New Déise boss Whelan open to secondary competition

Newly-appointed Waterford football boss Benji Whelan is “not ‘averse” to the introduction of a second-tier championship.

Waterford’s qualifier victory over Wexford earlier this year was the county’s first All-Ireland football championship win since 2011.

And Whelan believes a secondary competition would ensure victory is celebrated in the Déise dressing-room far more often than is currently the case.

“We don’t win many games,” begins Whelan, a man who guided the Nire to Munster club final appearances in 2014 and 2016.

“Being in a second-tier competition doesn’t mean you are going to automatically start winning. Certainly, the opportunity to win increases.

"And that would be a huge benefit to the lads from the point of view of getting a little bit more confidence in the way they play.”

But he added: “The other side of it is that you are not going to get the opportunity, should you be playing particularly well, of taking on the bigger guys.

I am not averse to a B championship. Not at all. It is something I will have to study in a bit more detail when it is finalised.

The new manager says his main goal for 2019 is getting Waterford out of Division 4 of the league.

The county last competed in the league’s third-tier in 2011.

During the past three seasons, Waterford lost 14 of their 21 league fixtures by three points or less.

“If we were to get out of Division 4 in 2019, that would be the maximum I would expect from the group. Anything after would be a bonus.”

Although he has yet to confirm his selectors, Whelan has secured the services of Joe Hagan (coach) and Gerry Fitzpatrick for the 2019 season, the latter has worked with a number of inter-county hurling sides.

“I think a lot of the players will rub their hands when they see the increased expectancy of them.

"I hope it will bring a freshness, an element of seriousness to it that we are not here just to tick a box, we are here to get a job done and we are very serious about getting the job done.”