Waterford toss away chance of early advantage

PLAYING against the All-Ireland champions and needing every break they could get, why did underdogs Waterford opt to play against the strong wind in Dungarvan yesterday?

They won the toss, that was their chance to put the Kingdom under pressure – take the wind, force the visitors to defend, perhaps even build up a bit of a lead by the break, take some momentum into the second half.

So why give away that advantage? Nothing to do with me, said manager John Kiely. “I have no idea, I don’t ever worry about things like that; I let that up to the players, they’re the boys who are playing.”