Challenges await as Fanning looks to leave stamp on Déise
GIVEN the footprint which Derek McGrath left on Waterford’s hurlers during his five seasons in charge, the task which faces Páraic Fanning is a particularly difficult one.
Replacing a manager which has brought a team to new heights and formed a lasting bond is laced with pitfalls – as sporting history suggests – and Fanning is already down one soldier with the retirement of 28-yearold full-back Barry Coughlan.
The no-nonsense defender was a mainstay under McGrath and he may be followed out the door by many others with the future intentions of Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh (35) and captain Kevin Moran (31) not yet known.
There are also several rumblings that other high-profile names may opt off for a variety of reasons and while it wouldn’t be the first time that the Déise were down important bodies, Fanning needs all hands on deck.
Shane and Kieran Bennett took no part this season and their absence was sorely felt as they spent the summer in the US – both are expected to return – while Tom Devine was unavailable the previous year and could have provided the attacking edge to end their All-Ireland famine as they fell narrowly to Galway in the final.
Fanning met with his new squad earlier this week along with selectors James Murray and Pa Kearney and other members of his backroom team to outline his plans for 2019 and it’s crucial that he hits the ground running to avoid any public backlash.
Having worked with Davy Fitzgerald in Waterford, and for the past two seasons with Wexford, as well as serving under Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett’s reign in Laois, Fanning is acclimatised to the scene.
His first venture as an inter-county manager is a totally different ball game, however, and he enters the shark tank that is the Munster Cham- pionship without home advantage again for next year.
Along with a litany of injuries, that was a mitigating factor in the Déise’s dismal summer which saw them exit the provincial stages without a win, and just one draw, from four outings.
Next year won’t get any easier as they face three games in as many weekends and depending on results, their fate could be known before they take their rest week and regroup.
Building from Division 1B and getting the opportunity to experiment with different players and styles should be an advantage as along with Galway, they are promotion favourites.
There are plenty of raw materials for the Mount Sion clubman to work with as a host of All-Ireland U-21 winners from 2015 made significant contributions this season and the likes of DJ Foran and Devine have shown that they can cope with that step up.
In Stephen O’Keeffe they have one of the best goalkeepers in the game while Conor Gleeson, Tadhg de Búrca and Noel Connors are as good as any defender, while Jamie Barron and Austin Gleeson provide real x-factor.
The way Fanning sets his side up will be key. McGrath took the sweeper system to within a puck of a ball of lifting Liam MacCarthy but the general consensus is that Waterford will adopt a more traditional approach.
In theory, playing 15 on 15 should be a positive but having played a particular style for four of McGrath’s five seasons, and had that safety blanket in defence, change is unlikely to be seamless and is bound to encounter some teething problems.
Coughlan nearly always had the assistance of a sweeper, the new No 3 is unlikely to.
How will De Búrca cope with marking a man? – something he hasn’t done on a consistent basis in the last four years with Waterford.
If they are going to play six traditional defenders, will they make the half-back line Austin Gleeson’s permanent home?
Who will step out of the shadows and assume the mantle in attack? These are all intriguing questions. It’s going to be a different Waterford, and it will have to be if Fanning is to help them climb the mountain.