Waterford will close out their hurling league campaign tomorrow in Nowlan Park when they make the short trip to face Kilkenny. Four games in the bag and three wins so far leave Liam Cahill's team all but certain to take a spot in the league semi-finals.
The Deise top Group B with seven points on the board, while Kilkenny are a close second just one point behind.
With the Championship very much on the horizon, this game with the Cats will provide Waterford will the ideal preparations for the visit of Tipp to Walsh Park on April 17th.
Speaking on Saturday's On The Ball, former Deise hurler Brian Flannery is of the opinion that times have changed when it comes to meeting the once all-conquering Kilkenny.
"This team [Waterford] has no fear, and there's no fear from Waterford going to Nowlan Park to play a good Kilkenny team. They were really outstanding against Dublin and to put a number on Dublin in Parnell Park speaks volumes. They're building nicely too and you never get an easy game against Kilkenny but there's no fear. I mean, that's the brilliant hallmark of this Waterford team is - you know it's resilience. They went down to 14 players against Antrim and got the result; did what they needed to do. Gritty performance up in Parnell Park in the first round and again came away with a point that looked unlikely at a lot of stages".
While previous years saw Waterford struggle to put out a competitive team once injuries had taken their toll, the current squad is littered with quality players - many of them young in hurling years - who can seamlessly fill the gap. In 2021, Munster hurling was still a straight knockout basis, but 2022 has seen a return to the norm with the round-robin system once again in operation.
"If you go back to the last time the Munster Championship was played on a group basis it kind of worked against Waterford because you were playing four or five games in six weeks and the strength & depth you know, when you had a couple of injuries the panel was was just that little bit stretched and it probably favored the bigger counties."
"The real kernel of optimism is that there's just a stronger overall panel, there are more players. If somebody like Connor Prunty is missing tomorrow you have somebody with the ability of Iarlaith Daly who's a central figure and plays in central positions - fullback, center back no bother to him - I suspect the team won't miss a beat tomorrow"
While the air around Waterford is positive at the moment, there is other cause to be excited as several key players from the last two campaigns are yet to get game time. A dominant win over Tipperary, a draw with Dublin, and a rout over Laois have all been accomplished without Jamie Barron, Callum Lyons or any of the Ballygunner contingent. Hutchinson will make his first league start tomorrow in Nowlan Park while Barron and Lyons are yet to be seen on a team sheet. Flannery notes that while those talismans have been absent, the backroom team have been able to make hay while the sun shines.
"They've gone through the league without Jamie Barron and Callum Lyons. You're building players, players are getting experiences, they're getting opportunities, and that can only go well for the Munster Championship. A lot of counties can say that."
WLR will provide live commentary of tomorrow's game thanks to George Corbett Skoda, with Kieran O Connor and Michael Ryan in the commentary box.
