Waterford full of potential, but can they deliver on it?
AROUND the turn of the millennium, picking the ‘best of’ teams became a staple of any GAA conversation, counties following the association’s model and finding ways of coming up with a first 15 of household names to celebrate.
Over the course of this summer, WLR FM decided to update the best Waterford hurling team ever for a 21st century audience.
The listenership were invited to join their opinions with the panel of judges Kieran O’Connor, Michael Walsh and Shane Ahearne, with a shortlist of three players drawn up for each position. Billed as the best hurling 15 of the last 25 years, five of Derek McGrath’s current team make the cut: Stephen O’Keeffe in goal, two-time All Star Noel Connors at left corner-back, team captain Kevin Moran in the number seven shirt, former captain Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh at number nine and All Star Maurice Shanahan at full-forward.
It will be interesting to see how many more of McGrath’s emerging young talents nail down jerseys in five or 10 years’ time because every position bar number five and number eight has another one of the current squad pushing for inclusion.
Just look at the backlog of talent vying for the number six shirt. Fergal Hartley, Austin Gleeson and Tadhg de Burca. While Hartley got the nod on the back of a career where he gave heart and soul to the cause, de Burca has already made history as effectively the first sweeper to be formally acknowledged in the All Stars scheme.
It’s only a matter of when – and what position – Gleeson will ultimately be accommodated. One of the biggest questions facing McGrath going into this afternoon’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Wexford is how best to utilise the most naturally gifted player on the squad. The free role that worked like a dream in the Munster semi-final against Clare, Gleeson hitting five points from play from a variety of angles along with a trademark sideline cut, only seemed to work against Waterford in the Munster final against Tipperary when the player looked like he was trying to be all things to all men.
In fairness to the Waterford manager, he forewarned of a potential hammering even when the county were vying with Clare for a National League title only a matter of months back.
‘I think they have to have the open mindedness to know that there is going to be a hammering along the way at some time. Within our camp we’ve treated every league game like an All-Ireland final. I have to be completely honest, the sustainability of that,’ he stated.
‘People don’t realise how hard we have to work to be where we are at the moment. I watched Tony Kelly’s display in the league final replay, I watched the players that Clare have and then I look at Patrick Curran, I look at Shane Bennett and I look at Austin Gleeson who are all Under 21 and I say to myself “have they the potential to be as good as Tony is when they are 23 or 24?”
‘They have the potential, maybe it’s just that he’s a superstar. I think they have the potential to be very good in two or three years’ time.’
The fact that Patrick Curran and Shane Bennett made the WLR shortlist, two more U21s only starting out on their senior careers, shows just how good the crop of talent is at McGrath’s disposal.
Two years ago, Waterford’s qualifier exit at the hands of Wexford caused McGrath to fillet his squad and set off in a new direction. This afternoon is an obvious signpost as to the success of McGrath’s velvet revolution.
Waterford have a backlog of talent vying for the number six shirt now