Driving force Ken aims to stay a winning skipper

HIS captaincy tenure may be just a short one, but Ken McGrath has yet to skipper a losing Waterford senior hurling team.

Appointed captain following Mount Sion’s back-to-back county championship win last October, the former Allstar was subsequently sidelined with a recurring leg injury which kept him out of action for several months.

His club-mate and friend, Tony Browne, took over the captaincy for the first stage of the National League, in which Waterford recorded victories over Kilkenny, Laois and Dublin before losing their final two in the group against Galway and Clare.

The Decies squeezed through to the next stage on scoring averages, and it was good news on the double with the return of Ken McGrath. His first game was at home against Limerick and, in his new role as a defender, turned in the proverbial blinder on the way to a deserved victory.

He also led the way in the one-point defeat of Cork at Páirc Uí Rinn and had a second-half stormer as his side came from eight points down against Tipperary at Semple Stadium to garner the draw that saw them into Sunday’s league decider against Galway at the Gaelic Grounds.

Three games as captain, two wins and a draw, an impressive return against three top counties.

“You could hardly ask for a better start to your captaincy, but I’m hoping I can extend the unbeaten run beyond next Sunday,” McGrath said.

It was as a forward of class that McGrath made his name and won Allstar recognition in 2002. How then does he find his switch to the unfamiliar surroundings of right half-back?

“People may not remember, but at underage level I played all my hurling in defence,” he said. “I’m just delighted to be in the team, so fiercely competitive has it become for places.”

McGrath believes Galway will be the ultimate test of Waterford’s progress. “They gave us a bit of a trimming in the first phase of the league and will obviously be favourites to win the final. However, I don’t believe that game is an indicator of how the final will go, because on the day we made basic mistakes and were punished severely for them,” he said.

McGrath believes that, whatever the outcome of the final, their league run will be of benefit for the championship, which begins with a first round game against Clare on May 16.

The Waterford captain would have preferred a longer interval between the two games, but insists they will get on with them.

Meanwhile, Tony Browne is more than happy to return the leadership to his colleague. “Ken is inspirational to have at the helm,” Browne said.