Driven Déise are intent on retaining title for first time

ON THE eve of the eagerly awaited Munster SHC semi-final replay at Semple Stadium, Waterford chairman Paddy Joe Ryan said while they expect another “mighty” Limerick onslaught he is confident that they will emerge victorious to claim a place in the Munster final against Cork or Clare.

“Never before has any Waterford team successfully defended its MSHC title,” the Déise chairman said.

“That has become a burning ambition with everyone in the camp, and it will drive the players on in a major way in this replay. The historic achievement of winning back-to-back Munster titles is one we’ll not falter on through lack of commitment. Every player will burst a gut to make it happen.”

The county chairman said that while he is sorry to see any player losing his place in the team he really “likes the look” of the one selected by Justin McCarthy and his fellow selectors Colm Bonnar and Seamie Hannon this time around.

“It’s packed with experience right through the field, but it also has plenty of youth on its side,” Ryan said.

“It’s a team that won’t concede easily, and this Munster title of ours will not be relinquished without a huge defence of it, and indeed if at all.” He is quick to rubbish any suggestion that they may have left victory behind them in last Sunday’s epic drawn tie.

“Not at all, and I firmly believe the game will have brought the team on very significantly,” he said.

“Limerick of course will legitimately believe the same of their side, but overall I think we will be the greater beneficiaries from last Sunday.”

Ryan said a huge plus was that all of their players had come through that game relatively unscathed, and while there were a few immediate post-match niggling injuries everyone had since reported fit and well and raring to go at their light training sessions.

“Morale within the camp is sky high, the management team has got everyone in the best possible mental and physical shape, and all we now await is the throw-in,” the county chairman said.

He added that this was a golden opportunity to win successive Munster senior hurling championship titles and was confident in the ability of the present team to carve out its own piece of hurling history.

Selector Seamie Hannon is also confident that come tomorrow night their provincial title will still be intact.

“Despite all that happened last Sunday, including some diabolical refereeing decisions that went against us, we still came away as reigning Munster champions,” the former star defender said.

“I expect that we will still be in that position after the replay.”