All-Ireland SHC quarter-final/Tipperary v Waterford: Seán Moran on whether Waterford full forward Michael Walsh would be better deployed at midfield

Waterford's team selections in the Justin McCarthy era have traditionally needed a local cryptographer to decipher. Match programmes in the press box become a maze of lines, criss-crossing the middle pages. Of late the obscurantism has been less pronounced but before the weekend's last Guinness All-Ireland quarter-final tomorrow, most Waterford supporters will hope to be making one adjustment in particular to the side that takes on Tipperary.

The listing of Michael "Brick" Walsh at full forward has been something of a hobbyhorse for McCarthy despite a widespread conviction that the player is one of the best centrefielders in the game with talents that get submerged up on the edge of the square. The last of the qualifiers against Laois was a case in point.

For a change, Waterford started as picked, one to 15, for the first time most people could remember. After labouring at full forward during a poor enough team effort, Walsh was moved back to the middle and helped turn the match into a comfortable win and ended up with 1-5 from the play.

On local radio at half-time there was much exasperation expressed at the fact that the player had started anywhere else than in his best position.

Tomorrow it is expected the player will again start at full forward and it's still a matter of some anxiety in Waterford.

That anxiety and the profile his hurling enjoys reflects a major change in his reputation from a young support player during the Munster final success of two years ago to a leading figure in the team. Last February, according to Nicky English, this newspaper's hurling analyst, Walsh was an early candidate for hurler of the year between his displays in Waterford IT's Fitzgibbon Cup success and his NHL form.

At the end of a tour de force in Páirc Uí Rinn where Waterford defeated the All-Ireland champions Cork, he drew this compliment from McCarthy: "Michael Walsh was outstanding. He doesn't know when to stop and has a fierce big heart. He caught some great balls and went straight at them."

Walsh's background is unusual. Born into a football family, he plays with Stradbally, predominantly a football club, and the consensus holds he is a better footballer than hurler. In fact, he was the county's Footballer of the Year in 2003, reflecting his contribution to a major achievement - the Munster under-21 success, the county's first elite football title in two centuries. Playing at centrefield against Kerry, Walsh was the outstanding player in a cast that included Colm Cooper and Declan O'Sullivan.

His ability to win ball and distribute it effectively was a key element in the sustained performance that culminated in a last-minute winning goal and a two-point victory for Waterford.

He continues to play for his club and was unlucky not to end up with a Munster club medal in 2004, his first year with the county hurlers. Man of the match in the drawn final against Kilmurry-Ibrickane, he endured the indignity of missing a penalty in the replay, which the Clare club won by a point. Stradbally have won the last five county titles and significantly this year, beat Ballygunner in the hurling championship.

"That wouldn't have been a huge surprise," says one media observer. "There'd be a feeling that if they gave the big ball a rest they could achieve something in hurling."

By the time of the under-21 success, however, Walsh was already in the process of effectively leaving behind inter-county football. A financial degree course in Waterford IT brought him into contact with the college's renowned hurling nursery and its glittering relationship with the Fitzgibbon Cup and his ambitions became apparent.

"He also played Sigerson and never let anybody down," according to Colm Bonnar, the Tipperary All-Ireland winner and WIT's clubs and societies officer, "but he was very motivated to get into the Fitzgibbon. The fact that there were experienced hurlers in the college when he started was a great help to his development. They talked about different styles of play and preparation, including diet before and after games. It's a great time to be involved in Gaelic games when you're a student because the typical lecture schedule allows time to work on your game."

Much as he was to do with Waterford, Walsh would quickly graduate from an enthusiastic rookie to someone of influence around whom the team operated.

"He has been immense for WIT over the past four or five years," says Bonnar. "Back in 2003 when he was coming through he was a lot better known as a footballer and we had some well-established county hurlers with us then, like Ollie Moran (Limerick) and Paul Curran (Tipperary) - strong characters. He was vying for a midfield place with those sort of players even in his first year. He was very fit and "in your face" and had a tremendous hand to catch a ball.

"The following year about nine of the team left and he straight away became one of the leaders and his performances were consistently top class with the exception of one game against UCD when we had to move him off Stephen Lucey.

In the Fitzgibbon final he turned in an awesome display against UCC - unbelievable work-rate, up and down the field.

"His bravery was another thing that caught our attention - no problem sticking his hand up and well able to protect it, which is a huge skill considering the amount of ball he wins and how rarely he gets hand injuries."

Tomorrow's re-match with Tipperary comes as Waterford are picking up momentum with injuries healing and suspensions served.

They present a different challenge to the under-strength outfit that went down to an uncharacteristically heavy defeat seven weeks ago.

Although sources close to the team insist the lineout is as intended, it's hard to believe that Shane O'Sullivan, a recognised forward, is going to start at centrefield even as Walsh continues his exile on the edge of the square.

The temptation to use him in that capacity is one that's familiar to Bonnar, who says that it cropped up as an idea in Waterford IT.

"We thought of playing him at full forward because of his good hands, speed and ability to turn a man.

"The trouble is that depends on the ball going into him so we decided he was better out the field.

"He's not primarily a scorer, more someone who takes on the opposition and makes room for others. Around the middle he's always there, winning his own ball and also covering across that area.

"He's been one of the best Fitzgibbon players of recent years. He's very willing and doesn't react to bad decisions and he put in a huge effort to bring his hurling up to that level.

"He works hard at his first touch and the longer the season goes on the better it gets. Once he knew he was interested in hurling he knew he'd have to work on his touch - most hurlers do unless they're Eoin Kelly."

Ideally, Waterford's centrefield would combine Walsh with Ken McGrath but the latter is needed to lock the defence at centre back, the position where he enjoyed his best year in 2004.

Walsh will plug away but it's likely that his best moments and those of the team will come when he is positioned in deeper out the field.