DESPITE THE STORM that erupted over the validity of Tipperary’s second goal in today’s Munster clash at the Gaelic Grounds, Waterford boss Derek McGrath opted for a calm approach in his post-match reflection.
The umpire judged that the sliotar had crossed the line when Austin Gleeson went to gather a delivery from a free by Jason Forde in the 62nd minute of a pulsating championship tie.
It was at the heart of Tipperary’s revival from an eleven-point deficit as they grabbed a precious point with the teams finishing level at 2-22 apiece. After last week’s slump in Ennis, McGrath was glad to see Waterford get points on the board and was looking forward to a return trip to the Gaelic Grounds next Sunday to meet Limerick.
“It makes it interesting going to Limerick. The points could be important yet – that’s the message in our dressing room. We don’t want any discussion about referee’s decisions, VAR [or not if you like, if that’s coming down the line. We just move on.
"The decision or otherwise in terms of the goal may only tally if you don’t qualify from the group – it may become a point of conjecture as the summer goes on.
"You might feel a little bit more aggrieved about it. We’re just determined to move on to the challenge next Sunday."
McGrath was proud to see his depleted team produce such a stirring performance but admitted they were powerless in the face of a Tipperary onslaught in the second half.
“A lot of different emotions based on where we were last week. Our epitaph was probably written during the week based on the injury situation. We responded well overall.
“You never feel safe with Tipp because of the potency of their attack and the quality of their subs. When you see our backline holding the likes of John McGrath etc relatively well, we just felt we’d see it out. We were hit with a kind of a storm, a force from Tipperary that we weren’t able to weather it.
“We got a point or two ahead again near the end; Tipp came again. We’re on the board. We’re going to try and take the positives out of it, albeit a little bit dejected given we were so far ahead. Our next game is a must-win given the permutations.”
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