FOR validation of the new-found confidence engulfing Waterford hurling, look no further than the fact they ceded a neutral setting to allow Tipperary to have home advantage in Sunday’s Munster hurling final.
The Gaelic Grounds were on offer for Derek McGrath’s side, but they instead opted to travel to Thurles with Semple Stadium hosting its first decider since 2010.
It was Waterford who triumphed there five years ago, the Déise seeing off Cork after a replay so they have plenty of happy memories in the ground. Their provincial successes in 2004, ‘07 and ‘10 also came at the venue.
The fact that there’s a phenomenal demand for tickets within the county – a crowd of over 50,000 is expected - should further dilute the impact of Tipp’s home advantage whilst their semi-final win against the Rebels last month was also staged in Thurles.
And why shouldn’t they demonstrate a little bullishness after their form over the last couple of months? Their last five games, League and Championship, have resulted in them downing Wexford, Galway, Tipperary and Cork twice – an impressive list of victims.
This weekend’s game brings extra pressure for McGrath’s charges though. A win would not only secure a 10th Munster title for a county, but also a spot in the All-Ireland semi-finals, something that seemed hugely unlikely when their Division 1B campaign was throwing in on February 14.
Much of their stunning progress has been a result of their seamless adaption to McGrath’s defensive system of play this season. Tadgh de Burca will cover the full-back line and Jamie Barron will cover the half-back line when Tipp go on the attack this weekend. Defenders will not be left isolated against opposition forwards, or at least very rarely.
The aim of the system is fairly basic. Crowd the forwards, force turnovers and get the ball up to Maurice Shanahan and co. as quickly as possible – and they have executed it almost to a tee this year.
For all the defensive focus on Waterford’s strategy, Shanahan remains the key cog in its potential success.
The 25-year-old must show three things against Tipperary – positional discipline, patience and plenty of game intelligence. He will not get a mountain of ball and will go long periods without any sustained service, but he must shake off those frustrations, remain on sentry duty at the edge of the square and either assist or score with the majority of possessions he receives.
McGrath may opt to allow him out the pitch at times too, and his stunning goal from distance against Cork showed the danger he carries when further out the park.
Tipperary boss Éamon O’Shea will probably give James Barry the task of curbing the influence of Shanahan, and whilst they rarely flood their defence, Waterford’s retreat should allow a degree of support for the Upperchurch-Drombane man.
It’s through their attacking class rather than any defensive snubbing that should secure an expected Munster title for the Premier county though.
Any forward line that contains Séamus Callanan and Johnny O’Dwyer deserves the utmost respect.
The duo had significant parts to play as Tipp blew Limerick away in the semi-final, managing 2-12 between them with all but four points coming from play.
Tipperary won the final 20 minutes 2-11 to 0-2 to ensure a 16-point win, their biggest Championship victory over Limerick in 53 years.
Rather than go to any extreme lengths to counter Waterford’s style, they will be confident that their own talent can allow them to prevail.
Cork were sloppy in the tackling and too heavy with their pressure against Waterford in the semi-final, Tipperary will have noted that and should be more disciplined.
And while Waterford can point to the fearlessness of youth, Tipperary can point to an abundance of experience.
There’s a reason why they are being tipped as Kilkenny’s main challenger this season and that’s because they can call on a group of players that have played in countless big games and have come out on top in so many of them.
The semi-final win over Limerick may have been their first Munster win in three years, and their first under O’Shea, but it shouldn’t be long until it is followed up with another. Tipperary look a safe bet to end Waterfords’s unbeaten run in 2015.
