Munster Express Online

Dermot Keyes reports

“Michael Walsh is
Waterford’s best
ever team player.”

Some 14 years into his senior inter-county career, Michael Walsh is still producing five-star performances in white and blue.

On Sunday last, over the course of 65 minutes, the man from Durrow produced arguably his greatest ever display for Waterford.
His was a display full of sumptuous wristy hurling: a deft touch here, a ‘Brick flick’ there and some magnificent fielding, repeatedly opening up ground for his swifter offensive colleagues. It was masterful stuff and justly earned the Stradbally clubman the man of the match award – in fact, he had both Cyril Farrell and Tony Considine purring a couple of seats down from me in the press box.
And rightly so, for this was the kind of display that grandfathers would lovingly recall to doting grandkids when recalling the supreme stylists of a half century or more ago.
Were the great Raymond Smith still among the pool of GAA scribes, Sunday’s performance would surely have provided him with a standalone chapter. For yes, the Brick was that good. Hurler of the Year good.
“For me, Michael Walsh is the best team player that has ever played for Waterford,” declared his manager Derek McGrath in the wake of his team’s 3-23 to 1-18 victory over Limerick on Sunday.
“And I mean that with no disrespect to the absolute greats that have played for Waterford over the last 20 years. And by team player, I’m talking about his level of selflessness, which is unbelievable.
“And then you have to take into account his whole influence around the camp, which is huge, and I do feel at times he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the level of his play – his delayed passes, when he has possession, he’ll suck a fella in and then he’ll give out the ball – I think a lot of that comes from his Gaelic Football background.”
McGrath added: “It’s just his whole attitude around the camp, and he’s an incredibly honest player as well: he’s very self-critical. He’s never one to play the blame game and I’m just very fortunate as a manager to be working with someone like him. Sometimes his work is often unseen by people within hurling circles but the main thing is that we see it, and I suppose that’s the most important thing.”
Another who knows the Brick’s qualities well is Clare manager and ex-Deise boss Davy Fitzgerald, who was justly pleased in the wake of the Banner’s 4-22 to 2-19 NHL semi-final win over Kilkenny.
“I think he’s (Derek McGrath) doing a fantastic job in Waterford,” said the Clare bainisteoir. “They’re reigning League champions. That’s a fair feat, to get to two finals in a row. Fair play to him. They strolled through Division One and, to me, they’re the best team in the country, without a shadow of a doubt, at the moment. We’ll have a battle on our hands to play them in two weeks’ time, but we’ll give it a go and see what happens.”
Fitzgerald did his bit to temper optimism ahead of both the League Final and Munster Championship clashes with Waterford, but he was deservedly proud of his side’s powerful showing against the All-Ireland champions.
“There was one or two quotes used during the week that we used, that we might as well not turn up today,” he stated.
“I thought it was very disrespectful. I don’t think we’re a bad team. I think we’ve showed that, over the last number of years. We’re not full of it, but, I think, when we’re right, we’ll compete, and that’s what we did today.”
Did such comments irk him? “No, it was great motivation. I hope people keep saying it! That’s brilliant, when you’re written-off. That’s great….I was reading stuff that was motivating Kilkenny, when we didn’t actually say it, whatsoever, as a unit.”
Fitzgerald added: “We would have massive respect, and still have unbelievable respect, for Kilkenny. When you win back-to-back All-Irelands, you know that you’re a serious, serious team, and probably today will give them more motivation than anything.
“They’re going to come back stronger than ever. But we’d love the opportunity to meet them later in the year, if it works out that way. All we can do is take every match as it comes. I’m very proud of the lads today. It’s mid-April. Let’s not get carried away with anything stupid.”