Selector Tom Feeney takes positives from Waterford's National League lessons

Jack Prendergast of Waterford after scoring his side's first goal during the Allianz League clash with Galway at Pearse Stadium. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Waterford selector Tom Feeney is optimistic about his side’s development through the league, saying “there are signs that things are improving for us” ahead of this Sunday's clash with Tipperary (Walsh Park, 1.45pm).

Feeney cited last Sunday’s high-scoring defeat to Galway in evidence: “Our scoring was probably one of the positives, we played quite well for the first 25 minutes or so but then we lost our shape a bit. We got outsmarted a little by Galway, and the last 35 to 40 minutes wasn’t so good. But there are signs that things are improving for us, though, which is good.”

Like other management teams, Waterford have been trying to balance competitive performances with trying out new players.

“The Limerick game was a good one for us, though the league has been a bit of a mixed bag overall,” said Feeney.

“The first game, against Cork, wasn’t good, but we’ve been working to give everybody in the squad a chance.

“That comes with a price as well. We’ve been trying out players, and in the last game or two we’ve been getting more and more regulars into the team, but we’ve also had to try out pretty much the entire squad. That’s important, too.

“But the league is a preparation for the championship and that’s what we’re looking at it for. If you’re talking about performance levels, the reality is that most players have only had two to three matches in the last six months, realistically speaking. Normally players would have a pre-season games, challenge games, national league games, all of those under their belt at this point of the year.

It’s more reasonable to expect teams and players to take a little longer to get up to the pace required when they haven’t had that kind of preparation.

“You have a very short space of time with which to work out the structure that best suits the players on the panel.”

Feeney and his colleagues are aware of the looming championship date with Clare (on June 27).

“There’s an element of trial and error involved but every game we’ve played, we’ve learned lessons from it. You have to work with what you have: we’ve had four league games and we’ve one left, and that’s all the games we’ve had.

“Obviously we have to get up to that speed quickly, because the championship is very close now. We have to put the pieces of the jigsaw together but it’s coming along.”

Tipperary will provide a fair test to the structure this weekend. “If you look back at the Limerick game our second half was quite good, while most of our first half against Galway was quite good. The test is to put a consistent game together, and if that came out of Sunday, where you had a good standard of hurling in both the first and second halves, and the performance levels were quite high, then that would be very pleasing.”