Derek McGrath: Fusion of hunger and detail to see Waterford through

It's a lazy narrative to say Galway will be a hurt animal against Waterford. The Déise players carry the pain of 2017

FIGHTING FOR EVERY INCH: Waterford’s Jake Dillon battles for the ball with Galway’s Adrian Tuohy in the 2017 All-Ireland SHC final. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Sixty-two minutes and 56 seconds into Waterford’s epic semi-final victory over Kilkenny last year, we got a snapshot of Waterford at their authentic best. Austin Gleeson had forced a turnover on Pádraig Walsh and Conor Fogarty. Within seconds, the turnover had acted as a trigger for the pack of wolves, namely Conor Gleeson, Darragh Lyons, and Jack Fagan, to swarm and dump Fogarty over the line. Cahill and Bevans’ war dance on the sideline mirrored many Déise households which revelled in a team underpinned by huge energy levels and raw hunger.

I watched the game with my late father who was battling terminal lung cancer. The sense of joy and contentment at putting one over our rivals etched on Dad’s face will never leave me.