Waterford's Paudie Fitzgerald: 'Once you get out of Munster, anything can happen'

Waterford get their 2026 season underway against Clare in the Munster Senior Hurling League

Waterford's Padraig Fitzgerald suffered a shoulder injury which will keep him out for the first four months of the season. Pic: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile

Paudie Fitzgerald believes the world will be Waterford’s oyster if they emerge from the Munster senior hurling championship this year.

The Kilrossanty man could miss part of the championship after undergoing a shoulder operation which will keep him sidelined for four months. He incurred the injury in the closing stages of his club's Munster intermediate final defeat to Kilbrittain in late November. 

Fitzgerald knows progressing from Munster will easier said than done. Six times Waterford have tried and each time they have failed to emerge from the round-robin format.

But he can imagine just how liberating that achievement will be when it comes. Two wins, including one last season against the Co-Op Superstores Munster SHL opponents today Clare, and a draw in their last eight provincial outings suggests they are getting closer to scaling the mountain.

“We just know that if that puck of a ball goes our way this year, when we get out of Munster, there’s no stopping us,” insists Fitzgerald, “Once you get out of Munster, anything can happen in our eyes. We just get that form going.

“Just getting out of Munster is the biggest thing for us. Whether that's through a Munster final or top three. But we're really looking forward to it if we ever get out of this group.” 

Facing 2024 All-Ireland winners Clare in Ennis on the opening weekend in April and the reigning champions Tipperary in Azzurri Walsh Park six or seven days later is a daunting start for Peter Queally’s side.

Both teams know the pain of missing out on the knock-out stages too but none more so than Waterford. “Yeah, look, it's really tough,” Fitzgerald says of the championship exits.

“I think, the last couple of years in a row we've won our first group game in Munster (v Cork and Clare) and you're looking very positive into the year ahead. And then a couple of results go against you. They’re devastating days. But, look, it gives us more hope now coming into next year again. And hopefully this league will send us ahead into championship.” 

Indeed, getting supporters on side will be important hence the additional emphasis Waterford will be placing on the league and retaining their Division 1A status after winning the 1B title last year.

Picking up results in Walsh Park will be essential throughout the season.

“Everyone wants to compete at home and make their home a place where other teams don't want to travel and our fans are massive to that and we know that's crucial,” says Fitzgerald. “If we have a good league campaign to get the crowd in behind us, we will have them to boost us on in the championship.

“We feel like this year more than ever, this league is crucial for us. To compete with these teams, and obviously you learn a lot from being against these teams, which is important as well through the league. But being up in Division 1A, we want to keep competing this league and keep up that for championship.

“Last year we probably did come in under the radar a little bit after being down in Division 1B. But this year we're looking forward to being back in 1A. It is where we want to be, competing against these teams.

“Obviously, Division 1A is a higher standard. We had a couple of questionable results in Division 1B last year but look we are closer to home, which is nice.” 

Former Cork coach Donal O’Rourke is a great addition. 

“Yeah, look, we've wicked mass in Donal there and Peter speaks fairly highly of him as well,” Fitzgerald says of the Cappoquin man. “And yeah, he's got an exciting outlook on hurling.

“We saw the way Cork were hurling and he was, I imagine, heavily involved with that, so we're seriously excited to see what he can bring to us.”