“We’ve shown our stomach for battle”

THE contrast in emotions was stark between captain Ken McGrath and the hapless John Mullane at the final whistle.

As the ecstatic skipper joyfully accepted the prized silverware from Munster Council chairman Sean Fogarty, Mullane stood just yards with the tears flowing down his dejected face.

Colleagues embraced him, reassuring him he had been as integral a part of this famous victory as every other team member. But, in truth, their comforting words cut little ice with a man whose early second-half dismissal had clearly hurt him to the core.

“I don’t want to comment on the referee’s decision, because I didn’t see what happened,” said his captain, “but what I can say is that the sight of John leaving the field acted as a spur for everyone else and we just buckled down and gave even more than the 100 per cent we had been giving up until then.”

The skipper, who was magnificent at the heart of an heroic Déise defence in that spell-binding second-half, described the victory succinctly. “I believe that for many people, this will rank as the greatest ever championship win by a Waterford team.”

McGrath relished recounting the final seconds as he collected a huge delivery and ended what slender Cork hopes had of an equaliser.

“I jumped and stretched out my hand and never has a sliothar felt so good in my hand as it did at that crucial moment. Seconds later, the final whistle went and I was in seventh heaven.

“In the end today we have proved just how much battle and bottle there really is in this team, but now to prove ourselves a really great side, we must go on and win the All-Ireland.

“To receive that cup in front of 20,000 Waterford supporters is a memory that will live with me forever,” he said.

“Our support on the day was fantastic, but then it has always been there for us by the best followers in the country.”

Now that they have tasted Munster success for the second time in two year, McGrath has his sights set on the biggest prize of all.

“It’s 45 long years since the McCarthy Cup came to our county and surely it’s time to bring that long era of defeat and disappointment to an end”, he added.