Pauric Mahony can’t wait to get back and do his bit for Ballygunner

Pauric Mahony hasn’t circled a date in the calendar, but the 23-year-old intends to have a good body of work under his belt come next summer so that he can play a full part in Waterford’s 2016 championship campaign.

The uncertainty over his return is complicated by more than just his recovery from the broken tibia suffered while playing for Ballygunner last May.

Should his club account for Na Piarsaigh in Sunday’s Munster final, then he may have to wait even longer to clock in for county duties. Not the worst of conundrums. Mahony coped well with the initial inactivity last summer, but standing on the sidelines watching his Ballygunner and Waterford colleagues go through their paces began to wear him down mentally and it was three months before he could dispense with the crutches.