TIPP AND WATERFORD TO WIN PAIRC DERBIES
Davy Fitzgerald and Derek McGrath are similar in so many ways as managers and that might not provide a pretty spectacle
DAVY FITZGERALD and Derek McGrath are like two twins who were separated at birth.
One’s a quiet child, while the other can be quiet at times but breaks out into fits of rage now and again.
Having played under both, and gained many insights into how both men think and behave, they’re almost identical in their view of hurling.
That’s what makes tomorrow’s All-Ireland quarter-final between Wexford and Waterford such an intriguing prospect.
The two men have many similar traits – fiercely passionate about the game and meticulous in terms of preparation.
They invest enormous time, effort and energy into what they do, in terms of training, matchday arrangements and player management. And they’re both honest enough to admit that there are certain areas where one is better than the other.
I’ve stated in the past that Davy is like the Jose Mourinho of hurling but McGrath reminds of me Antonio Conte, the Chelsea manager.
Davy is the man who’s won everything in the game while Derek is the newer kid on the block, who’s had some success, and is now chasing more.
You could argue that Conte’s Chelsea team play similar to Mourinho’s Manchester United and yet Conte gets all the plaudits.
In contrast, Derek’s system is questioned in the media an awful lot but Davy’s not so much.
Granted, he did come in for some criticism towards the end of his time in Clare but the general consensus in Wexford now is that they like what he’s doing there.
Both men also believe in having solid foundations built up from the back.
FOOTHOLD
That’s evident from their use of the sweeper system and they have good stick-men to fill that role – Tadhg de Búrca and Shaun Murphy.
They both love to flood the middle third with their leading generals, and get on top in this area, which more often than not sees them gain a foothold.
And they both like to go with one, or sometimes two, men inside.
That style is not to the liking of many hurling purists but the lads couldn’t care less.
For them, it’s all about winning and getting results, and that dictates how they and their teams will be judged.
Fitzgerald brought his style to Clare and they won an All-Ireland in 2013.
In Derek’s first year (2014), Waterford were relegated and after exiting in the summer against Wexford, he decided to go down a similar route to Davy.
But he knew that he didn’t have the personnel required to execute this game-plan – and opted for an influx of youth.
Overall, many feel that style will only bring you so far but what both counties achieved this year was two wins each against Kilkenny, in league and championship.
That can’t be ignored but the counter-argument is that Kilkenny are in decline.
Even if they are, both men will view those Kilkenny wins as significant in their careers. For both, it was their first time tasting a championship victory over Brian Cody, and those victories lifted the spirits of hurling people in both counties.
Davy and Derek will feel this is now a cracking chance to push on to greater things.
In Derek’s case, there’s a ‘mustwin’ feel about it – to kick on after that famous win against the Cats.
That brings pressure, as a defeat to Wexford would be considered a major setback.
But pressure is nothing new to McGrath, who’s become thickskinned and better equipped to leave outside opinions to one side.
Davy finds himself in a lovely position, where anything from here on in is a bonus.
After gaining promotion and beating Kilkenny, they can travel to Cork and have a right crack, knowing that all of the pressure is on Waterford.
CAKEWALK
But think again if you believe that Davy will be content with the year to date.
It will be a completely different match compared to the cakewalk that Waterford enjoyed against Wexford last year.
But I do wonder how much gas is left in the Wexford tank, after a winter of heavy slog in their new Ferns complex, with much of that work geared towards a good league campaign? Did they reach their peak against Kilkenny on June 10?
Mentally, it’s difficult to keep going and you just wonder if Waterford are that bit fresher coming into this one, having opted not to go all out for the league.
Wexford remind me of Waterford in 2015, where they did attack the league and a Munster semi-final with Cork.
As the summer went on, they started to run out of gas. Davy will put massive thought into getting his match-ups right.
He’s managed it twice against Kilkenny, in league and championship, getting them spot on in fact.
But there are certain aspects of the Leinster final that he won’t have been happy with.
James Breen should have been moved onto Conor Cooney after the Galway man scored his third point and Davy knows that he didn’t get the best return from his forwards.
Damien Reck and David Dunne are back to provide Wexford with more options and when these two guys played in the league against Kilkenny, they looked a much stronger outfit.
McGrath will realise that Davy, Clare manager at the time, will have learned an awful lot from the three games they contested last year – those two league finals and the Munster semi-final.
In the championship match, Derek threw a spanner in the works by going with a conventional 15 from the off, and that unsettled Davy.
You rarely see Davy Fitz being outfoxed by another manager but it happened on that occasion.
Is Derek considering going down the same route again? Right now, I believe they have one or two more aces in their pack than Wexford, and a lively bench to call on.
It’s a real window of opportunity for Waterford but Davy will target Jamie Barron, de Búrca, Shane Bennett, Austin Gleeson and Kevin Moran.
He’ll look to get his match-ups right on that big five and Wexford also have the former Waterford connection in Jimmy Payne and Páraic Fanning, who’ll know Waterford’s weaknesses, and look to expose them.
I’ll put it like this – if Waterford perform, they’ll win the game but anything below par and we could be in for the mother and father of all battles, as we saw when they met in the league last year. It might not be pretty but I’ll enjoy the tactical element to this game.
It will be my first visit to the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh and from our vantage point high in the South Stand, we’ll have the perfect view as both men look to outwit each other and counteract each other’s moves.
I wouldn’t rule out the prospect of a red card in this one either, incidentally.
Before all of that, we have Clare and Tipperary to look forward to later today.
I was reared on the rivalry between these two counties, particularly when Ger Loughnane was in charge of Clare.
Tension and real hostility filled the air and while it’s nothing like that anymore, the sight of each other will bring the best out of both teams.
Clare remain a proud county but we’ve been waiting since 2013 for them to deliver a big championship performance. If there’s anything in them at all, they’ll deliver it today.
But I’ve seen the Clare team and it worries me.
VULNERABLE
They’re vulnerable without David McInerney, particularly, and Aron Shanagher, and I’d have picked Oisín O’Brien and David Reidy.
Alan Cadogan got the better of O’Brien in the Munster final but the Clare man was only back from injury and would have benefited from the game.
For me, Clare don’t have their best 15 out and they could be in serious bother. The word is that they’re going to go conventional too but are caught between a rock and a hard place.
A sweeper would help to cut off the supply to Tipp’s dangerous inside men but that tactic would fly in the face of what the Clare public wants to see.
The problem is that if Tipp send the type of ball into their fullforward line that allowed Cork to do so well, they’ll win this game, and with plenty to spare.