Derek McGrath the man to bring Waterford dream to fruition

And just like that, Waterford are again everyone’s second favourite team.

Back in 2007 after another Waterford All-Ireland odyssey had ended in glorious failure, Enda McEvoy, now of these pages, wrote that only the Munster rugby team of that era could rival Justin McCarthy’s team for nationwide popularity.

Of course Kilkenny and Cork were admired. But Dan and Mullane and the crew were loved. You could argue they lacked the character to win it all. But they didn’t lack personality and as Jules said in Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way. In their search for that All-Ireland they captured not just the attention but imagination and even emotions of the nation.