I see big Dan has come out and called comparisons to Donegal as bulls*** , my take on this is as follows and just wondering what others think.
When Clare won they All Ireland while many admired the play of Kelly and Collins equally their were numbers happy to debate the sweeper and put a negative spin on their achievements .
When Dublin won the league its was mentioned a lot about their work rate , in other words little about skill .
I have felt similar type of praise being aimed at Waterford , now I cant take about their 1b games , but semi final and final Ive seen nothing but good hurling , excellent defence and fine point taking , that had it been executed by a so called more traditional power I feel less scrutiny would have taken place .
Now having been a major fan of the Jon Mulane and Dan the man era , I will admit to them being a more off the cuff man to man side , but who does play that way anymore ???

PS Not aimed at Donegal football , a genuine hurling question .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 05/05/2015 10:09:22    1720263

You can play any way you want during the league if you are fitter than all the other teams and that's what Waterford were. Added to that a defensive style will work in hurling during winter months when the ground is heavy and nobody is hitting points from 80/90 yards. The true test of them will be come June and July when they are playing teams who are on similar fitness levels to themselves and teams are popping balls over the bar from out the field and they have to push up and away from the 8 and 9 defenders they currently have in place.

That isn't having a go at them. It's just stating the fact that their tactics were Winter heavy ground tactics and it got them their rewards. I personally cannot see the same system working come championship. And let's be honest, if Cork beat them in 5 weeks then nobody will give a damn about a league win.

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 05/05/2015 11:03:53    1720287

After the retirements of Dan,Mullane,Flynn,Browne,McGrath and Kelly,i thought Waterford may have a few barren years.After all,these aforementioned men brought the county out of the hurling wilderness and won 4 Munster titles and 1 national league.Some of them won an All Ire U21 also.That gave the county great belief which ultimately led to their decade of successs.It has been a breath of fresh air how quickly Waterford seem to have reinvented themselves with a new team of quality.With a minor All Ireland and a few successful college teams,there seems to be another sprinkling of top players available to D McGrath.The likes of Dunford,Gleeson and P O Mahony are a joy to watch.Although they have crowded the backline during recent games and smothered the opposition,they are able to mix this with their old expansive,swashbuckling style and are racking up huge scores.They seem to have mastered the rapid transition from defense to attack and no team has been able to counter it as of yet.It will be interesting to follow their progress this year,but i cannot see any side having it easy against the Deise.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 05/05/2015 11:30:25    1720294

Unlike Donegal's system, Waterford have been racking up high-scoring tallies with a wide range of scoretakers. Nothing negative about that!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 05/05/2015 11:33:49    1720295

Let's be honest here for a hurling team to be compared to Donegal is the biggest insult you could get so I don't blame him being annoyed.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 05/05/2015 11:38:15    1720299

I dont agree Mike.Derek McGrath himself said counties like Waterford cannot be passing up an oppurtunity of winning a league title.Regardless of championship result v Cork,it is a fantastic achievement for this group of players to win only their 3rd national league.Its a medal they will be proud to have.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 05/05/2015 11:38:18    1720300

I totally agree with my fellow county man Mike03.

I think they have done very well, but I think the true test of their system is in championship. I wish them well, if my own county were out I'd always like to see Waterford do well.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 05/05/2015 11:45:16    1720302

Mike03 has nailed it with that comment. That style will not work when the ball start moving at championship pace. But to be fair Waterford are going the right way about building a team and no better way to get started with a league title. Waterford wanted to win the league more than any other team they showed that with the hunger, and everyone could see how much it meant to them after the game.

therealtmo (Tipperary) - Posts: 1292 - 05/05/2015 12:05:32    1720318

Just have a suspicion and that's all it is , that had a Tipp Cork or Kilkenny employed same tactics , Coady and JBM would be hailed as tactical genius's . As a neutral I for one am really looking forward to when Cork play them again in championship . Hurling this year wide open IMO.

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 05/05/2015 12:40:19    1720341

firstly congrats to Waterford on there success, let no debate take away from the actual achievment

After the Tipp game was when I first read about the "donegal" comparison. I watche dthe game back and thought Waterford were being very hard done by. What I saw against Tipp was a savage display and workrate. Plenty of skill and some fine long range point taking. However I did feel Sunday was the worst game of hurling Id seen for some time. Again Waterford defended well but too often had no out ball because they had so many back so deep.

Now its up to Cork or anyone else to work around that and so far nobody has worked it out so well done Derek McGrath and Waterford but what will happen in a few weeks when all teams are that bit fitter and will have worked a plan to combat Waterford? They have played almost a championship level to date have they more to give or have they peaked?

Brianmac78 (Dublin) - Posts: 1168 - 05/05/2015 13:14:35    1720362

Waterford have improved immensely from when we ended their summer last year. If I was Derek McGrath, Big Dan or a Waterford supporter I wouldnt care 1 bit, the year has been a success already. They are out of 1B, league champions and have a good young team.

My big concern for them is that when the pitches get drier, scoring range gets longer and then this defensive system might be exposed. Also I feel that if you keep the ball moving quickly enough against them and try to expose them 1-on-1 without letting them get men back that this system could be beaten yet. Playing short passing is just playing into their hands.

However, after my own county I would love to see them win the All-Ireland and wish them luck for the year ahead.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 06/05/2015 21:05:27    1721020

Rotten news about Pauric Mahony, looks like he's out for 6 months with a broken leg. It was shaping up to be a big year for the guy as well, very harsh. Hope it doesn't derail Waterford too much, its a big loss for them though.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 10/05/2015 16:01:46    1722066