Derek McGrath looks for assurances

Derek McGrath said he is keen to remain on as Waterford manager but stressed he will first require assurances.

County board chairman Paddy Joe Ryan publicly stated earlier this summer he was agreeable to offering the De La Salle man a new term.

“I’m talking to Paddy Joe about that at the moment. They’re keen and I’m keen but I’m qualifying it by saying I’m very disappointed today. I’m not going to go down the route of saying ‘it’s not a time to talk about it’.

“I’d be keen but I have to be sure long term bumps on the road would be handled in a manner that... I would see them coming and they have to see them coming and that’s being very honest. I have to acknowledge I’ve been supported very well at board level this year.

“Obviously, we’ve been winning a few games but it’s not because of that.”

Admitting next year will be tougher than this season for Waterford, McGrath revealed he and his management had put his players through “primitive” training sessions at the end of last year.

“We went to train in Clashmore under one light last year. Not a Pat Gilroy approach but we felt that’s what we needed. The boys went expenses free for a certain amount of time. We had no dinners after training. All that type of thing. So that was our approach.

“So I’d say sustaining that would be very difficult. Not that their prima donnas - they’re anything but - but year two of that, year three of my tenure, would be very difficult. I really don’t know. We’ve really put our heart and soul into it and that’s difficult. While there is talk of extensions of terms it’s very difficult to be emotively linked to a county and to the players like I would be from school and that and sustain that. It might need a more cold, calculated approach.

“You might read something over the winter or in your free time you might think of something that will help our team next year. We carried a big panel this year in terms of extra fellas and I think that was great for creating a bit of ‘everyone together’. But maybe going forward it might be an even tighter group, perhaps. Less numbers. That’s just thinking out loud.”

McGrath, who confirmed Ireland rugby coach Joe Schmidt spoke to the camp before their Munster semi-final against Cork, spoke more of solace than satisfaction after a year they came from nowhere to win Division 1, contest a provincial final and reach the last four.

“I don’t think in year one we achieved anything in my management anyway under my tutelage. In year two we made big decisions at the start of the year that were treated with disdain in Waterford, particularly in local press. But I think the journey from there, even personally, from heading into the Laois game in Dungarvan, there were almost question marks over your tenure. Like if you were to be beaten by Laois in Dungarvan, it was almost like it’s gone Premiership like that in terms of your whole.”

He added: “I wouldn’t say we have overachieved, we are here today and we are proud of our efforts, but when the NHL kicks around in February,I’d imagine when you go to Paddy Power I’d say we’d be short enough odds in terms of relegation.”