Joxer's long-term plan comes together for Waterford

"At no stage did I say to myself ‘you know what, I made a bad decision here, I should get out.’ Never," insists James O'Connor.

PAYING OFF: Shane Power,12, of Waterford and his team-mates celebrate after the Electric Ireland GAA All-Ireland Minor Championship semi-final match between Kilkenny and Waterford Chadwicks Wexford Park in Wexford. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Waterford manager James 'Joxer' O’Connor always believed that his minor hurling project would produce results in year three. At the end of 2024, he only had one championship win to show from nine games.

“I’m pig-headed like that to be honest with you! If I think something is going to work, I’ll stick with it. I believed that I had the players to win. At no stage did I say to myself ‘you know what, I made a bad decision here, I should get out.’ Never. If anything, I was more bull-headed after last year.”