Noel Connors has his eyes set on a neat double in 2017

Noel Connors is under pressure to graduate on two fronts in 2017 but experience has taught him forcing the issue won’t help his cause.

The twice All-Star defender continues to chase his All-Ireland dream with Waterford, something that has run alongside his years of studies which, he hopes, will result in him being conferred with a doctorate later in the year. This is his eighth year at college and though he’s hoping to be wrapped up by September — a neat double could be on the cards perhaps — he won’t be too concerned if it runs into December.

“It was four years undergrad, then you have a year post-grad and then three years doing the PhD — I’ll have a pension before I actually get a job!” joked Connors.

“My research at the moment is fundamentally looking at the GAA club. Basically it tries to understand how a GAA club actually operates, how people get to positions of power, how it deals with conflict, how it organises itself.”

Forget the thesis, Connors could probably produce a library of books on that subject alone. The tale of Waterford’s quest for an All-Ireland win has been a lengthy one too, stretching all the way back to 1959. In the last two years they’ve contested semi-finals with Kilkenny, taking the Cats to a replay in 2016, while their minors and U-21s have been successful too and the sense of a glass ceiling about to be shattered is strong.

That brings its own pressures though and Connors is wary of them.

“There’s certainly an expectation but when you sit back and look at it, the expectation was already there anyway,” he said.

“I think that’s probably something we need to voice ourselves and say that we need to maybe sit back and relax a small bit and realise that we haven’t won one since ‘59 and it’s not something that you can just walk up to Croke Park on the first Sunday in September and take way.

“There’s definitely a lot of ups and downs along the way and you’ve seen that over the last number of seasons.”

Connors sought to put last year’s All-Ireland U21 breakthrough in context too.

“Limerick won three U21s and it never materialised into anything and they had incredible teams,” he said. “So anything can happen, it’s just about how you bounce back, how resilient you are as a team. I think that’s something that could ultimately work in your favour, if you have that resilience.”

Having been to the last two Allianz League finals, winning in 2015 and losing to Clare last year, you might suggest the league won’t be as important to Waterford this year. Surely they have bigger fish to fry?

“Regardless of what you say I think the league is very important because you’re playing competitive matches and the only way you’re going to progress as a team is to try your best to get across the line in the league,” countered Connors.

“I think this whole notion that you’re going to go into second gear in the league and get through it and stay there in Division 1A is a small bit away from reality. The league is important for every team. Everyone probably plays it down but every player wants to win and every inter-county manager wants to win. You saw the likes of Davy Fitz at the weekend, I think they won by 35 points or something in the Walsh Cup. That’s a statement of intent. ”

Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed Kevin Moran will continue to captain Waterford in 2017. The De La Salle midfielder turns 30 in March and will be team skipper for the third year running.