DEREK MCGRATH IS gearing up for a third successive All-Ireland hurling semi-final with his Waterford team on Sunday week against Cork.
But despite that upcoming Croke Park assignment, McGrath has moved to distance himself from recent suggestions that he is in the frame to fill the Dublin hurling hotseat in 2018.
Ger Cunningham’s spell as Dublin manager recently came to an end but McGrath dismissed rumours that he will be filling the vacancy, when speaking on WLR FM yesterday.
McGrath wondered whether the united nature of their squad sparks ‘rumour-mongering’ and defender Tadhg de Búrca had admitted that he had heard the rumour about McGrath moving to Dublin.
“I can assure you now the only thing I’ll be in Dublin for next year is I’ll be on the TY trip with De La Salle College to Dundrum at Christmas to go ice-skating and if I’m going to Liffey Valley with my wife which she goes to on the odd Saturday and that’s the only reason I’ll be in Dublin next year, or the zoo, which I absolutely love.
“I think what can happen is the tightness of our group can allow other people to engage in rumour-mongering.
“I don’t know why that could irritate people, when a group can be as tight as we are, when a group can make as many mistakes as we have and we acknowledge that.
“I think people will go down the easy route, which is (to) scaremonger by putting out an absolute vicious rumour.”
McGrath spoke about Tadhg de Búrca’s sending-off against Wexford, their use of a sweeper and looking ahead to the clash with Cork in a wide-ranging interview with WLR FM’s Eamon Keane.
You can listen to the full interview here:
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