This isn’t the foregone conclusion many are making it out to be.
For God’s sake, this is Waterford we’re talking about. Last year’s All-Ireland finalists, Waterford. Perennial contenders, a proud hurling county, a young team with plenty of ambition. This is Waterford, the home of Austin Gleeson, Pauric Mahony, Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh and many many more.
Now there’s no denying it, the Déise’s year to date has been far from smooth. Derek McGrath’s army have been cursed with injuries, with absentees and for that reason, they will play with a weakened hand against Tipperary on Sunday in the Gaelic Grounds.
But this is do-or-die Munster hurling. Waterford lost last weekend against Clare and you don’t know anything about this team if you don’t think they’re hurting right now, if you don’t think that as a wounded animal these lads will be dangerous.
And a weakened Waterford hand still has a chance here. Yes, they’re missing talisman and leader Kevin Moran, they’ll be minus the influence of Tadhg De Búrca and of Barry Coughlan, but another thing Waterford have is strength and depth – that’s what an All-Ireland under-21 championship in 2016 suggests – and they’ll be calling on that here.
The likes of Patrick Curran, DJ Foran, Michael Kearney, Tom Devine – these are accomplished young players with a point to prove.
Now, if you told us earlier in the week that Waterford would be 6/1, we’d have been fairly surprised, but not reeling. That’s because Pauric Mahony was rumoured to be missing here, as well as Austin Gleeson. These two, two of the country’s finest, have been named to start here and that will rally the troops.
Tell us they’re 6/1 now, which they are with bookmakers Bet365, William Hill amongst others, and you just have to feel that those odds will be lining the Déise dressing room wall in the Treaty County on Sunday.
They’ve been one of the best and most consistent teams in the country over the last few years and they’ll be going into this clash with Tipperary thinking they’ve every chance.
Rewind one week and at half-time in Tipperary’s clash with Cork, the Premier County were being written off as a team that had reached the end of the road.
After one good half of hurling, it’s as if they’re back to their best. They will still have some doubts in their minds as to why they’d played five woeful halves of hurling in a row up to that second half showing against Cork.
For some reason, everyone seems to get carried away with Tipperary one way or another and now, now Waterford are 6/1 to win. With many bookmakers, the handicap betting is eight points.
Ask any Tipperary supporter and they’ll tell you they can’t even look at their meeting with Clare next weekend because they know this will be a challenge today.
This will be tighter than may expect it to be.
