The weight of expectation and the sands of time count for little come throw-in.
Come Sunday at 2pm, Waterford will be in the midst of a Munster Senior Camogie Championship final for the first time in 56 years - when they tussle with Cork in Thurles.
The Deise have grown from strength to strength in recent seasons, competing in Division 1A of the National League, reaching a first All-Ireland decider since 1945, and now they have a provincial decider to look forward to.
All of this comes despite three successive managerial switches. Derek Lyons, Sean Power and now Jerry Wallace have all barked their demands from the dugout in recent seasons. Midleton man Wallace is responsible for guiding his native Rebels to four successive All-Ireland minor successes before taking the reins on Suirside - and he believes it would be a bonus for the game as a whole were Waterford to start collecting silverware on a regular basis.
Asked if the famine of major senior silverware counted for anything - Wallace pointed to just how quickly this side have started to flex their muscle.
“I don't think so, but it also shows that these Waterford women, they only do things in a big way - like they went straight to an All-Ireland Final last year and back in a Munster Final this year and what an achievement for them. It’s great for the girls to be contesting a final, great to be going up against one of the top competitors in the country, Cork, and it's a great opportunity for Waterford to give a right rattle off seeing can they win this Munster title. It would be a tremendous achievement and it’s all about making new history too. It would be good for the game of camogie - if Waterford can step up Sunday and deliver the title.”
Waterford have reached the final by virtue of victories against Limerick and Tipperary. The Deise were far from their brilliant best in their championship opener, relying on a Brianna O’Regan penalty save to get over the line - before they were inspired by 1-11 from Beth Carton in Golden, coming out the right side of a 1-18 to 0-18 scoreline against the Premier.
“It’s well documented now about the two games and the progression”, said Wallace. “I think that was a good stepping stone for us to have that game against Limerick, it was better than any challenge match, it showed the girls what it was to be back in the stadium again, the whole atmosphere around that sort of a day, which is very important. We moved on to a dinger of a match in Golden against Tipp. Tipp bring out the best in Waterford, Waterford bring out the best in Tipp - and it'll be exactly the same in Thurles on Sunday. Waterford will bring the best out of Cork and Cork will bring the best out of Waterford. I'd be very hopeful that if our girls can start like a tornado, we'll have a great, great chance in this match. Everything in the past is in the past now and it's all about the future, we are only thinking forward to Sunday.”
Delivering a Munster title in his first season as manager would be the perfect beginning for Wallace - but he says inheriting a squad of such great players has made the task at hand all the easier.
“It's great tributes to the people that have been here before me, not alone the management teams that were here, but the players as well that were involved and maybe have stepped aside. That's my role, I was asked to take on the job, I loved taking on the job, I loved the first night I met the girls in December, getting together, it was a new initiative, there was a buzz in the camp, they were looking to see me and I was looking to see them and I was looking forward to working with great players like Lorraine Bray, Beth Carton and all the rest of the girls, all 37 of them.”
Standing alongside All-Star midfielder and Deise captain Lorraine Bray, Wallace says it would be terrible to think that the likes of Bray wouldn’t be able to taste the glory that their talents so often merit.
“The big three - Kilkenny, Galway and Cork, they're used to winning titles. This great player standing alongside me, I'd say she could count the medals on her hands that she has playing in inter-county camogie and I'm not saying she's retiring, but I think before Lorraine would ever put her hurley down, I'd love to see herself and a few of the girls here getting that moment of glory, whether it is in the Munster final or in an All-Ireland final or in a league final.”
The League has been and gone, there’s one game left in Munster and an All-Ireland series to follow, Waterford will take one step at a time - but will continue to knock on every door until they get that they feel they deserve.
“There’s three cups on offer in the Camogie Association, there's the All-Ireland and then we have the Munster cup and we had the national league, but we're delighted that we've gotten the girls to the final, they're delighted that we've assisted them in getting to the final - let’s hope the first big day will be Sunday.”
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