“Every fella put their neck on the line for the cause”
Tommy Ryan and Paul Flynn before the game.
Waterford coach Tommy Ryan was on a high after watching this talented minor bunch produce the goods on the biggest day of all.
“Pure pride. So proud of the lads and the performance they put in. Unbelievable group of lads. To see all the Waterford people out there, the energy and the chaos is just so enjoyable! An unbelievable feeling.” The players weren’t fazed by the magnitude of the game. “The key thing we tried to focus on the last two weeks was not to let the occasion get the better of us and really focus in on the things that matter.
“Getting hands on the ball and trying to make things happen. We believed that if they were brave enough to get their hands on the ball and brave enough to make mistakes, that we could get over the line and we could do it. Every fella out there put their hand up, every fella put their neck on the line, and you couldn’t ask for more. We said to them beforehand that we would be proud of them no matter what once they did that.”
The Tallow man spent three seasons on the sideline with Russell Rovers in Cork before linking up with the minors. His coaching career is only starting out, but the former Déise attacker already has an All-Ireland on his CV.
“Amazing feeling really to be honest with you. Huge work has been put into the lads the last few years. I just came on board this year to help out. The last few years there has been different lads involved and they put in magnificent work. I was just fortunate enough to come in at the right time this year. We’ve a great bunch of lads and they got the job done today. They were brilliant all year.”
Manager James O’Connor has brought fire and brimstone to this team. “You can see it on the line there; his heart and soul goes into this. He gives absolutely everything for the team. You can see how the lads responded to that with their performance. The passion he brings, it mirrored the boys on the field.” The supporters played their part as well. “We couldn’t ask for any more. Every game this year to be honest with you the Waterford fans nearly outnumbered every team we played. It was magnificent. The players felt it, they fed off it. You could see there what it meant to all of them outside after.”
