Waterford GAA Discussion Thread 3 ***Updated Mod Note Post 1***

Whiplash85 wrote: »

I expect Waterford to improve on last year. I definitely think getting to a Munster final, league final replay and All Ireland semi final would represent a successful year for Waterford. They have definitely improved on the sweeper system but I also expect other teams will have improved in their ability to mitigate it.

You wouldn't know what to expect from Kilkenny. They had a very up and down league, a few injuries since. They have been knocked out of minor and U21 leinster championships. Are they currently running on fumes and is Winter finally coming. God I hope so but with Cody you never know. If he wins it this year with Kilkenny it will be his best win yet.

Don't we say all this every year about Kilkenny though? Having said that this season does seem to be shaping up a bit like 2013 for them when they had an early exit but they still managed to knock out Tipp that year.

I can't see them winning it with all their injuries now but I still wouldn't fancy playing them in a knock out game.

Have resisted to this point entering debates about whether we are good enough to win an all Ireland and watching how so called neutral supports love telling us to be realistic and that we were well beaten by Tipp and Kilkenny last year and how we were lucky that things went wrong for Clare last Sunday and they will be back.

Quite simply only time will tell whether this side are good enough but there are a number of factors that give me personally and a lot of other i know reasons to be optimistic for this and the next couple of years:

1. Tipp since the last Munster Final have suffered a couple of demoralizing defeats such as last years AI Semi Final and this years Leageu Semi Final and dare i say it a home league match to ourselves. These results have increased the pressure on Tipp no matter what they might say.

2. KK have a lot of injuries and a lot of miles on the clock - they are still favourites for the All Ireland but they have undoubtedly come back toward the chasing pack.

3. Galway, Dublin Clare and Waterford are all in the same bracket at least and if they have a reason to be optimistic so have we.

Looking at our own set up:

- The return of Darragh Fives who missed more or less the whole of last year is a massive plus for Waterford
- The return of Paudie Mahony to fitness (if last Sunday is anything to go by) is a massive plus for us.
- The experience gained last year and the progression of Shane Bennett, Patrick Curran and Austin Gleeson is a massive plus for us.
- Competition on our bench has never been as strong.
- the belief of our management has grown and i feel they now feel we are ready to compete at any level.

Whether or not these factors will result in an ALL Ireland win remain to be seen, but i refuse to be anything but really optimistic about our chances of taking the big prize. We started the year hoping to surviving in Division 1, not only did we survive we very nearly done back to back league titles, we are back in a Munster Final against all the predictions and i do not see any other team having made that kind of progress this year - please God we will stay clear of major injuries that could hamper our efforts and roll on July.

I must admit that I think the way Limerick are being written off by some on this forum quite insulting if I didn't know better I would have thought I was on the cork or kk page but at least they'd have form to do so but lads from water ford?for what it's worth I don't think we'll beat tipp but surely a team that beat tipp in thurles just two yrs ago deserves not to be written off in chats by water ford lads when they talk of what way the mun final will go plus a lot of your much vaunted team were beaten by our no hopers at underage two years in a row.

So lads we know yer excited and rightly so but please tipp arent playing a club side in mun semi so aren't guaranteed to get thru not unlike yourselves in all Irl semi in 07

Not only did I say I didn't think we'd beat tipp 2days ago I just said it 5min ago but there are no certainties in sport?

mickmackmcgoo wrote: »

Plenty here are assuming Tip will win and on recent form they should, but personally I wouldn't write off Limerick . They have had lots of time since the league semi final, there isn't a word been written about them and they have some very talented hurlers and It wouldn't be the first time they upset Tipp.

Exactly my thinking mcgoo we are re building but still have a chance albeit small genuinely think we've forwards that can do damage but our backs will be our downfall I fear but hope I'm wrong.look let's face it if I was a water ford man of course you'd think it should be tipp but my point is some are making points about playing tipp in mun final when the semi hasn't even been played and to me that's disrespecting Limerick

lim4ev wrote: »

Exactly my thinking mcgoo we are re building but still have a chance albeit small genuinely think we've forwards that can do damage but our backs will be our downfall I fear but hope I'm wrong.look let's face it if I was a water ford man of course you'd think it should be tipp but my point is some are making points about playing tipp in mun final when the semi hasn't even been played and to me that's disrespecting Limerick

I half agree with you that we shouldn't be disrespecting Limerick. But I must say I find it a bit ironic being accused of it from a Limerick man. I remember reading (I think in 2011) that Limerick should be beating "the likes of waterford." I think at the time they hadn't won a Munster match in a decade (if you count going to extra time as a draw) whereas we were Munster champs at the time.

