FOR EX-WATERFORD hurler Eoin Kelly, the battle cry in the Déise dressing-room should go something like this:
“If we’re going to get knocked out of the league, let’s put in a good performance in front of our home fans and give them the confidence for the start of the Munster championship to come and watch the games.”
Today’s game will be Waterford’s last outing in the 2026 league. It was scheduled for last weekend but was postponed following the passing of Michael Kiely’s father, Benny. That, of course, adds a layer of poignancy and emotion to the rearranged fixture this weekend.
Peter Queally’s players know the stakes for their league status: defeat to the All-Ireland champions Tipperary would condemn them to Division 1B hurling next year. A draw could be enough but only if Tipperary beat Kilkenny in their final game.
In short, victory offers Waterford the best chance of preserving their place in the top grade.
But that’s all small beer to Kelly. This week should not be spent fixating on relegation fears.
It’s their championship form that Waterford will be judged on. And whether they can finally conquer their Munster round-robin hoodoo. Since it was first introduced in 2018, Waterford have never managed to claim a top-three spot and qualify for the All-Ireland stage of the championship. More on Kelly’s views about that conundrum later.
For now, it seems the mood is low in the Waterford camp. Their 2-18 to 0-16 defeat at the hands of Galway signalled their third loss of the campaign. They also had a 14-point beating to Cork in the first round of the league, and narrowly lost out to Kilkenny after letting victory slip from their grasp in the final stages.
Waterford manager Peter Queally. James Lawlor / INPHO
James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO
Queally struggled with the nature of their defeat in Salthill. “I can’t explain it,” he told the media before adding that the solution would probably involve “a couple of sleepless nights and probably a few heart-to-hearts with some of the players”.
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Kelly, who retired from Waterford in 2012, remains hopeful about his county’s prospects.
“When you’re playing week in, week out, you’re bound to have a lull. And I think we could be reading a bit too much into it as well.
“The team that won an U21 All-Ireland [in 2016] are all hitting 30-31 now. So, they’re coming to the end and you’ll breed in new players. You’ll have lads coming back into the fray with Ballygunner. That’ll settle down come championship.”
Some of that All-Ireland-winning Ballygunner contingent returned for the Kilkenny game. Aaron O’Neill, Paddy Leavey and Kevin Mahony all started the tie while Dessie Hutchinson came on in the second half.
In other matters relating to the Waterford panel, the Irish Examiner recently reported that Austin Gleeson could be close to linking up with the set-up again.
Kelly concurs that news of Gleeson’s return is “the word on the street in Waterford,” but feels the 2016 Young Hurler and Hurler of the Year will have some questions hanging over him.
Waterford's Austin Gleeson. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“It all depends on how Austin’s fitness is [and] his injuries. Is he 100%? Can he give anything to the team? If he’s fully fit? Yes. That’s up to the management and up to Austin.”
Waterford won the Division 1B final last year after a four-point victory over Offaly, and were league champions previously in 2022, taking the overall prize in the top tier. The competition operated under a different format at that time as teams from Division 1A and 1B blended together at the semi-final stage.
Waterford emerged from 1B and met Cork in the final where Stephen Bennett soared with 2-11 to help secure a 4-20 to 1-23 win and land a fourth league title for the Déise. Bennett finished as top scorer in the Division that year with 8-51.
However, those bounces from the league have not culminated in championship success. They contested the Munster final in 2020, when the round-robin format was temporarily replaced by the old knockout structure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But otherwise, the revamped provincial competition has yielded no rewards for Waterford.
“Unfortunately, Munster is very strong and it’s very hard to get out of,” says Kelly who was still playing when Waterford last won the Munster title in 2010 after a replay against Cork which went to extra-time.
“The luck as well which they probably haven’t got over the years.”
Eoin Kelly celebrates with John Mullane after winning the 2010 Munster final replay. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
For Kelly, Waterford’s best chance at making the breakthrough was in 2024 during the second Davy Fitzgerald administration. They started that round-robin series with a brilliant win at home against Cork.
But their qualification hopes ultimately hinged on a dramatic draw against Tipperary. Waterford were four points clear on two occasions in the closing stages but were unable to hold off a late surge.
Waterford missed out on progressing from the Munster championship by one point as Cork took the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final spot.
But bad luck with results only accounts for some of Waterford’s misfortune according to Kelly. He feels the condensed championship structure is a factor too.
