Davy Fitzgerald believes Offaly will pose a serious threat to Waterford's hopes of progressing to an All-Ireland hurling quarter-final. The new Deise manager was impressed by Offaly's stunning victory over Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds last Saturday, and claims he would have preferred to have avoided the rejuvenated Faithful in last Sunday's draw. "We would have preferred to avoid Offaly," he said. "Their form against Limerick was incredible but I've known Offaly a long time and I never came across a team that didn't tackle, battle and hurl. "Look at how they performed last Saturday. Of the two teams we could have got, Offaly showed a lot better form than Cork in the qualifying round." Fitzgerald, who will welcome back Seamus Prendergast from a shoulder injury, says Waterford will need to be at their best if they are to overcome Joe Dooley's men on Saturday. "We know in Waterford that we have to raise our game quite considerably. We have had no test since the Clare match and we're coming pretty cold into this game. The Limerick game will stand to Offaly," he added. Tweet

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