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Hurling

hurling

Derek McGrath: 'Davy and Wexford are a marriage made in heaven'

Derek McGrath

Derek McGrath

By John Harrington

Waterford hurling manager Derek McGrath thinks Davy Fitzgerald’s decision to link up with the Wexford hurlers next year is “a marriage made in heaven”.

Fitzgerald agreed to take the Wexford manager’s position less than a month after stepping down as Clare manager after five years in charge.

It means the 2017 season will be his tenth consecutive campaign as an inter-county manager since taking charge of the Waterford hurlers in 2008.

“The one thing I'm glad is I'm glad Davy is back involved because I think he absolutely loves hurling, he's obsessed with it,” says McGrath.

“I actually was watching something on Monday night there, just watching back a bit of analysis of Wexford-Cork when Cork beat Wexford well last year in the championship down in Wexford Park.

“On the Sunday Game that night, Donal Óg was there and Donal Óg pointed to how well structured the Wexford team was under Liam Dunne and they were beginning to do the right things.

“For me I think it's a match made in heaven. I think it's a perfect match, Davy and Wexford. Wexford again I think have a lot of good players.

“In terms of a management and in terms of a pressure-free zone, I think it's an ideal scenario for Davy in that you're in 1B and there's not the same stigmatised approach in terms of relegation and promotion that there is in 1A from your respective supporters.

“I think the Wexford people will welcome Davy down to continue the excellent work that I thought Liam Dunne has done already.”

Almost 11 weeks have passed since Waterford were beaten in that epic All-Ireland semi-final replay by Kilkenny in Thurles.

Walter Walsh

Walter Walsh

Waterford had been the better team in the draw match but were sickened by a late sucker-punch goal from Walter Walsh, and McGrath admits they struggled to seize the initiative in the second game.

“I think if I'm being completely honest, Kilkenny obviously came with a tsunami of increased work rate based on the perception that we outworked them in the first game,” he says.

“We knew that was coming and we felt that if we could meet that and actually go beyond that, we'd have a chance to win the game. But I think the first-half turned into a bit of shootout which maybe didn't overly suit us.

“The balance between keeping it tight and being offensive was lost for a while. I think the killer period was the actual few minutes of injury time where Kilkenny got three points.

“We went from going in level to being three points behind. A closer analysis of it then, Liam Blanchfield had a goal chance that could have put them seven points up.

“I thought there was a period where it looked as if Kilkenny were a bit ahead of us. The introduction of Maurice gave us a bit of a catalyst.

“But I thought if I'm being honest, the difference between the replay and the drawn game, I thought we were chasing the game a bit more in the replay.”

Waterford had a late chance to bring that second game against Kilkenny into extra-time, but Pauric Mahony’s under-hit free was caught above his cross-bar by Kilkenny goalkeeper Eoin Murphy.

Paudie Mahony

Paudie Mahony

Mahony’s superb form ever since for his club Ballygunner suggests he’s put that moment behind him, and McGrath believes that’s because he handled the situation so maturely.

“I think his subsequent handling of that - and I've spoken to him - he would have the utmost respect for anyone that would say he probably should have got the free.

“He's actually said that he knew almost immediately that he hadn't given it enough. But Pauric won't be overly concerned about a story like that for too long.

“He'll move on and there's always another opportunity and that's what he's done. I think people don't like the word process but that's what he's gone through now the whole process of missing and he dealt with it afterwards.

“He grieved for a while and he moved on. He's the kind of guy where perspective is brought on, he looks at things differently at times and he's able to move on.

“He's strong enough to deal with it going forward.”