It just didn’t happen for them.
Waterford were well and truly beaten by Galway on Sunday, it just wasn’t to be for the Deise.
There were three points in it at the end of it all but you’d be hard pressed trying to find a Waterford supporter that believed they should have won on the day.
There’s plenty of room for optimism though, it was their first All-Ireland final since 2008 and have made strides every year since Derek McGrath took over back at the end of 2013.
The Waterford manager spoke passionately at Waterford’s homecoming and has managed to make himself even more popular down that way of the country.
“We just said to ourselves that living a receptive relaxing easy life wasn’t for us,” McGrath told the packed streets of Waterford.
“If a man can go to the limits and stretch his body and mind to his absolute limit that’s what we were asking the lads to do and they’ve done that for us for the last four years. They’ve given us absolutely everything they have.”
The attitude has changed in Waterford, they are no longer a county that wants to settle for second best. The winning culture and belief is starting to creep into the county.
Shane Fives has been knocking around the Waterford panel for years now, he’s seen them through the lows and now the highs.
The Tourin man was interviewed by Alan Mac Maoldúin for the official match programme of the All-Ireland final and put down the success of the the younger lads coming through in the county as a reason for Waterford’s improvements.
“I think the younger lads coming in are more confident than ever before. I didn’t have the same confidence at that age as the young lads coming in now.
“They have a lot of experience. They have won a lot of underage games between minor and U21 and even with the schools and colleges.
“I can’t put a finger on it but I think the success they’ve had has to be something to do with it.
“Maybe it has something to do with the county going as well as it is in hurling but they seem to feel that they can hit the ground running.”
