MATCH REACTION WATERFORD:ABOUT 15 minutes into the second half Davy Fitzgerald turned his back on the game, and gestured toward Dan Shanahan. Waterford needed a goal. Fitzgerald knew it, and Shanahan was possibly their last chance to provide it. While Fitzgerald's back was turned, Eoin Kelly – as in the Tipperary Eoin Kelly – collected a sideline ball from Noel McGrath, and deftly directed it into the Waterford net.
If Waterford thought they had any chance of closing down Tipperary, Kelly’s goal ended it.
“The better team won,” admitted Fitzgerald. “Without a shadow of doubt. So I’ve no complaints. Tipp were better. Tactically better. And outfought us better as well. Which I’m surprised about. Because I think there is more in our guys than they showed out there.
“We strayed a small bit from what we talked about beforehand. And that cost us. If you give Tipp any space they’ll open you up, and they did that a few times. And our half forwards didn’t track back enough. Tipp got balls into places, got us a few times with the high cross-field ball. They looked better than us, but what wins games is goals, and they got them, got them at the right time. We didn’t even threaten goals enough.”
At stages it seemed Waterford were surprised by Tipp’s tactics, with Noel McGrath in particular stirring the game up when playing at centre forward instead of his usual corner forward. “We knew Noel would play there,” said Fitzgerald. “But we didn’t want to break up our inside six. But it’s hard when you’re out in the heat of battle, when things don’t happen the way you think. But Tipp didn’t surprise us. We just didn’t close the middle enough. Didn’t make it the dogfight we needed. But I think Tipp improved immensely from what they showed against Galway. Their defence was a lot tighter, more disciplined.”
Fitzgerald is still confident about the county’s future – although things are far more uncertain about his future as manager. “My latest two years are up,” he declared, “but I haven’t a clue. I’ll take a bit of time. If I knew I’d tell you, but I don’t know in my own head at the moment. It’s a massive commitment, a lot of driving, but I like it that way.
“We’ve had a great three years . . . Well we’re not 100 miles off the best out there. There’s a good future there. I really believe this team can go on. There’s great spirit, serious leaders. But they’ve got to learn from that today.
“The one thing I have to reflect on is I’ve worked with a great bunch of lads. They’ll be some lads who won’t be happy that didn’t see enough game time. I have a job to do, to pick the best team possible, and I make no apologies for that. A lot of lads are disappointed, but I want to win every bit as much as any of those Waterford lads.
“But I think the future is bright for Waterford. We’ve a lot of young lads coming again. Whether I stay or go, the one thing I can look back on and say is there hasn’t been any favourites. I call a spade a spade. I’ve always said to the lads, when you wake up tomorrow, you’re to say to yourself, ‘did you do everything you possibly could? Were you as honest as you possibly could?’ And I can say that. Have I made mistakes? Yeah. But I enjoy this game, still love it, and want to be involved with it.”
