Déise enjoying an early taste of summer

ALLIANZ HL DIVISION 1A:

On Sunday, the pair clash in the final round of the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A and the standings in the table give it a championship feel — the winners play a quarter-final the following week while the losers probably face the spectre of a relegation play-off.

Waterford’s Kevin Moran is not clinging to last summer as a safety blanket, but he does at least take it as a signal that the Déise are doing a lot of right things.

“A lot has changed since then,” he said, “we got a draw, but we still came out of the wrong side of the result in extra-time.

“We might feel a bit more confident but still, going up to Nowlan Park and playing them on their home turf, they’re still the team to beat. Any team that beats Kilkenny will be very close to winning trophies, I guarantee you that.

“It’s these big matches that you want to be playing in, so we’re just looking forward to it. When you’re competing against the top counties, that’s the big thing. Maybe last summer might have helped us, I haven’t dwelt on it and I don’t think any of the lads have, but maybe subconsciously it will have an effect.”

Recent history at least points to Waterford learning from Kilkenny defeats. Following the 3-30 to 1-13 trimming in the 2008 All-Ireland final, they reduced the margin by 18 points to just five when they met in a semi-final 11 months later. That’s proof that 2008 was never allowed to become a mental burden, and that Kilkenny deserve credit rather than Waterford warranting criticism.

“I think we got over it quickly,” Moran said.

“There was no psychological block there, I think you have to hold your hands up, for the last 10 years they’ve been a serious team and very difficult to beat.”

Sunday’s terms of engagement mean that is perfect preparation for the Munster quarter-final with Cork at the end of May, Moran feels.

“There’ll be a bit of a championship bite to it, Kilkenny are in almost the same position as us. It’s still a stepping stone to the championship, but for those 70 minutes, it’s obviously going to be all about trying to win.

“If you get into a quarter-final and then a semi-final and a final, you’re playing eight matches and then you’ve a short break into championship.”

And Moran is adamant that Derek McGrath’s relative newness as an intercounty manager cannot be used as an excuse by the players.

“We’re back at it a good while now, we’re used to what’s expected of us, what way we’re playing and being able to adjust to games,” he said.

“We’re gradually getting lads back into the panel too, we’ve had a huge amount of injuries so getting fellas into the set-up is great. We’re well settled down, we’re looking forward to Sunday and, please God, whatever is in store afterwards.

“It is ultimately gearing towards the first round of the championship against Cork. We’re in the third week in March now, we’ve probably only about five weeks of training because we’ll be with our clubs too.

“The nights are getting longer and you need to be in the right shape for the championship, so getting the most out of the league is important, from that point of view. You can see it, every team wants to do well, it’s good to have a competitive league.”