Bugler sounds the trumpets as he plots how to lay Brick

BRENDAN Bugler may have the most important job on the field in Thurles today. Just as in the two dramatic League final matches, the Clare veteran will probably be given the task of quelling the influence of Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, arguably the beating heart of the Waterford side.

‘We are all given specific roles to do and all we can do is carry them out to the best of our ability. Brick is an important player for them. But we did study all their forwards before the League final and who ever you come across, you’re ready for.

‘But Brick has shown time and again that he is a crucial player for them. He is a very selfless player and one of those players that you have to stop, if we want to stop Waterford. When he gets on the ball, they seem to flourish.’

Bugler admits that Waterford present a different challenge to anything he has come across in a decade playing for Clare.

‘Waterford have played a particular type of way in the last couple of years and they do things a little bit differently. It is fairly congested around the centre, there is an awful lot of traffic there and you have to work your way around it.

‘But there is an awful lot of bodies in the middle and it is something that we haven’t really come across. It is very hard for midfielders to find themselves with space on the ball and Waterford force you to think about things a little bit differently.

‘If you are in the fullback line or half-back line, you have to use the ball a bit different. And you need to use the ball intelligently.’