Gleeson: 'We can defeat any team'
Waterford star Austin Gleeson.
By Cian O'Connell
The Liam McCarthy Cup is the item of silverware Waterford crave. Austin Gleeson added Munster and All Ireland under 21 medals to his collection in 2016, but gaining a senior crown remains the ultimate ambition.
"There’s a couple of people going around calling us history makers," Gleeson reflects about a crop that has won All Ireland minor and under 21 crowns.
"It’s an absolute privilege to have that title. We’re just hoping in the next few years that we can drive on to get the Holy Grail."
That journey continues, but Gleeson is encouraged that Waterford have taken significant strides with Derek McGrath. "In 2015, when we played Kilkenny, we were saying, 'Jeez, we’re going up to play Kilkenny. It’s going to be a bit like boys against men.'
"This year we had the full belief in everything we were doing, that we were going to win games.
"The three games we were bet in were Clare in the League Final, then in the Munster (Final against Tipperary) and All-Ireland Semi-Final (Kilkenny). By three massive teams.
"We know that if turn up we can defeat any team on our day. If we develop that mentality, develop our physicality and hurling a bit more, hopefully we’ll get up them steps."
How significant was the under 21 triumph? "It’s massive," Gleeson admits. "It’s huge. I think there is only a handful of players on the panel who have a minor and under-21 All-Ireland in Waterford. That’s huge.
Austin Gleeson following the Bord Gais Energy All Ireland Under 21 Final at Semple Stadium.
"So we’re in a serious bracket of players. We’re still only young. It’s going to take four or five years for us to hit the road running, to fully develop.
"Physicality and different things. the mentality of the way we sat back in the Kilkenny game after going a few points up, thinking are we going to actually defeat Kilkenny?
"Maybe in a couple of years’ time, like Tipperary did - they drove on and put the nail in the coffin – maybe we can turn that screw when we’re more developed.
"We have the belief in each other, that mentality to go at teams, borderline cockiness, that we can defeat any team. We’re a level-headed team, probably too level-headed in ways."
Gleeson recalls meeting on Christmas Day, 2015 for a gym session. “This year flew. I remember training Christmas Day as if it was yesterday. We met in the Warriors Gym. We still had the training panel in with us then so there was 45, 50 on Christmas Day.
"People with families were excused, but there were only one or two with families on the team. A heap of fellas there. But it kind of took its toll on us towards the end of the year, we were ready.
“We’re a young enough team and that’s a small bit of a disadvantage playing Kilkenny when they are all in their prime and have so many years of gym work behind them.
“We have to always be ready. And continue to do it this year because it’s still a young enough team. Lads involved with under-21 need a bit to develop.”
