Waterford manager Derek McGrath pictured at the launch of the Allianz Hurling League.
By Cian O'Connell
Waterford manager Derek McGrath has confirmed that Stephen O'Keeffe and Tom Devine will miss Sunday's Allianz Hurling League Division One opener against Wexford.
Devine suffered an injury in the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup last Thursday when lining out for UCC. "Tom Devine tore his hamstring playing for UCC last Thursday against CIT," McGrath remarked at the launch of the Allianz Hurling League on Monday.
"Stephen O’Keeffe has a hamstring concern - probably will keep him out of the first game, maybe the first two games – he has it since the Na Piarsaigh match.
"Noel (Connors) has been very sick with the flu. It could keep him out of Sunday. He only came back training with us Sunday morning, he’s been very sick. He had that flu that everyone has been talking about.
"Other than that, we are relatively clear. Michael Walsh has only been back with us since after Christmas as well so we are okay other than that."
Devine is expected to miss a significant portion of the competition. "He will probably be a month out," McGrath admits. "He’s having a scan today or tomorrow (Tuesday) so depending on the severity of the tear or the pull.
"He went off early, about 16 minutes into the UCC match. I went into him at half time, I thought it was an ankle injury.
"The language he used himself was felt he had done ‘a right job’ on it subsequent to that, it’s not as bad, but certainly will be a couple of weeks. He’ll probably miss the bones of UCC’s Fitzgibbon campaign now as well which is a pity for him."
Shane Bennett is taking a break from inter-county hurling.
Waterford must also plan without Shane Bennett, who is currently not involved with the panel. "I met Shane last Monday, h’s just taking a break for the minute, but we are hopeful he will be back at some stage," McGrath says. "He started a new electrical apprenticeship, he played a bit of soccer for the winter and things like that.
"So just a bit of time off and we’re hopeful – we’re not going to leave it go easy in terms of, not persuasion, I think Shane needs hurling and we certainly need him."
McGrath acknowledges the importance of affording Bennett space. "Yeah, leave him alone a while, you’re conscious of other fellas mucking in for the winter as well," McGrath adds.
"The type of approach over the years has allowed us to encourage fellas to do what they want, when they want within a certain time-space where you actually make a decision on it.
"The League could be over March 10, or you could go to March 25 depending on how you’re going and there is probably an eight-week gap then, even a 12-week gap before you play – we’ve a bye in the first round to May 27.
"There’s an opportunity there to change up things in advance of the championship which we would look depending on how things are or how the mood is in the camp."
2018 marks the 26th season that Allianz has sponsored the Allianz Hurling Leagues, making it one of the longest sponsorships in Irish sport. Allianz and the GAA today announced the renewal of Allianz's partnership with GAAGO which will make over 50 live Allianz League matches available to global audiences. In attendance at the Allianz Hurling League 2018 launch at Croke Park in Dublin was Waterford GAA manager Derek McGrath, Galway GAA goalkeeper Colm Callanan and Cork GAA manager John Meyler.
