Justin: I’ll be there again if they want me

THE man who has guided Waterford to two Munster championships in three memorable seasons but has been denied the glory of an All-Ireland title, is ready to continue at the managerial helm - if he is wanted.

With this latest defeat, Justin McCarthy’s term as manager has come to an end. But the former Cork All-Ireland star has vowed to answer the call once more if that call is forthcoming. “I’m a hurling man, hurling is a part of my life and always has been, and if I’m wanted as manager next year I will be there for them.”

McCarthy couldn’t, and didn’t, attempt to conceal his disappointment. He bravely fielded the media questions and sought no refuge behind any excuses for a defeat that had left all concerned shattered.

McCarthy, however, was rueful about Waterford’s slow start and the concession of three first-half goals that left them playing catch-up for the entire second half. “Those goals were a killer, but we showed some courage and bottle in the second half.”

The Deise boss said he was proud of the way the team battled back from a six point deficit early in the second half, but he felt in the end they couldn’t get the vital break that might have given them a late equalising goal. “We had our chances mind you, but on this day it just was not to be.”

He said they were there right to the death, and it was “like the battle of the Alamo” in the hectic closing minutes as ball after ball rained in on top of the resolute Kilkenny defence.

Asked about the absence of their star forward John Mullane, the manager conceded that he was a “huge loss’, but insisted he was not offering that as an excuse for their defeat.

“A player of John’s class would have made a huge difference, but he couldn’t play and so we had to get on with the job without him,” McCarthy said. “It has still been a great season for Waterford, even if the goal of an All-Ireland title remains unfulfilled.”

That particular mission, he said, will not be easy, because “there are so many very good teams around.” However, he believes the Waterford panel is as good as any in the country and will be knocking at the door “for years to come”.

County board chairman Paddy Joe Ryan said the news was a lift “in our hour of deep disappointment”.

“After all the effort the players have put it in it is absolute heartbreak that for a third time in six years we have fallen at the penultimate championship hurdle,” Ryan said. “It is crucial, however, that heads don’t drop, and knowing these players as I do I don’t believe they will allow that to happen.”

One of the youngest team members, 20-year-old Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, was playing in his first All-Ireland semi-final, but the experience of losing impacted heavily on him. “We could have saved it in the final minutes, but didn’t get the breaks. Then, of course, you make your own breaks and your own luck.”

The loss of John Mullane was “massive”, but they just had to play the game with the hand they had been dealt and John wasn’t apart of that hand. “We played our best, we gave it our all, but still fell marginally short.”