Low expectations with Cork on horizon, but Déise football light beginning to shine

Their hopes of progressing to Phase 2 suffered a week later when losing at home to Limerick. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Grim reading. A horrid collection of results. A collection of results that are now being rehashed to illustrate the corner turned.

Between the county’s unsuccessful involvement in the 2006 Munster U21 football final and the throw-in of this year’s provincial U20 championship, Waterford played 27 games at this age-grade. They won three and lost 24.

Of the 24 defeats, 16 were in double-digit territory. Three of them broke the 30-point barrier. The average margin of defeat across the 24 was 13 points. From 2007 to 2018, there wasn’t a single victory.

The Waterford U20 class of 2026 is on the road to Páirc Uí Chaoimh this evening. They are three wins from five outings. 

They’ve won as many games in the past five and a half weeks as the county did at U20/21 across the previous 19 years. They’ve manoeuvred themselves into a position where they are one hour and one win from Munster final involvement.

The Waterford minor class of 2026 is travelling better again. Three wins from three thus far in their provincial campaign.

The tiered section of the Munster MFC was introduced in 2022, pitting Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford together before the leading two progressed to face Cork and Kerry. Prior to recent weeks, Waterford had lost 11 of their 12 minor outings over the past four seasons.

So, where has the uptick in results emanated from?

Current U20 manager Paul Power was asked to take the minors two years ago. 

His management was responsible for the one Munster minor victory amid the aforementioned 11 Phase 1 defeats. 

They subsequently won away to Offaly in Tier 3 of the All-Ireland championship. It was the county’s first-ever minor win outside of Munster.

“People that were coming to the games felt like we were trying to do the right thing. We were trying to play a nice brand of football, as opposed to going totally defensive and trying to scrape a result, or trying to keep the scoring average down to keep respect on that side. We said, no, we wanted to go for games rather than just trying to keep manners on it,” Power explained of their year-one approach.

“We started to create a good vibe around the group, and it's only in the last year or so where people are coming back and saying, you always set the thing up fierce well since you went in, and all the good stories coming back from the young lads that we try and look after them.

“If you don't have a child wanting to come back the next night, you failed in that session alone. We’ve always tried to make them all feel important.” 

Those in power heard the stories. Power and his crew were asked to step up to the U20 gig last year. The results of the same group at minor level three years earlier showed three defeats and a -56 score difference.

“I said to the other lads in the management that if we can get anything positive out of this group, it'll be a huge, huge step. Fast forward a few months of training, S&C, and giving them direction on eating, sleeping, and minding themselves in general, and we went to Doonbeg and beat a Clare team that had beaten them by 26 points at minor.” 

Their hopes of progressing to Phase 2 suffered a week later when losing at home to Limerick. They lost, said Power, because for the first time in their football lives, there was expectation on them.

There is no expectation on them going to Cork this evening. 

There is, though, a spotlight focused in their direction. For the first time in an age, there’s a positive spotlight shining on Waterford football.

“Add in the minors going three from three and, all of a sudden, it's not so bad to be kicking the big ball in Waterford,” Power continued.

“With the positive vibes at present, we’ve been talking to people about getting involved with the U14, U15, and U16 development squads. The fact that we’re getting results, it’s becoming a little more attractive.

“Sustaining current results goes back to those development squads and getting good people that have Waterford football as their number one priority to develop these lads.” 

In U20 team news, Dara Sheedy and Trevor Kiely are absent for Cork because of injuries picked up in the win over Kerry. Tomás Kennedy has not been pulled by the Kerry senior management ahead of their Munster opener against Clare on Saturday, and so will again line out at full-forward for the U20s.

CORK: B Curtin (Valley Rovers); F Hurley (O’Donovan Rossa), P Rose (Ballincollig), M Ahern (St Finbarr’s); S O’Leary (Kilmurry), C McCarthy (St Colum’s), O Foley (Bishopstown); D Clifford (Éire Óg), M O’Brien (Ballinora); D Miskella (Ballincollig), L Shorten (Tadhg MacCarthaigh), G Holland (Bishopstown); S Coakley (Douglas), R Barrett (St Finbarr’s), D O’Neill (Carbery Rangers).

SUBS: J O’Flaherty (Douglas), H Wixted (Bishopstown), A Keane (Kinsale), L Murphy (Barryoe), B Corkery Delaney (Carrigaline), D O’Mullane (Kilmurry), S Connolly (Ilen Rovers), J O’Leary (Ballinascarthy), J Cullinane (Bandon).

WATERFORD: C Drohan (Rathgormack); A Ryan (The Nire), B Boland (St Saviour’s), N Fahey (Rathgormack); D Nyhan (Brickey Rangers), F O’Brien (Gaultier), D Jacob (St Saviour’s); D Mackle (Abbeyside/Ballinacourty), D Colleran (Brickey Rangers); A Curran (Stradbally), B Qualter (An Rinn), C Power (Rathgormack); J Brennan (Tramore), P McCarthy (Brickey Rangers), C Royle (Brickey Rangers).

KERRY: K Robak (Dr Crokes); M Lynch (Milltown/Castlemaine), G Evans (Keel), I Brosnan (Castleisland Desmonds); S Ó Cúinn (An Ghaeltacht), A Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), P Walsh (Listowel Emmets); D Kirby (Austin Stacks), E Boyle (Ballyduff); J O’Sullivan (Kenmare Shamrocks), G White (John Mitchels), M McKivergan (Ballymacelligott); P Lane (Austin Stacks), T Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahillys), R Carroll (Austin Stacks).

SUBS: B Fitzsimons (Kenmare Shamrocks), D Stack (Kilcummin), M O’Carroll (Dr Crokes), B Kelliher (Dr Crokes), J Joy (Ballymacelligott), E O’Flaherty (Ardfert), J Curtin (Ballyduff), R Sheridan (Duagh), A Byrne (Dr Crokes), P Finucane (Tarbert), D Sargent (John Mitchels).

CLARE: H O’Gorman (Cooraclare); L Griffin (Ennistymon), S Murphy (St Joseph’s Miltown), A Killeen (Lissycasey); C Hill (Lissycasey), D Boyle (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), M Kelly (Lissycasey); E Cahill (Kilmurry-Ibrickane), S Fennell (Kilrush Shamrocks); D Townsend (Cooraclare), C Breen (Corofin), D O’Dwyer (St Breckan’s); D McMahon (Lissycasey), D Culligan (Lissycasey), R Fallon (Kilmurry-Ibrickane).