Another day where Waterford didn't score a goal, another day where they could have paid for it. Kilkenny rarely leave the pitch without one and it was all that kept them in this in the end. So we ask Derek McGrath if it gnaws at him that it's become a thing. Because it has, unquestionably.
"It wouldn't gnaw at me," he says. "Waterford scored six goals against Ollie Walsh in 1963 and they still lost the game. Does it gnaw at me? I'd love to see us getting a few goals, of course I would. Did we look more threatening today for the goal? I think we did.
“Kevin [Moran] got forward an awful lot and Shane [Bennett] looked threatening early on inside. To answer your question, it probably gnaws at me personally that we are not getting the goals and we are trying hard to get them.
“But we are trying hard to the point that it doesn’t become an absolute – something hanging over your head.”
Buzzed by
Six days’ rest ahead of the replay. Waterford know they have a choice now – leave Croke Park dejected at what they’ve left behind or head to Thurles buzzed by what’s in store. McGrath knows what they can do. This draw has shown it for all to see. It’s a matter now of finding it again for next weekend.
“The fear for the manager is that if you say we don’t fear Kilkenny, they come out the next day and wallop us. They’re capable of that, you know? In my role as manager, you always probably err on the side of knowing what they can do to teams. The evidence is fairly startling – the 2012 replay against Galway when Henry came deep from centre-forward and the replay against Tipp in 2014. When they come the next day they say to themselves that they weren’t happy with how the first day went and that’s the nature of them.
“I think the lads will take great confidence out of that. I think the people if Waterford will take great confidence out of how the lads just went for it when they had to. That’s the most heartening thing from my point of view. We’ve had a group that has never confessed to anything but hard work and effort. They gave everything and that was unquestionable today.
“I think we’ll be okay. This is a highly motivated group, they’re a solid group of fellas. I’d say you’re sick of me saying that. They’re a great group of lads and they’re not happy there at not seeing it out. They’re not in any way arrogant that it will be automatic for the next day. We know how wound up and absolutely ravenous we needed to be today to do what we did and if we’re five per cent off that the next day, we’re in bother.
“That’s my honest opinion. I don’t think it’s a huge issue.”
In his stride
Brian Cody is rarely moved by anything new under the sun and, true to form, he takes this one in his stride.
No, Waterford didn’t surprise him. Yes, Kilkenny have things they can improve on.
No, the sparing use of substitutes isn’t a sign that he doubts the depth of his panel. Next, please.
“Waterford will not be happy because they didn’t win the game, no more than we’re not happy because we didn’t win it, so both teams are going away disappointed that we didn’t win. The majority of people will suggest that they had victory in their sights more than we had, which is fair comment – they had.
“But that doesn’t matter really, now. I’m sure they’ll be looking at being better the next day so we’ll wait and see because not only are they a very good team but they have huge potential to go on because even age-wise they’re very good. We’re not too bad anyway. We’ll look for improvement.”
