More nearlys but more to come

Another weekend has been and gone, and while our interests in the hurling championship have waned significantly, the fear of this being a summer of near misses if anything grows stronger.

Senior hurling, camogie, ladies’ football - more nearly and not quite than one county could ever be expected to bear in such a short space of time. Waterford teams knocking on the door and never far away, but the door still refuses to open.

Were it not for the excellent interventions of Kerry goalkeeper Mary Ellen Bolger, then Waterford would’ve surely walked away from Kilmallock with a first Munster ladies’ football title since 2002. Were it not for a crucial save from Tipperary goalkeeper Laura Leenane in the Munster Camogie final a week earlier, there could’ve been a first Munster Camogie title since 1959. More tight margins that seem to never fall the way of the Déise.

Players like Beth Carton, Lorraine Bray, the Murrays, Lauren McGregor - the female equivalent of the Dan Shanahans, John Mullane’s and players of that status - it would be a true travesty if they weren’t to win silverware in white and blue, given their commitment to the county cause.

There will be people in this county who already want to write off 2026, but if you spend one hour watching the Déise playing ladies’ football and camogie, then it wouldn’t take awfully long to persuade you that major silverware on Suirside is a distinct possibility.

Waterford will put their respective Munster final disappointments behind them as the All-Ireland series loom large in both codes. While days out in Croke Park have been sparing for those of a Déise persuasion in recent years, once action reaches fever-pitch and approaches HQ - I have no doubt whatsoever that both of these teams will remain firmly part of the picture.

One thing that has stood out over the past fortnight is the reaction from the wider public to both groups. There’s disappointment naturally, because opportunities to win provincial titles do not come around every season, but there’s also a genuine appreciation for what these teams are bringing to the county. Supporters can recognise when a team is building something substantial, and both the camogie and ladies’ football panels have earned that respect.

In years gone by, Waterford teams in these codes may have been capable of springing a surprise result or putting together a decent run, but there was often a sense that the bigger counties would eventually pull away when the pressure came on. That feeling is no longer there. Waterford are now operating on the same level physically, tactically and mentally, and that shift has not happened by accident. It comes from years of work done quietly behind the scenes.

The standards within both camps appear to have risen dramatically. You can see it in their conditioning, in their decision-making late in games and in the strength available beyond the starting fifteen. That depth is probably the clearest sign of progress. Successful counties are not built around one or two marquee names, no matter how talented they might be. They are built around competition for places, trusted substitutes and players driving standards at training every night of the week. Waterford now look far closer to that reality than ever before.

That was evident again in both Munster finals. Different players stepped up at different stages, younger members of the panel contributed when introduced, and neither management team looked short of options when momentum began to swing. Those are hugely encouraging signs when you start looking beyond one season and towards sustained competitiveness.

For all the praise rightly afforded to established figures, there is another layer to this story which perhaps deserves equal recognition. Young girls across the county now have teams they can properly identify with and aspire towards. They are seeing Waterford sides competing in major provincial finals, playing in front of sizeable crowds and going toe-to-toe with some of the strongest outfits in the country. That matters enormously.

Success at inter-county level does not just influence one panel in one dressing room. It filters down through clubs, schools and underage setups. Youngsters watching Beth Carton or Emma Murray perform on big occasions will want to emulate them. They will want to train harder, stay involved longer and believe that representing Waterford at the highest level is achievable. The long-term benefits of that can often outweigh even the immediate disappointment of a final defeat.

There is also a resilience about these groups that should not be underestimated over the coming weeks. Losing tight finals can either leave scars or sharpen determination. From the outside looking in, you would suspect it will be the latter here. Neither management nor players strike you as people satisfied with honourable defeats or moral victories. Getting to finals is no longer the ambition; winning them is. That mentality shift is another indication of how far both setups have travelled.

The challenge now is handling expectation, because expectation has unquestionably changed. Opponents will not underestimate Waterford anymore. The element of surprise is gone. Teams know they are facing serious contenders when they line up against the Déise in either code. That brings pressure, but it is also a compliment. The best teams are the ones expected to compete deep into championships, and Waterford are entering that category.

Of course, none of this guarantees silverware. Sport rarely works that neatly, particularly in competitions where margins remain desperately fine. A bounce of the ball, a save, a refereeing call or a moment of composure can separate success from heartbreak. Waterford have found themselves on the wrong side of those moments too often recently. But consistently putting yourself in those positions eventually counts for something. Teams that keep knocking eventually force the door open.

There is enough talent within both panels, enough quality coming through and enough belief growing around the county to suggest these are not isolated peaks. They look far more like signs of programmes that are strengthening year on year. If that trajectory continues, then the conversations around these teams in the near future may centre less around near misses and more around the silverware they have long threatened to capture.

More power to them, and the more support they can garner in the meantime the merrier.

The carrot has been dangling for a lot longer than anyone would’ve liked it to, but it can’t stay where it is forever.