By John Harrington

The successful playing of the All-Ireland championships have provided a very welcome diversion for all GAA fans during this bleakest of Covid winters.

Supporters have had to watch the action from their sofas rather than a seat in the stand, but it actually feels as though the bond between them and their county teams has been strengthened rather than diluted.

There’s a real gratitude out there for the commitment the players have given to the cause at a time when we’ve all perhaps realised more than ever just how much the national games mean to us.

Waterford captain, Conor Prunty, believes the players have experienced something similar themselves.

The enforced break from playing earlier this year and the prospect that there might be not be any All-Ireland championships at all served as a reminder of just why he makes the commitment he does to be a Waterford hurler.

“I think it would put a lot of perspective into a lot of fellas,” said Prunty.

“In a way like people just came back and really wanted to enjoy playing and enjoy training because it was taken away for so long and you don't know what else to do really when it was taken away.

“I suppose when it did come back people were just happy to enjoy it and get down to hard work and just really not take it for granted.

“The last few weeks have been – I know this sounds a bit stupid – a bit of normality for us because we’ve been doing what we’ve been doing for the past couple of years. Life hasn’t changed that much in that you’re training with each other and playing games.

“It’s exciting now to be in an All-Ireland final and have something to look forward to.”

Prunty has played a huge part in Waterford’s progress to the All-Ireland Final.

Full-back is arguably the most challenging position in the game because you’re only ever one slip from disaster, but the Abbeyside man has brought a real sense of security to Waterford’s last line of defence.

After an injury-plagued start to his senior inter-county career, he has blossomed into one of the best defenders in the country.

“The first year, I tore my quad, playing Limerick in a Munster league game, which hampered me for that year,” he says.

“It was a 12- to 16-week job and the following year I did it again in a challenge and it’s been a recurring thing.

“It’s sorted now and in the past couple of years and I’ve been able to focus on being injury-free. It’s worked out.”

With the imperious Tadhg de Búrca stationed in front of him at centre-back, the spine of the Waterford defence is a strong one.

A feature of Waterford’s defensive play is how both cover for one another to great effect in an era when the opposition forwards are moving constantly. It’s an understanding they’ve developed over a long period of time.

“Look Tadhg is an exceptional player and I’ve known him since my school days,” says Prunty.

“So we get on pretty well. I think he just has a real understanding of the game. We just communicate well on the field. Another hard worker and it shows on the field again.”

Both Prunty and de Búrca were to the fore in a high-quality Munster Final against Limerick.

But even though Waterford didn’t concede a goal and limited a Limerick team that has averaged 32 points in their other three championship matches to just 25 points in the Munster Final, they still came up short.

Waterford got a lot right in that Munster Final, but still came up short, so Prunty doesn’t need to be reminded of the scale of the challenge they’ll be faced with in Sunday’s All-Ireland Final.

“They're a very, very talented group of players,” he says. “They have a lot of experience gained over the last few years.

“We're under no illusions what we're coming up against but at the same time we just have to focus on ourselves and getting a performance out of ourselves for 70, 75 minutes Sunday week.”