Waterford GAA Thread - Mod note post #1 - Page 388 (2024)

True but l don't think there should be a reward for losing most of your matches, like your idea re. the championship

Counties getting a reward for it in the Football, Tyrone after losing 2 games and still in a position to Qualify

Yeah but are watching? Are you on the edge of your seat? No point in winning anything if there is no consequences for losing. Maybe because I was brought up on straight knockout which meant one game year after year but I think the current format is brilliant.

Maybe they could stretch it out a bit into June at least considering there are only going to be at the very most 5 inter county fixtures of any consequence for the rest of the year (!!!). They could definitely do something about visual access but, other than that, drive on. We will have our day too and we will be glad to see Cork, Limerick, Tipp or Clare gone.

let’s just hope they show up in their masses so in 2025 in Super Valu Pairc Ui Caoimh and here’s hoping Davey is still at the helm!

I know what you mean but not sure what the solution is.

A possible solution, Munster and Leinster Championships are played prior to All Ireland, straight knockout. Winners receive 2 bonus points which they take through to the All Ireland Series.

All Ireland comprises of 8 teams, two groups of four. Leinster teams in one pot, Munster in the other (open draw) so each group has two Munster teams and two Leinster teams. Winners or Munster and Leinster are kept seperate due to bonus points.

Play each team home and away (6 games each) top two go through to semi finals 1st v second from each group, winners proceed to final.

Bottom two teams play a play off where the loser gets relegated and the joe mc winner gets promoted.

just go back the way it was !!

While that sounds fun it will never happen as there is too much money being made from the current system.

Just look at the attendances in Munster alone this year and we're not even at the AI stage.

Players also want more game time, current structure is here to stay.

Take my example above you could potentially have a group of Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary, all home and away games, full house at each venue of close enough to to the proximity for each county.

Deflating end on Sunday but I think we all more or less expected it. Did anyone really believe we'd win it? I wasn't even disappointed at full time, I think I had used up all of it the weeks before where our championship was truly lost so Sunday felt like a formality more than anything else.

Fair play to the lads, they battled hard but they were never going to do it. Limerick are just such a nightmare to play against - go long and they clean us out in the air and then on the breaking ball. Go short and try run it through the lines and there are what seem like 3 or 4 Lk players swarming around our player on the ball which often results in a turnover. Although they didn't threaten our goal, it's death by a thousand cuts as they rifle over point after point to nullify any goal or momentum we build up.

Where to from here? Will Davy go again? He most likely will, even if he didn't or the players expressed a wish for change it's hard to know who else would be a decent choice to take over.

Positives I would see from the year:

• Some really good performances and our best go at this cursed round robin
• Plenty of lads who have enhanced their reputation - The three Fitz's (Patrick, Padraig and Mark), the latter who looks like he's a seasoned player despite only his second year?
• Tadgh looked like he was never away
• Stephen Bennett and Dessie kept the scoreboard operator working and contributed hugely to those 3pts we earned in the group (as well as the not-to-be Clare game)
• Shane Bennett is some man for efficiency and to pop up with badly needed scores - just had a look and he tallied 3-3 in about 115mins of game time
• Kevin Mahoney came good the last few games
• Paddy Leavey did well in his only championship appearance on Sunday, he's a good midfield option
• Monty, Kiely, Jack Prendergast and the two Lyons' had good campaigns. Combined with the above names there's still the spine of a decent team there

This year it was set up nicely to get maximum points in the two home games against the teams we would've fancied our chances against. We got 75% of the way there but in the end wasn't enough. Next year won't be easy, it'll be home games against Limerick and Clare and then away to Tipp and Cork. And that off the back of a league in 1B. Might be a good opportunity to blood a few that stand/stood out from the club championship and this years U20's, as well as getting more game time to the likes of the Fitz's (Padraig and Patrick) as I'm sure it won't be long before they're regular starters.

in hindsight probably not but after the performances from previous weeks there was hope - unfortunately it’s the hope that kills ya. It was more did Davy have something up his sleeve to upset Limerick and really put them to the pin of their collar but unfortunately not, when your going up against them in a must win game (for them too) in their backyard you know there’s only going to be one outcome

Regardless of whether Davy stays on or not, it’s the long term stuff that worries me. You know that sinking feeling you get on a Monday after you’ve been knocked out for another year, but when the dust settles you start to find positives and hope for the following year. This year It’s really hard not to be concerned about where the future holds for us especially with this current round robin system. .Despite the positive performances We still came up short and threw everything at it. Considering the age profile of the key players and how far off the pace out underage teams have fallen….

