Dessie Hutchinson sends warning to rivals as he vows Waterford will give Munster SHC ‘right lash' ahead of Clare clash
Ahead of their participation in the sixth edition of the provincial round-robin system, the Déise have yet to qualify for the All-Ireland SHC series via the present format.
2
Dessie Hutchinson insisted Waterford are capable of challenging Munster's big guns
Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
2
Hutchinson captained Waterford to the Division 1B league title
Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Their most recent attempt was their best to date, as they ultimately became victims of Munster's fine margins after finishing just a point adrift of third place.
But Hutchinson, who has been appointed captain by boss
Peter
Queally, is adamant that they can at least go one better this time around.
He said: 'I suppose we have the belief within our squad that we can do it, more so than pressure.
'Without looking back too much, you think of last year's games and we weren't far away.
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'And we're definitely doing a lot more now than we were this time last year, in terms of the way we're going to play and stuff that we feel is going to give us a massive opportunity to go ahead and make sure that we're in that top three.
'But I suppose one thing the management did, they built a lot of belief in us in terms of we're as good as anyone else in the country.
'That's really important. We're full of confidence and we'll give it a right lash.'
Having served as coach under Davy Fitzgerald, Queally was appointed to succeed the Clare man in the hotseat on a two-year term last August.
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And Hutchinson speaks glowingly of the new gaffer, who starred at wing-back in 2002 when
The Ballygunner forward said: 'He's built a lot of confidence in us as players. He's a passionate Waterford man and he's bringing that out in us now and what it means to be playing for Waterford, which obviously is a massive thing.
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'If you go away from that, you're in a little bit of bother.
'He knows what it's like to play, he knows what it's like to coach and now he knows what it's like to manage Waterford and that's a massive thing. He's brought a lot of professionalism. He's put a great backroom team in place. Everyone is contributing fully. Every bit of help that we need, it's there on hand for us.'
Albeit they operated at a level below the elite, the Waterford players excelled as Queally began his tenure by
Hutchinson added: 'If you make a mistake trying something for the betterment of the team, nobody's going to say a word to you and I suppose that gives players freedom to play to their ability.
'We have a lot of good, skilful hurlers in the squad and it's great for lads to be able to go out and show it all the time.'
CUTTING THEIR TEETH
While their four rivals in the Munster SHC all sharpened their axes for the
Championship
in Division 1A, half of the opposition Waterford encountered in the second tier were Joe McDonagh Cup sides.
Having started the campaign with a defeat to Carlow, they regrouped to
seal
promotion thanks to wins over
Still, there will be fears among supporters that the lack of exposure to hurling's heavyweights leaves Waterford at a disadvantage when they enter the arena this weekend. Clare,
Limerick
all already have a point on the board after two fierce duels and it may be a case of the Déise being thrown to the lions.
Hutchinson said: 'I suppose you can't be disrespectful to teams and not once have we done that in any of
the games
we've played.
'But especially with the Munster Championship, sometimes you wonder where you really are compared to the teams that have been playing in 1A because you see how taxing those games have been on certain teams and it can be hard to know at times.
'You have to trust the training that you're doing and we're lucky enough to play really good in-house games. Even last year it was the same — they were as good as any Championship game and I think it's important that you get the best out of those games when you do play them.'
'We pride ourselves on Walsh Park. When the Waterford crowd gets behind you in Walsh Park, it's a massive thing and we feed off that too."
Last summer's All-Ireland final was a true epic that saw Clare pip Cork after extra-time.
But en route to the
Cork were beaten by the hosts at Walsh Park before Clare needed a last-gasp '65 from Mark Rodgers to claim a one-point win over the Déise in Ennis.
Yet while the Banner, the Rebels and six-in-a-row Munster champions
summer
as spectators.
Hutchinson admitted: 'It was very tough. The All-Ireland final in particular, you're thinking we were after beating Cork and there was a puck of a ball between ourselves and Clare.
'On another day that goes our way and who knows?
'It just goes to show that when you're in the
driving
seat
in games in Munster, you have to stay at it and you have to make sure you get that result.
'All these games will come down to a puck of a ball and you just have to be on it for 75, nearly 80 minutes now, making sure you're carrying out your whole game-plan and keep going from there.'
WALSH THIS SPACE
The All-Ireland champions, who drew with Cork in their opener last weekend, will be in the opposing corner on Sunday when Waterford get their first taste of Championship fare for 2025.
And with selector Dan Shanahan describing Walsh Park as 'our Colosseum', Hutchinson is keen to put on a show that will thrill the masses.
He said: 'We pride ourselves on Walsh Park. When the Waterford crowd gets behind you in Walsh Park, it's a massive thing and we feed off that too.
'But we're always confident when we do play in Walsh Park and we've had some very good results in Walsh Park.
'You think about them and you think about going a step further and qualifying from the Munster Championship and the buzz that would bring around the place.
'You feed off that and think about it at times and it's important that we just focus on that first game against Clare and make it as good as we can. The Waterford people will come behind us in it and hopefully it'll be good enough on the day.'
Indeed, a crucial week at Walsh Park could define Waterford's season as they also host Limerick there the following Saturday.
But Hutchinson insisted: 'You can't forget about the Clare game and think about what's happening six days later.
'You just have to focus on the game and make sure you're getting a performance in there that's going to be enough to win the game.
'Because the home wins are so important in Munster, especially for us now with two in a row six days apart. It's a massive thing for us.'
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