Paul Shankey: No need for 'doom and gloom' around Waterford football

NO NEED TO WORRY: Waterford manager Paul Shankey before the McGrath Cup group B match between Waterford and Clare at Páirc Naomh Brid in Lemybrien, Waterford. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

It is seen as one of the toughest beats in inter-county football, but new Waterford football manager Paul Shankey doesn’t see any cause for “doom and gloom” around the Déise’s 2024 prospects.

Shankey says he was pleased with the performance put in by his players despite the 17-point defeat against Clare on Sunday.

Waterford’s Jason Curry missed a first-half penalty and Shankey, an All-Ireland winner with Meath in 1987, said he was impressed with his side’s display but is aware of the effort needed to close the gap.

“It would have been nice to get the penalty,” said Shankey.

“The lads gave a great effort. We just got back a month ago, so you can see the lads’ condition. We have a lot ahead of us, but we can’t fault the effort; we have a lot of work to do over the next few months. The good news is that there’s massive room for improvement.

“It has been great so far. They are a fantastic group of young fellas who are practically trying to encourage as many lads into the group. We’ve had a great response, but as you can see, today, we are a couple of months behind everyone. Hopefully, we can close the gap as the ground gets harder.”

There will be some new additions to the panel within the next few weeks, with Abbeyside trio Willie, and Aaron Beresford, Sean Whelan Barret, and last year’s captain all returning next week with hopefully some more faces included.

“Dermot Ryan is just back from travelling, Willie Beresford is back this week, while Sean Whelan Barret and Aron Beresford are among a good few lads to return next week. You can see we have the makings of a team. There were a lot of lads we wanted to see today to see what they were like. We’re treating these games as challenge matches to see who we have and what they are made of, and I’m delighted with their effort today.”

Despite the long process of appointing a new manager, Shankey doesn’t see the doom and gloom around Waterford football and believes players are keen to play football in the Déise.

“Our expectations are constantly improving. We were trying to get as many lads as possible; that’s what we’re trying to do every week, and we’re improving with every session,” he says.

“I don’t know any doom and gloom. The club scene is very healthy. You can see that the lads out there are keen to play football.

“That’s all we can do. Everyone here loves playing GAA, so we must stick at it and drive it forward.”