It’s 11 years since our All Ireland minor success and that generation has more or less slipped on now unfortunately… I can’t believe how quick that time went. no sign of anything like that group coming through to take up the mantle for the next 10 years.

The big positive for me this year was the home games in Walsh Park. The atmosphere around the ground on matchdays was fantastic and how the supporters got behind the team made me feel extremely proud. It finally felt like the fortress it should be and looking forward to when it’s fully completed.

Is the solution not simply allow 4th place teams an opportunity back in like I mentioned? Finishing 4th in either province definitely merits a place over losing a tier 2 final imo.

Please God, ye need to pay for it somehow.

I’ll go out on a limb and say 1 or 2 negative things before I get to the future. 1. Dessie Hutchison, in my honest opinion, his free taking, poor shot selection and his lack of hunger are the reasons why we found ourselves not qualified heading into the Limerick game. 2. The people of Waterford, the negativity, the cowards on social media who slated Davy left right and centre but yet failed to support the team when it mattered. Outnumbered vs Cork and Tipp in our own back garden, about 1500 in Ennis. All too late in Limerick.

The Future, 1. Davy needs to talk to Austin at the end of the Club championship and see if the hunger is there to do a heavy winter campaign. 2. Need to put the arm around Callum Lyons again and entice him back from Australia next January. 3. Do the same to Conor Gleeson and McNulty. 4. Davy needs to stay for at least another year or 2. This team is building nicely and are going to have a huge say over the next 2 to 3 years. 5. There should be no talk of retirements for key players, all showed this year that they have lots to offer. 6. Pending the draw for Munster next year (Dates and sequence of games) a national hurling league title is key to positivity/momentum and to a successful 2025.

your wrong on the support now, we outnumbered Tipp 3/1 for starters and the supporters that were there against Cork were brilliant and made themselves heard. You can’t blame supporters that were negative about Davy Fitz prior to the championship people can only make judgment on what they’d seen last year and the league this year,

I don't think so. Let's say Waterford lost to Cork, we would qualify with 1 point, that's kind of **** also.

If you allow forth place a few games could be dead rubbers.

Fourth place this year and what drama would we have had? We would just need to ensure we didn't get a hammering from Limerick and would make it on score difference even if Tipp won.

I think allowing four makes it pointless.

Like you could do, winners of Munster and Leinster are in the AI Semi's

2nd v 3rd in Munster and Leinster (2nd place Munster V 3rd place Leinster.....) in a quarter final and ignore the McDonagh teams entry.

That would be better than allowing 4th place to qualify

I've read some nonsense on here over the years but I think this tops it all and by a good margin too.

I'd agree with a lot of what you said Gardner about moving forward but would strongly disagree on the national league. It's never meant less, keep doing our heavy training throughout the league and reap the benefits come championship, it's clearly what they done this year and although we didn't get through it worked to a decent extent.

The pressure will be on though as the media and the public will expect Waterford to win most games in 1B next year to show signs of improvement from this year or continued consistency but who cares if we do or not, use it to get more experience and minutes into Patrick Fitzgerald, Kevin Mahony, paddy Leavey etc. Deburca and Stephen Bennett played very little in the league this year and it had zero effect on their championship performances.

I know it's a long way away and a lot of things will change between now and next April but if Limerick do the 5 in a row will they be the same force next year ? Could we see the likes of hannon and Byrne's retiring? Would kiely move on also? Would the same hunger be within the group? All speculation of course but the point I'm trying to make is this - if Limerick went back by 5-10% there's nothing between the rest of the counties so it could be a very open championship for the next 2-3 years. We would hopefully have our house in order to make the best of this situation.

