Peter McNamara assesses the reaction and fallout to Waterford’s victory over Cork.
Waterford remain a work in progress
Bold statement up-coming: Waterford will not win the Munster or All-Ireland SHC titles this year.
The Déise may be unbeaten, have top-tier league silverware already in the trophy cabinet and have secured the first place in the provincial decider this summer, but Derek McGrath’s side could be 12 months off being the complete package.
Waterford are still somewhat raw in their implementation of McGrath’s game-plan.
Of course, to some that may sound like an unusual statement to make.
However, the fact of the matter is there remains a substantial amount of fine-tuning on the part of the Déise before they can be even considered near to the same ballpark as Kilkenny and Tipperary, never mind saying competing in it.
And that is despite the fact they have moved into the spot of third favourites to earn September success.
For instance, though it was briefly highlighted in the aftermath of the game, the fact Waterford went 25 minutes without scoring in open play against the Rebels in the first-half was subsequently brushed under the carpet amid the celebrations of their victory.
However, if that had occurred against the likes of the Cats or the Premier, by how much would Waterford be trailing by the time they did register in open play?
I would suggest that not only would McGrath’s outfit be behind, their number would probably be up on that particular occasion.
Waterford have indeed made necessary strides but even their pre- and post-match comments are getting slightly more brash with each passing outing.
That is understandable to a point, but nagging doubts will remain regarding their capacity to truly challenge this year for the Liam McCarthy Cup unless they defeat Tipp, assuming Eamon O’Shea’s men reach the final, in the Munster decider.
Presently, Waterford are not as polished or evolved a side as Tipp are.
The penny drops on Cork
‘Revelation alert: Cork are not up to the task at senior inter-county level, apparently.
‘Nobody saw this realisation coming, of course, but when you see it scrolling along the bottom of the screens on both Sky News and Sky Sports News in that highlighted text we all know about, then you appreciate this is really groundbreaking material,’ recoils the flummoxed newscaster from (insert any area of the county here).
And then every other Leesider and GAA supporter across the country woke up in a cold sweat to understand that that was not just a nightmare they were having.
Excuse the sarcasm but the shock is in the number of light-bulb moments people have been having since the final whistle was blown in Semple Stadium on Sunday.
Even columnists in Tuesday’s newspapers were writing about this as if the biggest penny in the world had landed on their laps.
Welcome to the ‘party’, Johnnycomeverylatelys.
It’s ironic though, because of the fact this ‘phenomenon’ has been written about often here in the past few months, my thought-process has shifted to that of feeling compassion for the players taking it on the chin following their latest big-match demise.
Now that the problem has been understood across the board, the key, certainly for supporters of the side, is to try and evaluate solutions instead of dwelling on the negatives attributed to the issue.
The first crucial element in potential progress from this point is that the management hold their hands up and devise actual game-plans that can lead to performances of substance.
Secondly, if Cork torch some substandard opponent in the All-Ireland qualifiers, that does not mean the problem is solved and it should not be portrayed as such.
And thirdly, the players themselves need to stop living off the county’s revered reputation as a force and create their own identity and history.