“Dungarvan was like the Wild West!”
THAT FAMOUS PICTURE: Waterford minor hurling manager Sean Power celebrates with his selectors Wayne Power, Kieran O'Gorman and John Treacy at the final whistle Photo: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Sean Power knew in the winter of 2012 that the Waterford minors could go all the way in the autumn of 2013. He told his management team as much.
“Myself, Kieran O’Gorman, Wayne Power, and John Tracey were at a meeting in November 2012. I remember saying to the lads if we could get these boys right and get a bit of momentum going, they could do something very, very special in 2013. When we beat Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final, there was a picture taken and we look ridiculous! The minute the final whistle was blown, Wayne jumped on me and I said to him, ‘I told you these fellas are special!’ I always thought it was there.”
Seven days out from the All-Ireland final against Galway, Power’s team suffered a setback. “All of them got new gear. William Hahessy got new boots, new socks, everything. The Sunday before, he went out just to hit a few balls and run around, and he twisted his ankle in his garden. William Hahessy was central to everything we did at number two. I keep comparing Conor Lynch to him. The same ilk of corner back. So, Hahessy’s ankle was out like a balloon on the Sunday.
"Brendan McCann was our team doctor. McCann looked at it, and very soon after he said, ‘Sean, no way. No way in a week will he be ok.’ He got a number of instructions for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and we said we’d do a fitness test on the Thursday. Peter Hogan was the baby of the group, he was just gone sixteen. We put Peter on Hahessy to run him and twist him and turn him. Peter was lightning. We were all watching the fitness test and Brendan McCann said, ‘I’ll eat my hat if he passes this lads.’ Peter went at him and William Hahessy tore into him like William Hahessy does at corner back. I remember Kieran O’Gorman turning and saying, ‘Doc, I hope you brought red sauce to eat your hat!’ Sure enough, Hahessy was ready for Sunday.”
And just like the class of 2025, Power’s minors endured a bus mishap. The new driver on duty took a wrong turn en route to Croke Park. “The head guard on All Ireland final Sunday was there, and the bus driver asked him to open the gates and let us drive down Jones’ Road past the Croke Park Hotel. He said, ‘I can’t, there’s 45,000 people behind me here now!’ So we had to back up the bus. We were going in the Cusack Stand side, so he had to reverse the bus. That ate into our time on All Ireland final day. We were sitting at the front of the bus in a panic. The players were having their bus snacks, as we used to call them, and listening to their music, and everyone was very relaxed. Whereas I was at the front of the bus, and I was starting to sweat a little bit! We went in, and it cut our time down. We probably had 20 minutes less in the dressing room. I said it to Paul Flynn, when you win the game, it’s only a story. That was our bus story! Hopefully, history will repeat itself!”
The journey home to Waterford was stress-free. “Monday on the Mall in Waterford was incredible. It’s something that will stick with me to the day I die. When we went over the bridge into Dungarvan that night, in the dark, it was like the Wild West! It was like a rock concert! In advance, we explained to them to reserve their excitement to the post-game. They could let loose then. Get the job done and then really enjoy yourself. They all embraced that.”
The pre-match handshakes also spring to mind for Power. “We were all lined up and, if memory serves, Colm Roche was number fifteen. Mattie Murphy, the Galway manager, was talking during the week about what they did to Waterford in 1992, and they were going to do the same again. They kept Paul Flynn quiet in 1992, and they’d keep Patrick Curran quiet in 2013. So, there was a little bit of niggle in advance of it. Roche was the last man in line to shake hands. As they shook Roche’s hand, all of the Galway players gave him a little nudge. We were on the sideline and shouting to Roche to give it back to them! Colm Roche is a tough man. So, after the first two or three shots, Roche was giving it back to them harder! The last few Galway fellas didn’t know that this was the Galway plan. When they got to Roche, he was levelling them before they levelled him! Little things like that pop back into your mind.”
Power made friends for life out of that experience. “I met Adam Farrell the other day and he said, ‘We’re there again!’ You could see how excited he was about the lads being in the minor final this year. We were recalling the good times we had. We don’t see each other as often as we used to. We used to be living in each other’s pockets! Still good friends with Wayne, Kieran, John, Brendan, Benji Whelan was helping us out, and Philly Flynn was the goalkeeping coach. We’re still great mates. A good few went on to play senior hurling for Waterford, which was really what it was all about.”
The Mount Sion man will be on co-commentary duty for WLR alongside Kieran O’Connor on Saturday evening. “I see a lot of similarities. I see a group of forwards that are lethal. Particularly in the All-Ireland semi-final, a huge amount of work rate and turnover ball. In 2013, the goal that Patrick Curran got was a turnover ball. I would equate that with Cormac Spain’s couple of turnovers and Jamie Shanahan’s couple of turnovers. Great half-back line, and there’s a composure to them as well. They stick to what the plan is. They’ve a couple of guys to spring from the bench. A championship-winning team is not fifteen, it’s probably 20 lads. A very exciting team, they play with a bit of purity that we like to see. The semi-final was as good a game as you would see at any grade. Joxer, Mackey, Paul, and Tommy are doing a great job with them.”
