WATERFORD CAMOGIE HAVE announced Fergal O’Brien — Waterford’s former physical trainer under Derek McGrath — as their manager for 2020.
“We are delighted to announce our Senior Manager for 2020 Fergal O’Brien,” they wrote on Twitter last night.
“Fergal has been very involved with Waterford Seniors Hurlers under Derek McGrath. He brings lots of experience. We would like to wish him all the best for 2020.”
O’Brien worked as the Déise senior hurlers’ physical coach from 2014 to 2018, and was an instrumental part of McGrath’s backroom team.
O’Brien is someone McGrath always spoke highly of during his tenure, telling the Irish Examiner in April 2016 that Waterford’s physical growth and maturity then was “part of the good work done by Fergal [O’Brien], our physical trainer, Gary Walsh and Stephen Barrett.”
“I had Fergal as far back as 1999 when he was training the minors and he’s just an incredible guy,” as John Mullane wrote in the Irish Independent the previous summer. “Right now, Waterford are the fittest team in the country.”
Now, he takes charge as Donal O’Rourke’s successor at the Déise camogie helm. Last month, O’Rourke stepped down after two successful years in the job.
2018 saw the county feature in the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the first time ever, while this summer they reached the same stage but exited at the hands of eventual champions Galway.
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