“It is a small bit unbalanced the way it is because of the strength in Munster compared to Leinster. But I don’t see it changing anytime soon. They have it condensed so much that you can’t really change it that much either. It’s something they’re going to have to look at going forward.
“Hurling is suffering a small bit towards football. The hurling championship is always good and it’s always going to be exciting but it’s over in the blink of an eye too.”
Waterford bowed out of last year's championship after losing to Cork. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
This issue went before the GAA’s recent Annual Congress. A motion proposing to extend the inter-county seasons by two weeks was tabled to go before the delegates, but was withdrawn before voting could take place.
Kelly questions whether this outcome is truly the will of the people at grassroots level in the association.
“Who’s not happy with it [extending the season]?
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“Is it the people on grassroots that are in clubs, that are training? Or is it people that sit on county boards that can make all the decisions for the rest of the county? It’d be interesting to see who makes these decisions, and who gives the order that it’s not going to be passed. Do the county boards go to the clubs and say, ‘What do you think of this?’ I don’t know, does that happen? It probably does.
“It’s a hard one to know. I watch the hurling and I’m not that involved in the backroom or the politics of it. It never appealed to me. But look, it is what it is.”
Kelly adds that the senior club championship in Waterford offers little respite for those not from Ballygunner. They completed an incredible 12-in-a-row last year and ended the season as All-Ireland champions.
“It’s impossible to beat Ballygunner,” says Kelly. “So, there’s no real appeal to go hurling. When I was playing, you could have four or five teams who could win a club championship here. Now, there’s only one.”
Today’s outing in Walsh Park will be Waterford’s last competitive game before they mount another charge at the Munster Championship. Their latest bid to emerge from the province starts with a trip to Clare in April.
A battling display against a Tipperary side who also need a result to ease relegation concerns could be the launchpad Waterford need to finally break through the ceiling.
“If they come out and give a good performance and get beat by a couple of points, it’s not the end of the world. If they go out and they’re hockeyed, well then you’re saying, ‘Right we’re in trouble going forward into the summer.’
“But that has to be an inner thing to put their backs against the wall and say, ‘It’s us against them. Now, let’s go and tear into it, and give the fans something to be optimistic about going forward.’”
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'If we're going to get knocked out of the league, let's put in a good performance'
FOR EX-WATERFORD hurler Eoin Kelly, the battle cry in the Déise dressing-room should go something like this:
“If we’re going to get knocked out of the league, let’s put in a good performance in front of our home fans and give them the confidence for the start of the Munster championship to come and watch the games.”
Today’s game will be Waterford’s last outing in the 2026 league. It was scheduled for last weekend but was postponed following the passing of Michael Kiely’s father, Benny. That, of course, adds a layer of poignancy and emotion to the rearranged fixture this weekend.
Peter Queally’s players know the stakes for their league status: defeat to the All-Ireland champions Tipperary would condemn them to Division 1B hurling next year. A draw could be enough but only if Tipperary beat Kilkenny in their final game.
In short, victory offers Waterford the best chance of preserving their place in the top grade.
But that’s all small beer to Kelly. This week should not be spent fixating on relegation fears.
It’s their championship form that Waterford will be judged on. And whether they can finally conquer their Munster round-robin hoodoo. Since it was first introduced in 2018, Waterford have never managed to claim a top-three spot and qualify for the All-Ireland stage of the championship. More on Kelly’s views about that conundrum later.
For now, it seems the mood is low in the Waterford camp. Their 2-18 to 0-16 defeat at the hands of Galway signalled their third loss of the campaign. They also had a 14-point beating to Cork in the first round of the league, and narrowly lost out to Kilkenny after letting victory slip from their grasp in the final stages.
Queally struggled with the nature of their defeat in Salthill. “I can’t explain it,” he told the media before adding that the solution would probably involve “a couple of sleepless nights and probably a few heart-to-hearts with some of the players”.
Kelly, who retired from Waterford in 2012, remains hopeful about his county’s prospects.
“When you’re playing week in, week out, you’re bound to have a lull. And I think we could be reading a bit too much into it as well.
“The team that won an U21 All-Ireland [in 2016] are all hitting 30-31 now. So, they’re coming to the end and you’ll breed in new players. You’ll have lads coming back into the fray with Ballygunner. That’ll settle down come championship.”
