John Horgan on hurling: Waterford already gearing up for a big push in 2025

THE inter-county hurling season might be done and dusted but off-the-field activity will ensure that there is still plenty to debate, the changing of the guard at managerial level is always a topic for discussion.

Most counties look to have their house in order in that regard in order to ensure that those at the helm can be on the lookout for new talent that might make the desired impression.

Entering the 2025 season which will begin with the pre-season competitions in Munster and Leinster there will be just the one change in Munster, Peter Queally taking over the reins in Waterford from Davy Fitzgerald while the latter heads for the glens of Antrim to preach his gospel in that county, parts of which are as enthusiastic about the game as we are down here.

At the time of writing, Galway and Dublin are still searching and deliberating who will take over from Henry Shefflin and Micheal O'Donoghue respectively.

Elsewhere, it will be as you were in the other leading counties, Brian Lohan on the McCarthy Cup retention trail in Clare, Pat Ryan hoping to go one better in Cork, John Kiely determined to prove anybody stupid enough to suggest that Limerick might be on a downward trajectory are miles off the mark and Liam Cahill hoping for much better days in the Premier who have dropped well down the pecking order of provincial and All-Ireland contenders.

So, the status quo very much prevails in Munster while in Waterford, Peter Queally is not exactly a newcomer either, serving as a selector under Davy Fitz and a man very well versed in the happenings in the Deise.

Waterford's record in Munster as far as being one of the three counties to emerge into the All-Ireland series is pretty woeful since the group format stage was introduced but, at the same time, they haven't been a million miles off either, particularly last season. They defeated Cork and were desperately unlucky not to get a draw against Clare which would have meant that Cork would not have progressed out of the province.

Both would have been on four points but Waterford would have gone through on the head-to-head.

And if you go back to 2023, they might easily have beaten Limerick in Thurles when Walsh Park was out of commission, losing by just two points before defeating Tipperary a few weeks later when they had little or nothing to play for.

There is still a hardcore of quality hurlers available to Queally and the return of Austin Gleeson will enhance their prospects.

New boss, Queally wasn't slow in offering an opinion on the current format in both provinces, stating last week that four, not three of the five counties in Munster should advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

It was certainly an interesting observation coming from a renowned hurling man but the thinking would have to be that things are not going to change, in the short term anyway, given how successful the current format is.

This year's Munster championship reached new levels and everything remained in the balance until the last whistle in the last game.

But that's par for the course in Munster, in particular, Cork against Limerick this year and last, just a puck of a ball separating both of them.

Every county is guaranteed four games, unlike in the now long-distant past when you got just the one if you lost the opener.

Okay, that's in the dark ages now and things have moved on in a far more positive fashion and the bottom line has to be, if you are not in the top three of five counties after playing four games, then you are not good enough In other words, if it's not broke don't fix it.

BUZZ

There is no doubt that Davy Fitz's appointment in Antrim has and will continue to create a great buzz and things should be the better for it.

However, how far forward can he take the Saffron County? As far as developing the game in the county goes, he will generate more excitement and he will bring greater organisation to the set-up up there.

At the same time, he is a realist too and the prospects of getting his hands on any significant silverware are almost nil.

However, given his vast experience and success in all the counties that he has managed down the years, an All-Ireland with Clare, A Munster title in Waterford and a Leinster title with Wexford, he will be targetting Division 1B of next season's league when Antrim will have Waterford and the Dubs for company.

It must be recalled that Antrim defeated Wexford and Carlow in last season's Leinster championship, the latter securing a famous draw with Kilkenny in the same campaign. So, maybe a top-three finish in the Leinster championship is not as far-fetched as some might lead you to believe.

Fitzgerald's priority will be to make Antrim more competitive against some of the counties above them and to instill more belief into the players that he will be managing.

One thing is for certain, the former Clare great will give hurling in the county a far higher profile. There will be that initial bounce that he brings everywhere and it's going to be very interesting to watch it all unfold.

Whatever one thinks of Davy Fitz, he's a hurling man through and through. The meeting of Waterford and Antrim in that 1B national league encounter will be one game to keep an eye on.

The big question all Galway hurling supporters are asking is, whether or not O'Donoghue returns to try and engineer another All-Ireland success after his last stint at the helm when 2017 ended in glorious triumph.

There's an old saying that you should never go back but from the outside looking in, O'Donoghue looks to be the man again.

Why with so much success at U20/U21 and minor level down the years has there not been greater success on the senior front?

Of course, those types of successes don't guarantee anything on the senior stage in any county and potential never won anything but you'd be wondering why Liam MacCarthy hasn't been visiting the Connacht county much more than he has. 

But then again, Galway hurling has always been a bit of an enigma, capable of defeating any county on a good day but too often coming up short when the expectation levels are at their highest.