Waterford step up to the mark Well the marker has been set that Waterford are now serious contenders for Munster and All-Ireland glory after this fantastic win in the national league final. As per my previous article, I stated that Waterford needed to win this and set themselves up for a long summer, full of confidence about their own ability to close out big games. This they did and did so in style with a few newcomers stealing the limelight over some of the more established players. Waterford are now a very well balanced and settled team with the benefit of having strength in dept in the panel in the form of Paul Flynn and Eoin McGrath to help their cause when called upon. They are now a strong physical side with quality all the way through and it will take a very good team to stop them on the road to Croke Park in September. Fanatical support was very obvious the last day but for me the difference now is that the team did not get carried away with themselves and they know that it is on Munster championship day and All-Ireland day when the toughest tests will come which will determine how they are remembered. Kilkenny will not be happy losing a national title and moreover to their nearest rivals on the east coast. They will know from previous experiences that the Deise have never feared them and also Waterford feel that they should have taken their scalp in some very important championship fixtures in the not too distant past. Brian Cody will wonder if his team have the same desire and hunger that they had last year. Defending All-Ireland champions can sometimes wait for things to happen and get caught up in the media and press hype usually associated with a champion side. This might just turn out to be the biggest blessing in disguise for the Cats at this early stage of the season. A clap on the back is only 12 inches from a kick up the arse and losing the league final will focus theirs minds a bit more for the journeys ahead. What I like about Cody and his selectors is that if you don't perform, you do not get to play and it is as simple as that - just ask Cha Fitzpatrick! Rest assured we will see a different Cha and a few others come championship time and soon again they will justify their tag as overwhelming favourites for the Liam McCarthy come September. Cork overcome Clare All the pre-match talk here was how much would Clare miss the services of Seanie McMahon, Brian Lohan and Davy Fitzgerald when they took on the Rebel army and would any of the newcomers be capable of stepping into their shoes and create the first big upset of the championship? More importantly for me though was the absence of Tony Carmody and Tony Griffin. We all knew in advance that the careers were finally over for the former full and centre backs and that they had given them all for the Clare cause and they will rightly take their place as Legends in the banner county. Whatever happened between Davy Fitz' and Mr. Considine, well I cannot answer, but obviously a serious clash of personalities did not help. But when you are trying to build a new team, you must build on the strengths of the existing squad and there were no stronger and better performers than Griffin and Carmody to build a forward line around and their absence cost them dearly. Tony Griffin had his own reasons because of his charity work and he will be in the Clare colours before not too long but what has happened with Carmody I cannot understand. If Clare are to make any further progress they need to get these two back playing as quickly as possible. Add the performance of Barry Nugent to the above and give Jonathan Clancy more game time at midfield and an improvement should be seen. Forget how about how the Cork boys played as they will improve but this was a very poor performance from Clare. They lacked leadership in the most important areas and even though they did stage a comeback in the second half, the horse had well and truly bolted at that stage. Argy Bargy coming out of the tunnel I am keeping the best wine to last and the one and only topic on most peoples' lips after this game was the confrontation between both sides on their way from the dressing rooms out to the tunnel and onto the pitch. Some pundits said it was the best entertainment all day but on a serious note, when you have kids lined up for a guard of honour to welcome their heroes on to the field and they see this, it has to be a cause of concern. I am sure both sets of players regret that this ever happened and that it will not be repeated but questions have to be answered as to how both sides made their way out together. What will follow as to suspensions and fines could undermine the whole Munster Championship and at the time of writing I understand four players from each side have been suspended for a month with heavy fines imposed on both county boards. I am sure there will be an avenue to appeal and I would seriously hope that common sense would prevail. Both sides were the guilty parties and it had a big impact on the quality of game we witnessed afterwards. I called it a bit of handbags on TV and still feel the same but somebody had to be made an example of and unfortunately it seems that Clare and Cork will come out the worst from the disciplinary committee. When you look at the game itself, there wasn't an incident of note to be analysed or spoke about from a bad behaviour point of view. The scenes at the end of the game showing players shake hands and exchanging jerseys meant that there was no fallout from the start of the game. It was an incident that should never have happened but it was just one of those heated moments and the sooner the best forgotten the better for everyone. Let's keep our eye on the small ball for the next number of months and show those doubting Thomas's that it is a game of skill and not indiscipline as some people are quick to point out. Tweet

Most Read Stories