AT THIS TIME of year, Waterford’s hurlers are usually putting the finishing touches to their All-Ireland semi-final preparations.
The Déise have made a habit of August trips to the capital, contesting semis for the last six seasons on the trot.
This weekend however, they’ll watch from the stands like the rest of us.
[It's] disappointing we’re not contesting an All-Ireland semi-final I suppose unlike the last number of years,” Waterford star Kevin Moran said this week at Croke Park, where he was presented with the GAA/GPA All-Stars Player of the Month awards for July.
“There was a bit of progression this year after a bad start and we played a very good style of hurling and we were there or thereabouts in the Munster final after beating Clare. Unfortunately we let the last 10 minutes of the All-Ireland quarter-final slip through our hands and that was bitterly disappointing and hard to take but hopefully we’ll learn from our mistakes and move on next year — start off the year better because we’ll know the management better.
“It’s hard when a new management structure comes in but we really gelled together as a unit and are looking forward to 2013 already. I suppose it’s a long way away but we’ll put that defeat behind us and try and get back to the All-Ireland semi-finals and final next year. That’s the ambition.”
Waterford will be absent this Sunday after their close defeat to Cork in Thurles in the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final recently.
“I don’t think anything in particular went wrong,” says Moran, when asked to reflect on the loss. “It’s very hard to dominate a full half. Throughout the second half we were on top and there were a couple of crucial minutes when we could have gone four or five points up. We missed chances and turned over ball and they capitalised on it and got their spell in the last 10 minutes.
“I don’t think it was lack of fitness but teams get runs on you and when they do it’s very hard to stop them and we just couldn’t peg them back unfortunately. Two and three points down we had a couple of opportunities to come back and it didn’t happen. We just didn’t put them away and they got their spell at the end of the match and got over the line.”
Road not taken
The Rebels now get a pop at surprise Leinster champions Galway this weekend with Kilkenny and Tipp meeting in the other side of the draw. How good are Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s young side?
“I think they’re good, very good. They’ve a seriously strong panel. I think they brought five lads on against us in the last 20 minutes, serious players, serious athletes to deal with when the tank is running low. That’s the asset they have. They seem to be a cohesive unit,” says the De La Salle.
“They’ve more established players who weren’t playing at the start of the year but they got their chance and came up trumps. It seems to be a happy camp with Jimmy Barry-Murphy and they’re all prepared to their bit for the team for five or 10 minutes or the whole game. They are good but so are Galway, so are Kilkenny and Tipp. It’s a fairly open championship.”