But it's quite different to us playing Limerick and writing them off. The reality is we'll probably play tipp in the final. We want to chat about the final so playing tipp is what we'll chat about most.

Cake Man wrote: »

So you're saying it's not a problem if you are writing off your own teams chances but if anyone else (outside Limerick) says ye won't win it's disrespectful?


Look, for what it's worth, I think ye are in a nice position. Ye're coming into the game with absolutely no pressure and nobody giving ye a hope. Leave whoever say what they want and hope that mentality and line of thinking seeps into the Tipp team. No better team than Limerick for upsetting the odds. I'd actually give ye a chance of pulling it off.




As for our aspirations of an AI, I wouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves. Yes we beat a good Clare team (albeit poor on the day) but the acid tests this year will be Tipp and/or KK. And the acid test of acid tests will be KK and/or Tipp in Croke Park - a venue where we have a poor record in the last 20 years. I counted 16 occasions we played there since 1998 and it reads W4, D1 and L11. That's a 25% win ratio, the last of which came in the AI semi final win over Tipp in 2008 - 8 years ago! Badly need to get a win at headquarters, I think if that's all else we achieve this year it'll at least be progress.

A Munster title Wud be good progress too. We could get a less challenge Al semi final going in as Munster champs but way to early to discuss stuff like that

The younger guys have no fear of Croke Park as they won matches there in recent years (2013 minor sf vs Kilkenny and final vs Galway) and some players narrowly lost in 2014 to Kilkenny there

Cake Man wrote: »

Yeah I agree a Munster title would be good progress. It's an interesting thought which would represent "better" progress - would you rather win a Munster title but then lose an AI semi final or lose a Munster final but make an AI final (and lose that).
Personally would happily see us lose Munster if it meant an AI final appearance as it would bring the lads on a tonne. Not to mention getting a few more championship wins including in Croke Park.

I agree, the biggest difference between Waterford and the likes of Kilkenny, Tipp and even Clare and Galway is the experience of playing in the senior all Ireland final and all the hullabaloo that comes with it. Just getting to the final this year would be huge progress.

Tipperary will beat Limerick, and Waterford will beat Tipp, Limerick are my second favourite team to support, How could you not love Limerick Your a lady best tune for me of any county, love the green and white, love their history and what they bring to the game, very similer kind of supporter too, to Waterford, so we have loads in common, their tradition too very similer to our's, and we don't have that "next door neighbour derby thing" which always ratches up the animosity, but then again, no body likes Tipp.
But Tipp will beat them, better hurlers , will be Fitter[Something Tj and his backroom team seem unable to rectify}, and stronger panel, which allows Tipp a few more options down the straight when the game will be in the fire, Limerick Need to start well, to have one of those day's, and they have not hadone of those day's for a bit, as they seem unable to maintain the intensity for the full Hour, full back line Peaked three years ago, and Struggle to cope with good fast ball in around them, which Tipp do very well, I also think Tipp will have a Major say Maybe Later in the year, but Limerick will not really test them, and this will suit a waterford side, that has already this year had a league final and replay and Munster semi, and are furthur along, so we'll beat Tipp, now look at that , does not sound so bad, its just an Opinion , and it might be wrong, but i'm entitled to it, and should not feel the need to apoligise for it, for Predicting Waterford Success, its just new , and chances are we might grow into it.

In my view, if the match was in the Gaelic Grounds i think Limerick would have a real chance of toppling Tipp - with the game being in Thurles I expect Tipp to win but would not write of Limerick by any means. If they can get amongst them and stay in touch up to the final 10 minutesI feel Limerick might just pull it off. There is a lot of pressure on this Tipp side and whether it is arrogance or lack of belief - they have a habit of leaving tight games behind them. Limerick have some great young hurlers and the Na Piarsaigh lads will bring a strong belief to the team. Tipp on teh other hand were involved in what coudl best be described as a "non event" agsint Cork for whatever the reasons, Cork didn't turn up on the day, they tried a system that they did not know how to operate, the weather was crap - non of this has done Tipp any favours.

Looking fro ward to the game and equally to the Dublin - Kilkenny game this Saturday - Dublin have very much been a mixed bag for the last two years but KK have shown a vulnerability in the full back line against Clare and they have massive injuries - they are vulnerable but deadly so for me a really interesting 70 minutes plus of hurling ahead

Xenophile wrote: »

This should have been a yellow card for Austin Gleeson. It is cowardly to try and soften up a player coming on cold and also probably dangerous as his body will not be prepared to take heavy knocks.

LOL...I needed a good laugh this morning, thanks!

JesusRef wrote: »

It was a bit of shouldering for f*cks sake - attacked - Christ you must be sheltered

Glad to see that Gleeson was coming out the better of it too