He got up and went to work on the Monday morning.
It just filters down through generations in Waterford.
Even this current crop who are deemed super talented, as minors in 2012 the year before they won the AI, a team containing De Burca, Gleeson, Bennett x3, McNulty, Dunford and Devine lost to Tipp by 19 points a Munster Semi Final.
Ever since, youāve always felt a capitulation was never too far away.
By jayses. Shur we thought after the 3 in a row u21 at the turn of the century, all we had to was show up. That went went well for us
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Waterford have taken even worse beatings than your Limerickās/Clareās/Wexfords.
The 2008 All Ireland, 2011 Munster Final and 2016 Munster Final were all complete daggers to the hearts of the Waterford public.
Theres a big difference between a 10 point hammering and a 20+ point hammering on the biggest of days.
I think theres a few other issues to the one youāve touched on which is where we were up to the mid 90s:
- They regularly go outside for managers and Iām not sure it suits them in terms of ultimately dying for the shirt.
- The population of high grade clubs and therefore players to choose from isnt significant.
- They struggle to bring through underage teams that are good enough to compete, win and drive the county.
- They struggle when favourites and often underperform on big big days individually and collectively - in turn they struggle to sustain their level.
- There is infighting and it seems to be divisive. Think back to what Brian Corcoran (allegedly) said. The whole Ballygunner dominance thing too is a major negative for the county hurlers I feel.
In the immediate term they need a really cool hand who understands them and is willing to bring them on a heavy road - and be someone theyāll respond to.
They need Derek now more than ever.
A Tony Browne type might be better - he was involved with Cahill though?
Ah Jayus no.
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They need a Caroline Currid first and then sort it
A few Novenas
Dan has served his apprenticeship
He placed notions in a few of their heads. He wasnāt strong enough with them & it told in the end.
The good managers are cunts behind it all. Cody, Micko, Sheedy, Gavin & probably Kiely too.
They are cunts because of how driven they are and the way they manipulate the Team. Not just the players but the backroom logistics, the preparation, the mind games with individual players.
Derek happened across a brilliant panel with bundles of talent but he never instilled the mental toughness needed.
Having barbecues at the gaff and the teacher student stick wasnāt going to cut it.
He couldnāt do what Harte or Kiernan could do. Get a team across that bridge of history.
Whether that was just bad luck or lack of the ā cunt ā in Derek is debatable.
Derek sees himself as some modern day Liam Griffin but the word garage will never trump the Winners medal.
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The Derek/BBQ thing is completely overblown.
It happened once the day after his final game as manager.
He could be tough at times, once throwing a can of cider off the dressing room wall, roaring āis that what ye fucking want?ā after a few lads overdid end of College year celebrations one of the years they were going well.
But anyway he was too insecure in himself to go the distance with them.
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He is very insecure in himself.
And then when Patsy Fanning was manage he was using his column to undermine him regularly. Leaking information he had of training and tactics. Cahill also cut bait there with one possible cause.
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Itās a numbers game too. The very best Waterford teams only ever have 12-13 of All Ireland winning standard. Theyāre carrying 2 or 3 and thatās before you even get to the bench as itās a 20 man game now too. Hurling is a very unforgiving sport at inter-county level if you are carrying anyone and thereās a reason why Kilkenny/Cork/Tipperary are pushing up towards 100 All Ireland wins between them.
2017 was the once in a lifetime chance for Waterford to win an All Ireland, the way the cards fell. Galway might have been favourites all year after they demolished Tipperary in the League Final but Galway were very jittery by All Ireland Final day, another county with an awful record on the big day and it was there for the taking for Waterford half way through the second half.
The 2023 Waterford team is a good bit weaker than 2020/21 with absent and departed personnel. If they had a competent management team, theyād have performed at a far better level than than they have but the reality is Waterford are fielding 5 starters all campaign who are barely inter-county standard.
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I canāt recall any major incidents but a few Waterford people I talked to afterwards werenāt happy with the ref that day
That Galway team were pretty class for a few years at that stage though and had underachieved by not having won one in the five or so seasons previous. They were a stronger team than Waterford. Obviously any team in a final has a chance but thereās not much on which to base an argument that Waterford should have won.
We could have won. We had the momentum in the second half but we lost it and Galway steadied and got themselves over the line. We had been pummelled in the first half but stayed in it through one good goal and one fluky one.
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The benches were decisive from what I remember. Galway brought on Niall Burke and Flynn who won hard ball and contributed scores. Waterford were bringing on Tomas Ryan, Dunford and OāHalloran, all nice pacey hurlers but lads who need to be spoon fed ball which was never going to happen against a robust Galway side
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Tommy Ryan and OāHalloran scored two of the best points you could ever wish to see if I remember rightly.
Stephen Bennett never saw gametime which looking back was an error.
Shanahan, Ryan, OāHalloran, Dunford and Curran were the 5 introduced.