Warning signs out for Déiseand Dublin
It looked – and sounded – horribly like it at Walsh Park on Sunday. Sparse crowd, minimal atmosphere, the Kilkenny supporters for once making more noise than their opposite numbers. “Back to the bad old days” was a common refrain among the locals afterwards. What’s more, nobody seemed inclined to use Padraig Mahony’s poor striking in the first half as an excuse, and that was sensible of them. Even had Waterford led at the break, as they should have, it would have made no difference in the end. It goes without saying that they can’t do without John Mullane, whatever about Noel Connors, and the sooner Brick Walsh is taken out of centre-forward and moved back a line or two the better. Two defeats with understrength lineups do not alter the reality that Waterford have talented youngsters coming through in sufficient quantities to be a competent if charisma-free team in a few years’ time. But for now and for the medium term, they’re going to be eating stew, not steak. The size of the attendance in Walsh Park was proof that nobody is in much doubt about this new and depressing dispensation.
