Fears over fielding a team to first Munster win since 2010 - Waterford's fight to survive

TOWARDS THE END of last year, familiar remarks concerning the future of Waterford football were rumbling in the air.The senior team was without a manager following the departure of Ephie Fitzgerald, with no potential replacements in the offing. The uncertainty, with a new season approaching, paved the way for questions about the effort, resources and financial cost involved in maintaining a team that was showing little sign of progress.

Player turnover is an annual problem too. Shankey recently revealed that they’ve lost between 10 and 15 players from last year’s squad. As for the underage grades, the cupboard is bare there too. Advertisement “It’s obviously second to hurling, I think everybody accepts that. And I don’t think there’s anyone not hurling in the county. Just because we’re football we’re anti-hurling.

Another contributing factor was the downturn that has been afflicting the Premier footballers since their famous Munster title win in 2020. The nature of Waterford’s victory added to the occasion too, only registering their first score in the 31st minute through Stephen Curry before outscoring Tipperary by 2-6 to 0-3 to win by five points.

The result was a gift for the wider football community too, as some of the victorious Waterford footballers reminded us of what a win in the provincial championships is supposed to feel like. Tom O’Connell’s outstretched arms to celebrate his two goals in a tribute to Jude Bellingham, was the enduring image of the day. Blessed are the players undimmed by media training and the intensity of the spotlight.

“The general mindset,” says Whelan, “is one which can be negative towards football, and this can be driven, to a good degree, by the national media. It can be passed on by people who don’t actually go and watch the games. That’s a wider problem for football. I fully accept that there can be games that can be hard to watch.

Running Up That Hill Waterford GAA

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