The appointment of Ken McGrath and Seán Cullinance as selectors could augur well for Waterford's prospects, writes KEITH DUGGAN

AFTER A swings and roundabouts week in Waterford, things are suddenly beginning to look a bit brighter in the sunny southeast.

The relief evident on manager Michael Ryan’s face after last weekend’s dramatic reversal of form against Galway was the most obvious sign that the Decies might have turned a corner. But the reappearance of Ken McGrath with the Waterford squad was another reason for optimism as the championship approaches.

The appointment of the Mount Sion legend along with Seán Cullinane as new selectors ought to draw a line under what has been an eventful league for Waterford. Tomorrow, they host league champions Dublin in a match that suddenly looks desperately difficult to call.

“I am led to believe Ken took training on Tuesday,” says fellow selector Pat Bennett. “So I think he will do a lot of the coaching and Seán as well. Those two will take over the coaching of the forwards and backs and they will have a big input. Ken was with the Freshers in WIT and with the Mount Sion Under-21s as well.

“What I like about Ken is that he was always looking at coaching and you knew that was the direction that he was going and it I can see him being a Waterford manager down the line. He was always trying to learn and better himself and he will question himself and other things. It was super to work with him from that point of view.”

Bennett is better placed than most to evaluate the mood in Waterford having served as selector under Davy Fitzgerald last year. The Ballysaggart man was present last March when McGrath decided he no longer had the physical wherewithal to cope with the demands of the modern game.

He was decisive in the way he went about it: he informed the management after playing in a league game against Cork and that was it. Fitzgerald had offered McGrath the option of sitting out the early stages of the league and returning to training in late spring.

“But Ken . . . wanted to come back in early January and go through the training with the others and see how he got on. And after that Cork match, he was extremely honest with himself. He just felt he wasn’t up to intercounty pace anymore.”

McGrath’s retirement was yet another forceful reminder that one of the most exciting teams of recent generations would exit the game without All-Ireland medals. When Waterford were beaten by Kilkenny in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, there was an unspoken recognition that Fitzgerald had most likely coached his last game for the county. Clare beckoned.

When a number of candidates – including Bennett – decided not to put themselves forward for the role, Michael Ryan emerged as the strongest candidate. From the early furore over his decision to drop Eoin Kelly from the squad to the series of worrying results that followed – with the 31-point concession to Tipperary the most alarming – Ryan has remained admirably calm and unruffled.

The preparation for last week’s game pointed to more turmoil, with selector Nicky Cashin resigning, leading to McGrath’s sudden return to prominence. It was the perfect response to the reaction to Cashin’s departure.

When McGrath spoke about his retirement last summer, he was sanguine about it, reasoning that he was absolutely certain that he couldn’t have given anymore.

“I’ve been playing since 1995, which is a different era altogether. There isn’t much cartilage left in the knee. The doubts were beginning to creep in.”

By July, he was beginning to enjoy the novelty of having more time at home and with his family and to attending Waterford games as a spectator. The hiatus has proven to be short. Bennett believes McGrath’s presence will be invaluable not just to the management but to the younger panel members who revere him.

“Ken was there. He never missed training and you just got used to seeing him there. And even for me as a selector, you would get used to bouncing ideas and things off him and he was unbelievable that way. He was very honest. He is thorough in what he does and he likes things done on a professional basis. So he will bring that attitude with him into the Waterford set-up now. For the Galway game, it was easy to see the effect that his just being there had on people. It lifted the team and the support and everyone in Waterford just to see him back there.”

For the second time within a year, Waterford relocated their spirit against Galway. Just as they responded to the Munster final whipping by Tipperary with a passionate quarter-final win against the Tribesmen in Thurles last July, things clicked against the same county on Sunday.

John Mullane made his return and brought his speed and guile to bear in the attacking line. Eoin Kelly – whose return to the panel last week drew nothing like the public attention that his departure did – was introduced from the substitutes bench. The defence held Galway’s attack to just 0-10 on the hour mark, a radical step up on their performance against Tipperary a fortnight earlier.

For a few minutes, it must have seemed as if a period of calm was about to return to the Waterford dressingroom. But this team has never been boring or predictable and so selector Brother Ryan’s decision to resign was the latest trip into the unexpected.

The Tipperary man’s decision was devastatingly honest, as he admitted he felt the squad required a different training methodology than he felt capable of giving them. Ryan was invited in during Fitzgerald’s reign and was asked to stay on by Michael Ryan. Bennett was fascinated by the extent of Ryan’s historical and coaching knowledge of hurling and remembers sitting up with him until four in the morning talking about the game.

“He is just a brilliant hurling man. He was very dedicated and he knew what he wanted to do with the squad. And I think he was honest in his decision to leave now and very honourable in what he did for Waterford hurling.”

The sense that ground is always shifting when it comes to Waterford hurling was confirmed when none other than Eoin Kelly spoke up to say he was surprised Ryan had departed, praising his qualities as a coach.

The speedy appointment of Cullinane staved off the inevitable speculation about unrest in the camp. Cullinane was a composed and solid full back for Waterford, an imposing presence on the team when McGrath burst on the scene.

The team has had two training sessions under the new management structure and curiosity alone should bring a big crowd to Fraher Field tomorrow. A win will hasten a stark reappraisal of Waterford’s season: everything hinges on a renewal of acquaintances with Davy Fitz and Clare in the Munster semi-final on June 17th. Bennett is confident the team has turned a corner.

“I would be hopeful we can get a result against Dublin and even keep Division One status. When a manager takes over, it takes time for players to get used to the new set up and there will be that adjustment period. I think that is what we have seen in Waterford. But they will hurl and perform when it matters. You don’t become a bad team over night.

“Waterford are the third-best team in Ireland. Our record in the last six years would bear that out. And with Ken McGrath back now and Seán coming in, I think they will help to lift things by a good 20 per cent.”