Waterford hurler Stephen O’Keeffe happy in spotlight

Anthony Nash may have precipitated the new penalty rule but it wasn’t until Stephen O’Keeffe rushed towards him to stop his shot with his thigh last June that the GAA said enough was enough.

Who knows, but for O’Keeffe’s actions, Waterford’s opponents tomorrow Tipperary may have won an All-Ireland title.

Because after that fateful day in Thurles, the GAA were not having anymore of penalty takers stepping beyond the 20 metre line nor goalkeepers coming off theirs.

As much as it staked the penalty in the favour of the defending team, safety had to come first.

The one-versus-one version, which gets its major debut in Nowlan Park tomorrow, comes courtesy of both goalkeepers, although O’Keeffe isn’t blowing any trumpet: “I think it was coming to a head. It was going to happen eventually sooner rather than later.”

But O’Keeffe is satisfied with the outcome of the Hurling 2020’s proposal. Naturally, he doesn’t want to be staring down the barrel of a penalty against Tipperary or any team for that matter but he certainly isn’t perturbed about the prospect of it. In fact, he’s almost eager to prove he won’t blink first.

“It’s a great challenge. Any keeper will tell you they’re looking forward to the prospect of it. It almost takes the pressure off the keeper as well because there’s a lot less to lose, in a way.

“Obviously, it will be expected that they will be scored but to a certain extent the pressure is off because the odds of you saving it are against you. Unless you let the ball bobble through your legs, the pressure is off you.”

It definitely has the capacity to make kings of goalkeepers but O’Keeffe looks upon it more as part of an expanding brief for netminders. The Dublin-based bank official turns 24 this month and only made his Waterford debut in 2011, yet in that period he’s seen his role transform dramatically.

“It’s after changing a lot because there isn’t any team that goes out with six static forwards anymore. They’re moving all over the place and some teams have one or two in the full-forward line. Keepers now spend most of their time not even looking at the ball but to other areas of the pitch where people are maybe making a run. There’s a lot more coordination going on. Obviously, there is more emphasis on puck-outs because it’s nearly seen now as a point of possession. You can’t now be just lobbing it up the field because the opposition will fall back so far you could be hitting it into a two-on-one situation.

“Puck-outs depend almost as much on what the opposition is doing. If they are pulling back, then maybe the short puck-out is on. If they’re not, then you’re hitting it long and it’s up to the half-forwards to win the ball.”

With his restarts and distribution from shots dropped short and back passes, O’Keeffe has been as fundamental to Waterford’s much commented upon style although he can’t see what the fuss is all about.

“I don’t think there’s that much of one tactic or basing ourselves on one style of play. It’s just people’s genuine hunger to get on the ball that has seen us force hooks and blocks. I don’t think we have one particular style and we have to adapt to the strengths of our teams. You have to have a plan a, b and c.”

Earlier this week, Noel Connors spoke of the players coming together over the winter and agreeing that their contributions to the communal effort left too much to be desired. No rules were set down by them or Derek McGrath’s management, just an understanding of what was expected this time around.

“There was no pact or any contract, like what other counties have been doing!” smiled O’Keeffe. “It came from ourselves, the players. We felt we let ourselves down and didn’t give a true reflection of how good we can be. Any time we go out in training we’ve to go out with the right attitude and thank God it’s been working so far.

“We were backing up everything with performances. Going to Limerick and drawing that game even though we conceded two penalties with three on the line was obviously a good result and we drove on from there.

“Getting earlier to team training this year helped created the bond. There was a lot of togetherness through that and winning the games gives you a great bit of confidence. It creates a snowball effect and it pushes itself.

“You don’t need management to constantly be at you to put in the work or do it harder. It’s all coming from the players at the moment and Derek and the lads are very good at facilitating that.”

Tomorrow is a first return to Nowlan Park where last year Wexford sent them packing from the championship and Kilkenny consigned them to a Division 1 relegation final by 20 points. McGrath kept his charges in the dressing room for 70 minutes after the final whistle. There would be no better place to confirm they have well and truly moved on from that difficult season.

However, O’Keeffe says: “A lot of lads would have fond memories of Nowlan Park and winning a college All-Ireland there so it’s not all doom and gloom. Last year was a disappointment because there was more in us. We’re coming in this year in a much better frame of mind.”