Fitzgerald: Kelly will be back

DAVY FITZGERALD has defended his decision to substitute Eoin Kelly in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Tipperary – and has backed the Mount Sion star to bounce back strongly next season.

Kelly was captured on TV appearing to mouth his displeasure at the management team as he trudged towards the sideline during the second half. Fitzgerald told WLR FM: “People said that to me afterwards but I was looking at the game and didn’t see anything.

“I was talking to him coming down on the train and Eoin knew that it wasn’t one of his better games – he said it to me.

“Different players react in different ways. It’s something as a management team that we’re strong on – we’re not going to let anyone influence us in any way. We won’t show any weakness and it doesn’t matter if you’re there a month or 10 or 15 years. If you’re good enough to play for Waterford, you’ll play. If you’re not, you won’t.”

At the end of 2008, former player Paul Flynn questioned Fitzgerald’s management, having struggled to nail down a starting place.

Fitzgerald said: “Would I be happy with certain things he came out with? No because certain things happen within a panel that are meant to stay that way. Paul Flynn was a great player in his day, he’s entitled to his opinion, he probably isn’t happy that he wasn’t playing but I felt he wasn’t up to it at the time.”

Fitzgerald also rejected “crazy” suggestions that he is being paid huge money to manage the team.

He laughed: “My God, I’ll put it this way, I’ve heard figures of 55, 65, 75, and €80,000. I’m not going into what expenses I get, that would be unfair but the above figures are crazy. I work very hard for Waterford, I was down 122 times last year. Waterford’s team is easily below any of the rest of them on spending.”

Fitzgerald also revealed that he had words with county board chairman Tom Cunningham on more than one occasion this year as the pair had frank exchanges of views.

Fitzgerald said: “People might say that Tom Cunningham wanted me in but we had more words and war this year, it’s unbelievable. Myself and the county board have a decent relationship. I fight for the team, they fight to keep the costs down.

“We do fight but I respect them job they have because I know what my Dad goes through in Clare.”