Waterford’s Under-21s (including ‘guest star’ Maurice Shanahan!) as they lined up prior to their ‘Spring Series’ match against De La Salle at Fraher Field.
Championship level to an end in Cork this Wednesday night, but anyone expecting a Deise cakewalk should think again.
Consider this: In 18 matches at this grade, Cork have won 16 times, Waterford have won just the once while one other game has been drawn.
Perhaps, as a portent of what lies ahead, that sole victory over the Rebels was recorded back in 1992 when a team captained by current selector Tony Browne went on to claim both the Munster and All-Ireland titles. Oh for such a repeat scenario in 2015!
Having had his panel together for just over a week prior to Wednesday night’s clash with Cork, manager Derek Lyons will hope that he’s had sufficient time to fuse a panel brimming with talent into a match winning unit at this grade. But it’s not going to be easy. It never is at this grade.
The ‘Spring Series’ of matches against the senior clubs has proven a most worthwhile exercise, and Lyons, speaking on Wednesday last, is pleased with the extent of the net his management team have cast over the past few months.
“What we’ve managed to do, with so many of the lads being on the senior panel, is to replace them with development players, and they’re development players in the truest sense given that they’re players that we’ll have at our disposal next year, or maybe the year after too, if we’re still involved (at management level),” said the Deise boss.
“With Patrick (Curran) and Conor (Gleeson) being called up to the senior panel a few weeks back, we’d had 15 players away at one stage, so it’s certainly been challenging, I’m not going to say it any other way, but we were aware of that process when we took on the job so it’s not as if we went into this blind, if you know what I mean.”
The Dungarvan clubman added: “What we wanted to devise this year was a system that would best serve Waterford on the basis that we’d have so many players with the seniors and, as part of that, how best we could manage the rest of the players and keep everything ‘topped up’ with a view to having all the players back together, as we do now, in the build-up to Wednesday night in Cork.”
A 45-strong panel has been in place and, if segments of last Wednesday’s behind closed doors match at the Gold Coast offered any indication, the buy-in from the players has been absolute. Just as significantly, the good humour over a post-match sandwich suggests that Derek Lyons has moulded a happy group of young, ambitious men eager to make their mark for Port Láirge.
And what talent he has at his disposal: Billy Nolan, Conor Gleeson, Austin Gleeson, Tadhg De Búrca, Tom Devine, Colin Dunford, DJ Foran, Patrick Curran, Jason Roche, Shane McNulty, Stephen Bennett, Shane Bennett, Cormac Curran, Willie Hahessy, Jack Mullaney, Seanie Barry, Darragh Lyons, etc.
It’s one hell of an impressive list of players, but it’s a group cognisant that talent alone is not going to cut it away to Cork.
Just a year ago, a highly fancied Waterford were pinned down by a highly unfaniced Cork side, inspired by goalkeeper Patrick Collins, who is likely to be between the sticks again at the old Flower Lodge ground. And the manner in which expectations have been played down by Waterford’s management has been particularly telling.
They’ve gone to great lengths to stress the significance of getting the job done this Wednesday night, and looking no further than this Wednesday night. And that’s right and proper given how disappointing a time we’ve had at this level over the past five Championships.
But Cork, managed by Damien Irwin, have a point or two themselves to prove at this grade given their last Munster crown was back in 2007, with last year’s campaign ending in a provincial final trouncing at the hands of Clare.
With prospects to call upon including Anthony Spillane, Conor Twomey and Rickard Cahalane, this new crop of Rebels will be keen to restore what Cork fans would consider the natural hurling balance between these neighbouring counties.
“These lads are champing at the bit,” said Derek Lyons. “They’ve bought into the system on the basis of the commitment that we asked for them to give us and on the basis of us being honest and upfront with them in terms of how it’s going to go.
“Obviously we can’t bring 45 lads to Cork on Wednesday but, please God, if we get past Cork we’ll have 45 lads training the night after. That’s been the process and we believe it will also benefit not only this group of players, but the panel in 2016 and perhaps even beyond that.”
But, as Derek stressed during his chat with me, his calendar doesn’t exist beyond Thursday. This is all about the here and now. This is not about winning trophies. This is about winning one game. One game only. A level-headed and talented Waterford side must retain that sense of tunnel vision if they’re to remain standing in this, the last back-door free Championship. One suspects they’ll do just that.