Our intercounty record this year:

Played 12

Lost 9

Won 2

Drew 1

2 wins in 12 attempts. We are by some distance behind all other munster teams. Tipperary, who came bottom of the round robin have won more under age games this year than we have won since 2016. We are in a crisis in underage. Abysmal. With a number of the senior panel the wrong age profile it won't be long before we are irrelevant as we were in the 80s and 90s. Offaly will replace us at the "top table" in the next few years. It could have been different but we sat on our hands and did f';#k all work on underage after the 2013/16 finals.

Brian Green go fund me page

We've already been eliminated from the 2025 national hurling league. No pathway to win it from div 1b, which is division 2 in all but name. We can win division 1b (aka division 2) and in fact it's very likely that we'll end up in the division 1b (aka division 2) final against Dublin

Do people think we have it in us too do what Cork done this year and in 2022 ?

Our heads dropped completely in 18,19 and 23 after 2 defeats. Cork thrived

there’s doom and gloom and then there’s you. Jesus man

Wishing Brian all the best in his recovery. A hero of mine growing up, brilliant player for us in the late nineties/early noughties

Didn't mean to be doom and gloom, just a general question about do we have the same mental strength Cork seem to have. Twice they have got out of Munster after losing there opening 2 games, we were in a similar position a few times and our heads dropped in our 3rd game

I get where you're coming from, I was only thinking the same thing yesterday. It leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth that Cork got out ahead of us despite beating them. But to be fair, looking at it in the cold light of day Cork deserved to go through anyway. They beat Limerick and Tipp, something we failed to do so on that alone they earned their spot in the AI series.

The mentality thing is what I was thinking about that you're referring to. A few times now Cork have dug themselves out of a hole and managed to get through, despite the odds against them. On a few occasions the last few years we found ourselves in a similar situation - a must win game against a stronger (at least on paper) team and wilted. Whereas you look at Cork and they seem to always be able to rise to the challenge. It has to be a mentality thing. Feels a bit like they go out expecting to win while we often go out hoping.

I wanted to wait a few days to ensure my thoughts remained on the review of the year and Davy's two years.

The positives which have already been stated here, seeing some new players come into the team/squad, the form of some players and restoring pride and having the never say die attitude.

That said I feel not getting out of Munster has been a failure. I said it earlier in this thread this was by far our best chance to get out of Munster.

Home game V Cork

Tipp V Limerick while we have a weeks break

Home game v Tipp and they only had a 6 day turn around.

Before the campaign we probably all would have said Limerick 1 and Clare 2, with the other 3 sides battling it out. The fact we had both teams at home, with a weeks break we needed to take maximum points.

The cork game was a bit like the Tipp game last year, there was no pressure on us, everyone had cork as massive favourites.

The Tipp game added pressure as a win and we were as good as through, and we didn't cope with that.

A result in Clare and we were through and we didn't cope with that.

A result in Limerick and we were through, again we didn't cope with that.

The fact we had three attempts to make it and didn't is disappointing.

Next year will be more challenging, as one would imagine both cork and Tipp will be stronger and Limerick and Clare should still be strong.

Is Davy the man for the job, I still don't know, yea we had spirited performances, restored some pride but we still had a woeful league and still failed to get out of Munster although he has returned the most points from any Munster campaign.

I still can't help but feel not that long ago we were touted as the only side that could challenge Limerick but now we look a million miles off that. It's now that we should be going toe to toe with Limerick but we are not.

I honestly don't know where we go from here, I'm still not convinced with Davy, I don't know what the alternatives are.

It feels so long ago since the cork game and we could taste qualification.

I think the resiliency / mental strength has come on.

We took multiple gut punches v Clare, we kept plugging away coming back, I know the result didn't go our way but I also know old Waterford teams would have been on the bus after Tony Kelly's goal, maybe earlier.

We weathered the Cork storm in the second half, we notoriously could not handle the first 15 mins of a second half, in the last few years

It is gutting that we didn't get out of Munster but there are improvements, I think we can only get better into his 3rd and hopefully 4th year.

The Tipp game was disappointing nonetheless but it just wasn't our day.