Waterford 4-20 Cork 1-23
The last thing Liam Cahill needs is any reminder about what's coming down the tracks, the Munster championship only a fortnight away, beginning with his native Tipperary, throughout which the winning of the league will count for very little and probably nothing at all.
Tell him something he doesn’t know.
Cahill was hardly done with expressing his reasonable delight at Waterford winning the Allianz Hurling League, for only the fourth time in history, before that subject came up: it possibly didn't help that Waterford won it so convincingly, four goals and 20 points another clear statement of their intent for the summer, still it's okay sometimes to live in the moment.
“It is always good anytime you can get your hands on a bit of silverware and, as we call it, getting your head in front and being able to win them finals,” he said. “As little as people might think it is, it is important to get silverware and start building a bit of confidence as the championship comes down the tracks, so delighted to win it, it’s a good little confidence boost for everybody, myself included.”
Cahill made the point that since taking over as Waterford manager they’ve already lost two finals, the Munster final and the All-Ireland; some people will always downplay the value of the league, only for Cahill, Saturday’s victory can only have lasting value.
“It has been a good league for us, great to get to the latter stages of it and when you get in a final, it is good to perform. Every player wants to hurl, win matches, there is a myth out there, a narrative, that the league is losing its value and that it is not important. The league wasn’t important for anyone that wasn’t in the final, that’s the reality of it.
“The way we look at it we’re putting ourselves in a position to get into finals, putting ourselves at the top table with the best teams, and it’s a good start for these group, but the real test will be the big challenges from Easter Sunday onwards.
“The evenings are getting longer, the bumble bee is starting to come back out again, so the summer is coming. That means it gets more high-tempo, the ball gets faster, and the opposition tightens up. It’s a big ask coming down the tracks, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Given it was 24 years since their last league title, no one could argue that Cork didn't fancy winning this one either; instead their manager Kieran Kingston is now coming off two successive final defeats, after the All-Ireland loss to Limerick last summer.
Too few of Cork's big-name players stepped up on the night, Darragh Fitzgibbon particularly mute around midfield, forwards Conor Lehane, Alan Connolly, Seamus Harnady and Shane Barrett all replaced.
For Kingston the hope is there is still some lasting value in losing like that: Cork host All-Ireland champions Limerick on Easter Sunday, and that will promptly tell.
“It was very disappointing, no question about that in many aspects but in a way the pre-Leaving Cert is over now,” he said. “We’ll have to review this tomorrow, recover, press the reset button and get ready for the start of the Leaving Cert in two weeks’ time.”
“You can’t concede four goals in a national final and expect to win, and you can’t have the conversion rate we had tonight, less than fifty per cent and 17, 18 missed chances, you can’t have those stats and expect to win a national title.
“It was a frustrating first half, our free count was 10-3, 10-4, and suddenly we were six down, and that was the story of the second half. We’d get it down to four or five and suddenly you’re hit by a goal and you’re chasing it again.”
