Whatever the pros and cons of the change of regime, it is likely the present Waterford team have reached their high-water mark, writes Sean Moran

WHEN IT'S over, it's over. The swiftly moving train of events that led within the space of four days from the Waterford hurlers' meeting in Tramore, past the resignation of Justin McCarthy and on to Monday night's ratification of David Fitzgerald as the new team manager has been accompanied by a range of predictable reactions.

Some saw it as a bold and decisive act of liberation by players who felt the manager had brought them as far as he could and the defeat by Clare was a definite signal time was up and this time unalterably.

Some saw it as a betrayal of a great coach, who had brought undreamed-of silverware to a down-at-heel county.

Others detected in the whole saga further evidence of the much-despised phenomenon of player power, which is frequently and incorrectly perceived as a modern phenomenon that can be blamed in large part on the pernicious influence of Cork hurlers.

Such things have been happening since the manager became a must-have accessory within Gaelic games back in the 1970s. For instance it's nearly all of 16 years since Mayo's players rebelled against Brian McDonald and forced his resignation, claiming - to widespread hilarity - in a statement they believed "the current Mayo panel is capable of winning an All-Ireland". Four years later, but for the bounce of a ball, eight of the signatories would have done just that.

The power structures within the GAA are, however, quite clear about who wields what authority, and Waterford chair Pat Flynn was at pains on Monday night to emphasise the recruitment of Fitzgerald had been the responsibility of county officers - and players had been made aware of this once their communique signalled the end for McCarthy.

Realistically, who cares? This is like personal relationships and marriages. No one can force the parties to stay together. It's not a contract and it's not enforceable.

This doesn't mean managers have to ingratiate themselves with players or court popularity. All they have to do is establish a reputation for effectiveness and once the evidence indicates their methods bring success - not necessarily immediate trophies but planned targets on the way to an overall goal - players will fall in with the programme.

No one could argue with the success Justin McCarthy brought to Waterford. His obsessive micro-management in terms of coaching - the scrutiny and refashioning of hurls, the insistence on repetitive drills - had taken time before it fully convinced.

But the misgivings evaporated when success in the Munster championship began to take shape and finally materialised after 39 years of waiting. For those present in Páirc Uí Chaoimh nearly six years ago the memory will be of an intoxicating display.

For a while, it looked as if the pace and sweep of the opening exchanges would taper off as Tipperary kept in touch, but instead the scores kept coming. It was reminiscent of the dam-burst of scores Wexford conjured at the end of their own long wait in the final minutes of the 1996 Leinster final - coincidentally the winning total was the same in both matches, 2-23 - except that time would reveal Waterford's continuing ability to draw down such high scores.

But something about the relationship was always edgy. There had been flashpoints during the first year, back in 2002, including when players believed they weren't being sufficiently flogged in training to achieve the prevailing standard of championship fitness.

Success kept such problems at bay, but it was noticeable that in times of disappointment there were always mutterings that McCarthy had done as much as he could with the team. He sailed serenely on in such situations until the next piece of silverware put a stop to the grumbling for the time being.

Every disappointment seemed to have an underlying subtext. There were reports of botched arrangements for some big matches and even the very first championship day back in 2002 featured a controversial postscript. After the exciting win over Cork, the two chosen Waterford players skipped Thurles without taking the newly prescribed drug test.

The county was lucky the authorities did not pursue the incident, accepting with reservations that it was part of the process's teething problems rather than handing down 12-month bans, which they would have been entitled to do.

It's hard to imagine sticklers for logistics, such as Liam Griffin or Donal O'Grady, allowing players to walk themselves into that sort of potentially disastrous terrain.

It would be unfair to say the management style never altered. Occasionally player representations would be taken on board and the back-room personnel changed but the purist's focus didn't waver and while personal consideration and generosity were apparent there was equally some fearful falling-out.

Yet, when they played full-on, Waterford were magical. Like most popular teams they were more potent going forward but frequently that didn't matter because they could score so fluently. And that was the plan. It lent an epic quality to all of their successes

Individuals may occasionally have been guilty of mean-spirited acts but you could never say it was part of the team's strategy.

Within the county there were complaints McCarthy should have departed at various junctures in the past three years but by the time of last year's semi-final against Limerick the reservations were once more in abeyance.

By last week he had alienated so many constituencies there were few advocates left. The media - to whom he had (extraordinarily) said after the 2002 Munster final: "Let the hype be there. If they can't experience it now - sure that's what they're intercounty hurlers for" - were beyond caring such had been the lack of co-operation.

The public were tired of the mind games and routinely garbled team selections and even county officials had lost patience.

Nonetheless, and this has not been much remarked on, he also behaved honourably in his departure. He read the final situation accurately and went quickly, releasing a courteous statement that resisted what must have been a strong temptation to settle scores.

The players have a new manager and the rest of the summer to close the deal but for all the goodwill they inspire as a team, it's hard to believe McCarthy has not established the high-water mark of the county's achievements for the foreseeable future.