Passionate Fitzy defends Déise record

DAVY FITZGERALD has launched a passionate defence of his record in charge of the Waterford senior hurlers and insists the 2010 season was an “unbelievable” one for the Déise.

In a wide-ranging interview with WLR FM, Fitzgerald responded to accusations levelled against him since the All-Ireland semi-final defeat against Tipperary.

Fitzgerald’s team captured the Waterford Crystal Cup and won the Munster SHC but the former Clare goalkeeper ended the season with heavy criticism ringing in his ears.

Fitzgerald explained the tactics used against Tipperary at Croke Park, his decision to substitute sharpshooter Eoin Kelly in that game and also lifted the lid on his relationship with veteran stars Dan Shanahan and Ken McGrath.

Fitzgerald admitted that he may “get a slating” from Shanahan in the retired star’s forthcoming autobiography, having already received criticism from the Lismore man.

But Fitzgerald insisted that anything in Shanahan’s book, or material in RTÉ reporter Damien Tiernan’s account of Waterford hurling over the last decade, will not bother him.

Fitzgerald said: “I hope he (Shanahan) makes a good lot out of it. He had some good times and bad times. I’ll probably get a slating in it. If I do, I do, and that’s it. I’m not going to worry about it too much. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”

Fitzgerald also hinted that Waterford county board officials need to loosen the purse strings and stated that expenditure on the county hurling team is well behind the likes of Kilkenny, Tipperary or his native Clare.

Fitzgerald said: “The season we’ve had is unbelievable. The highlight was the Munster final. To beat Cork at any stage is great but to beat them in the Munster final, in the circumstances we did, is fantastic.

“With the (All-Ireland) semi-final, to say we were disappointed was an understatement. Did we expect to win it? We did, we went out to win it. Have we examined it? In detail, we’ve gone over different things. You’d be told that the tactics went wrong and this went wrong. I don’t believe we stuck to the tactical game that we had in the Munster final. I believe certain fellas went back to their own thing but could I say anything against the lads? No, I wouldn’t say one thing against the team. These lads worked so hard and battled so hard. Some of them were so used to playing in a certain way for so long and had to adapt to a different way of playing.”

Fitzgerald added: “We didn’t play well in the semi-final; we gave up too much space in the middle and didn’t stick tactically to what we should have done. But any day we can play and score 19 or 20 scores and defend well, we have a great chance of winning.

“I’d be happy with our style. I think we’re playing lovely, good, attractive hurling. We score some great scores at times and try to play to our strengths.

“I can’t promise that we’re going to win Munster again or win an All-Ireland but I can promise that we will work extremely hard as a team.

“I might have made one or two mistakes in my backroom team last year but I have that rectified for the year coming. What we need in Waterford are genuine people who care about the team, the management and will work hard for Waterford.”

Fitzgerald also defended the presence of former boxing world champion, Dubliner Bernard Dunne, in the Waterford set-up.

He said: “It’s not about Davy Fitzgerald being manager, it’s about people around me getting the best we can out of the team. I don’t mind who it is as long as they can help. People were asking about Bernard Dunne, why’s he going down, is he getting a rake of money for going down. The reason I had Bernard Dunne down is that he’s a good friend. He epitomised to me a fella who fought with his heart and soul and never gave up. He got a bad knock, came back and won a world title. He was there as support – he never asked for a cent.”

Fitzgerald added: “We were told that we were tactically negative. Here are a few facts – in the Waterford Crystal we played a total of four games and scored 5-65. We were highest scorers in the league, and played without many of our senior players in that, including John Mullane. In the championship, we scored 4-70. How can that be a negative brand of hurling?”

Shanahan and McGrath have both publicly criticised Fitzgerald’s tactics and the manager responded: “Did it hurt a small bit, I suppose it did but at the same time, there’s not a hope in hell that I’m going to say a bad thing about Dan and Ken, no matter what they say about me. These guys have been incredible for Waterford.

“It must be so hard for these guys to sit on the sideline. You’re the main man for so long and it must be just very hard. They’re entitled to their points of view... maybe in a few years time, when they go managing, they might see things in a different light.”

Fitzgerald also denied that there has ever been a problem with communication within the squad, insisting that his door is always open to players.

He added: “Do I have a grudge because of what the lads say? No – remember these guys for what they have done. If there’s more stick to come, I’ll take it. I’m used to that.”

Fitzgerald has received public backing from key players like captain Stephen Molumphy and corner-back Noel Connors, and he admitted that contact from a number of players in recent weeks has lifted him.

He added: “Am I going to keep 32 people happy? Not a hope. They could bring Brian Cody or Liam Sheedy down to Waterford and they won’t keep them all happy either.

“That’s the nature of it. You get criticism, it’s not nice but you have to accept it. But I’d love people to have come into our camp because it’s a very happy camp, a good camp.”

Fitzgerald also revealed he has received the all-clear from specialists in Dublin who have reviewed the heart condition which saw him undergo surgery in September 2009.

He said: “I was back up in early September with Dr Mulvihill. He told me last year that I was nuts to be doing what I was doing but hurling is in my blood since I was so young.”