Frampton advises Déise caution

Keep a lid on expectations — that was the message to supporters from new Waterford manager Derek McGrath at the start of the year.

After two wins from three league games, one of three teams on four points at the top of Division 1A, that is still the message, says former star Stephen Frampton.

“People do still need to be patient. There will be those who get ahead of themselves now because we’ve had a couple of good results but it’s still only three rounds of the National League that have been played, not three rounds of the Munster championship. Everything has gone well so far and we should appreciate that, everything has been very positive from a Waterford point of view but Derek was right — we need to keep things in perspective. I think most hurling people in the county know where we really are. There’s always a feelgood factor with a new manager, new systems, new structures, new training regime, but Derek is still very much in building mode.”

Because they have a new manager, because McGrath is trying to bed in his own system and pick his own team, a team very much in transition, in all three league games to date, Waterford have been very much the underdogs. No surprise in that, says Frampton — even he himself wouldn’t have had them as favourites. “If you had asked me on the morning of the games against Galway and then Dublin (two Waterford wins), I couldn’t have disagreed with you. At this time of the year results can be very unpredictable; you’re playing on heavy pitches, everything is slowed down. You might play well and lose, play poorly and win. I was disappointed we didn’t get more from the Tipperary match, for example, but delighted then we got four points from the next two games. I have been surprised though, and pleasantly surprised, by the attitude of the players on the pitch, by their demeanour — there’s a real fighting attitude there already, a real hunger to do well, a real enthusiasm, even at this time of the year.”

What hasn’t surprised Frampton is the setup itself. “I was on the panel of people who interviewed the candidates for that job so I haven’t been surprised at the organisation, the system, everything has been put in place. I know the way Derek works, I know how professional he is. Maybe other teams are looking further ahead, their eyes set on the summer while Derek is trying to win as many games as possible, but he too is trying out as many players as he can and it’s good to see so many youngsters getting an opportunity again and doing well, not looking at all out of place at this level. Winning though has been a bonus and I think the real hurling people here realise that.”

It’s not going to get any easier for Waterford this Sunday, nor even the Sunday afterwards, away games to Clare, the All-Ireland champions, then to Kilkenny, the team Clare deposed. Waterford will again be underdogs but, Frampton, a commentator with WLR, says that too is understandable, this week especially given that they may be without their captain, Micheal ‘Brick’ Walsh, sent off in the win over Dublin last week. “I think the board is appealing it, he’ll have to appear before the CCCC on Thursday and plead his case; hopefully he’ll have the card rescinded. Whether he’s back or not, it’s going to be very difficult, taking on the All-Ireland champions in their home pitch. Given the performance Clare put in last Sunday (beating Tipperary convincingly), you can’t say we should be favoured here either. Waterford are giving it a go in every game and you can see that, the workrate is huge and it’s making the difference at the moment.

“It will take a lot more than just workrate to win games in May and June though and no-one is more aware of that than Derek himself. They’ll go down to Ennis, give it a lash.”