It’s all about breaks: Browne
Nobody is offering an opinion on whether or not their long lay-off since the Munster final will hinder or help their prospects of beating champions Kilkenny in Sunday’s Guinness All-Ireland SHC semi-final.
Tony Browne, one of the few to have lined out in Waterford’s last two All-Ireland semi-final appearances, can’t provide a definitive reply.
Two years ago, they struggled in Croke Park after their six-week sabbatical but Browne is satisfied that important lessons have been learned from that outing against Clare.
Good news for Waterford fans. Not so good for their neighbours.
“The six weeks seemed to go a bit faster than the last time,” he admits.
“But it’s still an awful long break since the Munster final. In training, you’d say that you would be up to it. But it’s a different ball game as soon as you hit championship pace.”
He has played one round of county championship with his club, famed Mount Sion, in the interim. It was a help, but “not an awful lot”.
To counter the problems, the tempo of the matches in training was upped to try to replicate Sunday’s scenario.
But Browne is not all doom and gloom. He looks to the positives, the fact that they had a good run to the semi-final, a better League campaign and a successful Munster championship.
“We have had three really good tough games against Clare, Tipperary and Cork and we had a good run in the League too. So we have a lot of games under our belt.
“The six weeks might help us this time round, the fact that we had so many games. We’re hoping the break won’t affect us. I think we will be okay.”
Experience has taught him there’s little you can be certain of in hurling. It’s indicative of the way championship hurling has gone, he agrees.
“I saw Kilkenny against Galway and they were awesome. People looking at them in the stand would probably have felt that no team in the country would beat them. But, teams are so well prepared and well matched that it’s all on the day. Very often a couple of breaks will win a game.
“If you had looked at us against Clare in the first round of the championship, we won by 18 or 19 points. Look at Kilkenny. A few weeks after they played Galway they were held to a draw by Clare. Kilkenny are a traditional team and they have shown a lot of character this year, the same as us really. It’s going to be a real hurling game. It will be tough but the two teams will suit each other.”
He is especially sympathetic towards Henry Shefflin’s plight, having had the misfortune to miss key games through injury, including the Munster semi-final against Tipperary.
“You hate to see any player missing out, especially on a big game like this. It has happened to me a couple of times and it’s not a nice position to be in. Henry is a great player. We’d love to beat Kilkenny with him in the team.”
So what makes this Waterford team different?
Browne credits the younger players with having a natural confidence that rubs off on the rest of the players.
“Our supporters may be a bit impatient about us getting to a final.
“It is a big pressure game, but if you don’t feel the nerves you probably shouldn’t be there. At this stage the team would be a bit more experienced after reaching three Munster finals in a row.
“I don’t think the pressure will be such a big issue.
“The young players who have come into the squad have shown they can cope with the pressure. When you have lads of 20 and 21 who can do that - it shows you have the makings of a good team. If you have players who don’t choke under pressure, you’re halfway there.”