Some of that All-Ireland-winning Ballygunner contingent returned for the Kilkenny game. Aaron O’Neill, Paddy Leavey and Kevin Mahony all started the tie while Dessie Hutchinson came on in the second half.
In other matters relating to the Waterford panel, the Irish Examiner recently reported that Austin Gleeson could be close to linking up with the set-up again.
Kelly concurs that news of Gleeson’s return is “the word on the street in Waterford,” but feels the 2016 Young Hurler and Hurler of the Year will have some questions hanging over him.
“It all depends on how Austin’s fitness is [and] his injuries. Is he 100%? Can he give anything to the team? If he’s fully fit? Yes. That’s up to the management and up to Austin.”
Waterford won the Division 1B final last year after a four-point victory over Offaly, and were league champions previously in 2022, taking the overall prize in the top tier. The competition operated under a different format at that time as teams from Division 1A and 1B blended together at the semi-final stage.
Waterford emerged from 1B and met Cork in the final where Stephen Bennett soared with 2-11 to help secure a 4-20 to 1-23 win and land a fourth league title for the Déise. Bennett finished as top scorer in the Division that year with 8-51.
However, those bounces from the league have not culminated in championship success. They contested the Munster final in 2020, when the round-robin format was temporarily replaced by the old knockout structure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But otherwise, the revamped provincial competition has yielded no rewards for Waterford.
“Unfortunately, Munster is very strong and it’s very hard to get out of,” says Kelly who was still playing when Waterford last won the Munster title in 2010 after a replay against Cork which went to extra-time.
“The luck as well which they probably haven’t got over the years.”
For Kelly, Waterford’s best chance at making the breakthrough was in 2024 during the second Davy Fitzgerald administration. They started that round-robin series with a brilliant win at home against Cork.
But their qualification hopes ultimately hinged on a dramatic draw against Tipperary. Waterford were four points clear on two occasions in the closing stages but were unable to hold off a late surge.
Waterford missed out on progressing from the Munster championship by one point as Cork took the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final spot.
But bad luck with results only accounts for some of Waterford’s misfortune according to Kelly. He feels the condensed championship structure is a factor too.
“It is a small bit unbalanced the way it is because of the strength in Munster compared to Leinster. But I don’t see it changing anytime soon. They have it condensed so much that you can’t really change it that much either. It’s something they’re going to have to look at going forward.
“Hurling is suffering a small bit towards football. The hurling championship is always good and it’s always going to be exciting but it’s over in the blink of an eye too.”
This issue went before the GAA’s recent Annual Congress. A motion proposing to extend the inter-county seasons by two weeks was tabled to go before the delegates, but was withdrawn before voting could take place.
Kelly questions whether this outcome is truly the will of the people at grassroots level in the association.
“Who’s not happy with it [extending the season]?
“Is it the people on grassroots that are in clubs, that are training? Or is it people that sit on county boards that can make all the decisions for the rest of the county? It’d be interesting to see who makes these decisions, and who gives the order that it’s not going to be passed. Do the county boards go to the clubs and say, ‘What do you think of this?’ I don’t know, does that happen? It probably does.
“It’s a hard one to know. I watch the hurling and I’m not that involved in the backroom or the politics of it. It never appealed to me. But look, it is what it is.”
Kelly adds that the senior club championship in Waterford offers little respite for those not from Ballygunner. They completed an incredible 12-in-a-row last year and ended the season as All-Ireland champions.
“It’s impossible to beat Ballygunner,” says Kelly. “So, there’s no real appeal to go hurling. When I was playing, you could have four or five teams who could win a club championship here. Now, there’s only one.”
Today’s outing in Walsh Park will be Waterford’s last competitive game before they mount another charge at the Munster Championship. Their latest bid to emerge from the province starts with a trip to Clare in April.
A battling display against a Tipperary side who also need a result to ease relegation concerns could be the launchpad Waterford need to finally break through the ceiling.
“If they come out and give a good performance and get beat by a couple of points, it’s not the end of the world. If they go out and they’re hockeyed, well then you’re saying, ‘Right we’re in trouble going forward into the summer.’
“But that has to be an inner thing to put their backs against the wall and say, ‘It’s us against them. Now, let’s go and tear into it, and give the fans something to be optimistic about going forward.’”
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Déise Dilemma Division 1A Eoin Kelly GAA Hurling