Déise set for ‘fallow period’

Waterford hurling stalwarts Fergal Hartley and John Galvin believe the county is set for a "sustained fallow period" inside the whitewash, calling for patience from the Déise public to allow manager Derek McGrath rebuild the senior team.

The retirements of Seamus Prendergast and Shane Walsh this week, Liam Lawlor’s omission from the 2015 panel and the elevation of six members of the 2013 All-Ireland minor winning squad suggests Waterford hurling is moving into a period of transition, the focus solely on nurturing the underage talent of recent years.

Shane Bennett, DJ Foran, Mark O’Brien, Tom Devine, Michael Kearney and Cormac Curran are to be part of the 2015 set-up, joining former minor colleagues Austin Gleeson, Stephen Bennett and Patrick Curran who were drafted in this year.