort of defeatist stuff is
something we need to change. I’m
not saying we’ll be favourites for the
Munster Final but we’ll think about
the All-Ireland Quarter-Final if we’re
beaten at 5.30 on July 12th.”
The goals Derek has spoken about
to this newspaper more than once in
recent interviews, brilliantly materialised
for Waterford on Sunday, coming
at a critical juncture towards the end
of the first half.
“It’s very important for us to
create a goal threat,” he commented.
“All year, most
analysis has been based on the fact
that we’re very defensively set up and
we don’t create a lot of goal chances.
But we always work together. There’s
no such thing as Maurice [Shanahan]
being there on his own. There’s
always a runner.”
And what of those two fi rst half
goals?
“Jake took his well and I’m trying to
remember the other – oh yeah, Maurice.
And Kevin Moran tried a dummy hand
pass [a few minutes later] that didn’t
come off. We were trying them in
training, management’s fault! Colin
Dunford was inside but it came off
his fingers. “Yeah we’re happy – for a
team that sets up quite defensive that
we’re able to open up other teams.”
Man of the match Maurice Shanahan
had been “okay from Tuesday
night. He was okay from Tuesday
night. He did well, hit the frees well.
we knew there’d be a lot of over-scrutiny
with the free. But he stepped up
and took them well and it just goes to
show a year is a long time in sport.”
Derek McGrath: manager of
the only senior inter-county
team still unbeaten in 2015.
As for his scoring substitutes, Tom
Devine, Shane Bennett and Patrick
Curran, Derek McGrath was happy
with their respective contributions.
“Shane Bennett played three League
games with us. He did Leaving Cert
Maths on Friday so today didn’t take
a feather out of him. Patrick Curran
just came into the panel. We hounded
him through the League but we had
an agreement that he’d finished his
exams and then come into us. He did
great out there too.
“And Tom Devine made a big
impact as he usually does – I’m
delighted for him in particular
because he’s such a lovely lad. He’s a
second year medical student and I’m
just delighted for him.”
Come the Munster Final, Waterford’s
first appearance in the provincial
showpiece since 2011, Derek
McGrath admitted he has “no preference”
as to whom his side shall face.
“It’s great to be there. It’s really
something to look forward to. We
have a massive game on June 17th,
with the Under-21s playing Cork (see
next week’s edition) and we have 14
on the panel. And we’re very hopeful
they can drive it on come Wednesday
week.”
And what of the year to date, a
press packer said. Has it been a dream
season to date for a county seeking
a first All-Ireland senior title in 56
years?
“Sure it’s time to get out so!” Derek
quipped. “I was saying to someone
yesterday that when they open the
book on Division 1A, we’ll still be
favourites to go down. It might be time
to play the cute card and get out – say I
have health issues or something!”
Rude health aptly describes Waterford
hurling at present. And Derek
McGrath, Dan Shanahan and Fintan
O’Connor deserve the highest of
praise for moulding so commanding a
team in such an astonishingly narrow
a window of time.
“The merry-go-round continues
to whirl,” wrote Enda McEvoy on
Monday. It’s one hell of a spin alright.
