Injured McGrath frustrated by supporting role

IT’S Munster hurling final week but not as Ken McGrath knows it. With all the extra hoopla that the 125 celebrations have generated, Sunday’s showpiece in Semple Stadium is eagerly awaited.

But, for Waterford’s talisman, the game will be a tormenting experience as injury restricts his role to watching from the stands.

A knee injury incurred against Limerick and a subsequent operation has wrecked McGrath’s summer plans and he has now targeted early August as his recovery date.

“It’s fierce frustrating,” he admits. “A Munster final against Tipperary in Thurles is a game you don’t want to miss. You don’t get too many chances to play in a packed Semple Stadium. I put in a big effort since January and I’d never trained as hard as I did this year. But that’s the way sport is. It’s cruel. I’ve just got to get it right for an All-Ireland semi-final that hopefully the lads will get to in August.”

McGrath entered the Munster drawn semi-final against Limerick brimming with confidence, but a knock to his knee forced him out of the game. The benefit of hindsight helps him admit he was not in perfect health leading up to that clash.

“Just the week before the Limerick game we played a mixed game. I felt a bit of aggravation in the knee, but I didn’t think too much of it. I thought it was a calf or a hamstring injury. But I should have known because I got the right knee done twice last year. I suppose when you train since January, you don’t want to give into it.

“You don’t want to give in. At half-time you know you’ve had a poor first half and you want to have a better second half. But I should have put my hand up and said a young fella would be better out there than me.

“I probably took so much Diphene that week to get it right, I thought I had it okay. But I couldn’t really go at all for the Limerick game on the Sunday. I went in on the Tuesday morning after for the operation. It’s the cartilage in the knee that has suffered wear and tear there at this stage. I got a virus as well the week of the game and lost a bit of weight, so I was terrible.”

Injuries have dogged McGrath’s inter-county involvement over the past few seasons and since Davy Fitzgerald assumed the Waterford managerial reins, the Mount Sion star has struggled to enjoy an unhindered spell of training.

“Since Davy come down, I’ve found it hard to give him my all. It’s been operation after operation and injury after injury. I’m getting wicked problems with the knees the last couple of years. The surgeon, Tadgh Sullivan has done four operations on my knees in the last two years so he knows them well. I took a week away from the setup after the operation to get my head right. But it’s three weeks since the operation and I’m just going to drive on now.”

The injury could not have struck at a more inopportune time for McGrath as he was relishing the new lease of life afforded to him by being positioned at centre-forward this year. Having manned the centre-back berth in style over the last decade, McGrath found being the fulcrum of the attack to his liking.

“I was enjoying it. I played two games there in the league before pulling a hamstring. But then I got four challenge matches and I was coming good. Especially after the fourth game against Dublin up in Thurles, I was delighted. So it’s tough to be out now but that’s the way things go.”

McGrath’s absence is just one of a series of injury problems Waterford have had to cope with as Gary Hurney is also ruled out and there are doubts over Stephen Molumphy, Tony Browne and Kevin Moran.

“There are a few injuries in the camp now. Gary Hurney is a big loss and it’s hard on him missing his first Munster hurling final, having played football over the last few years. But a few are coming around and we are well capable of putting it up to Tipperary. Our main thing this year was Limerick. It was a bit of a grudge game with Justin McCarthy involved, but the pressure is off now. Last year is forgotten about. You can’t think too much about past defeats or your head would blow up.”

And how will the Mount Sion man be as a spectator next Sunday?

“I’m not great now,” he laughs.

“I was quiet the first day as I was sick but the second day I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. When you’re involved so long, you become part of the furniture and the team becomes like your family. You want to win above anything.”