Waterpark building their way back to the top

AT THE dawn of the millennium, things looked good for Waterford rugby club Waterpark.

Sitting among the elite in the All-Ireland League and benefiting from Munster’s growing positive PR, big things were expected from the club, with a huge Ballinakill hinterland behind them. But changes to the club game killed their momentum.

Relegation from the top ranks came in 2008. For those looking from the outside it looked like another doom and gloom story. However, based on a phenomenally successful underage structure, they’ve rebuilt into a force again.

On Saturday, the club claimed the Avonmore Milk Munster U19 and U17 league finals for the second successive season, adding to the All-Ireland U17 title won last year.

“It’s from all the hard work from the U6s up, with all the coaches. We get good people in to coach them and that’s key,” said U17 coach George Andersen.

One day, a Waterpark player might line out for Munster, that would be a dream come true for all the coaches at the junior club.

“There’s a few standout players at U19 level and my team has six in the Munster set-up at the moment. We’d all love to see a few of them make it as professionals but it’s a long road.

“The problem is they are big fish in a small pond here and when they go elsewhere, they can get lost. It’d be great for Waterpark and Waterford if one of them made it. The last Waterford player on the Munster team was Ben Cronin.”

It’s not a true success story yet, though, as the club are losing their best and brightest to the likes of UL, Shannon, UCC and Wanderers. U19 coach John Molloy accepts the big leagues of the AIL will always take their best but a policy of investing in youth will eventually pay.

“The lads need to see the ambitions of the club,” he said. “Before, when there was a lot of money thrown about on junior rugby there were a lot of debts but our structures, to further the club, are based on developing our youth and bringing them through to the senior set-up. It’s already happening. Nine or 10 of the starting 15 on the seniors came through our underage set-up in the last three years.”