‘We’re not far off and we never have been’ – Peter Queally
Munster senior hurlers, from left, David Reidy of Clare, Cian Lynch of Limerick, Ronan Maher of Tipperary, Robert Downey of Cork and Mark Fitzgerald of Waterford in attendance for the Munster GAA Senior Hurling Championship launch 2026 at FBD Semple Stadium. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Waterford senior hurling manager Peter Queally says Sunday’s trip to Ennis is a seismic opportunity for the Déise to start their provincial journey with a statement.
Victories on the road in Munster have been scarce in recent years, but on this occasion, one swallow might well have the potential to make a summer.
Preparation hasn’t been entirely perfect in respect of the Déise being relegated from Division 1A of the National Hurling League, but the Ballydurn man will focus on the positives from that campaign.
“It was a disappointing end, getting relegated. We didn’t have massive ambitions to win the league, but it was important to stay up in Division 1A playing all the top teams. It was a mixed bag, but we take the positives out of it - we used 31 players, a lot of them young lads getting exposed to top-level hurling for the first time. It’s good for them to get that experience under their belt.” Queally believes his side were handed harsh but valuable lessons in the Spring, but they won’t count for anything if they repeat those mistakes in the weeks ahead. Finding consistency will be of paramount importance.
“The big lesson that we learned is that any mistake that you make will be severely punished, whereas against lesser teams, you might get away with it. At the top level, you will. We learned harsh lessons, but good lessons too. It was good to get a flavour of three weeks on the trot against top-level opposition with one week off.
“This is a four-match campaign again. We have to try and find consistency over a long period rather than one good performance and then going flat the next week. Getting used to that level again has been very important for us.”
Ennis is no happy hunting ground for Waterford, having never won there in a championship and last tasted success on Banner soil in a league game nine years ago. History is there to be rewritten.
“It would be massive”, admitted Queally. “There’s a massive emphasis on home games, and in the last two years, we started with them, then we were going away towards the end. This year, it’s a bit different, going away first, then playing at home, and if we get a result on the first day out, it would put us in a very good position. Why not? That’s our aim, going to Ennis. It’s a great carrot to have dangling in front of us on day one.” The opposition, akin to Waterford twelve months prior, comes into Munster with a Division 1B title under their belt and a winning rhythm. Queally believes revenge will also be on their minds.
“They’ve won all their league games so far, and they’ve got a bit of momentum. Clare will have the bit between their teeth. They’ll be hurting after last year coming down to Walsh Park and losing.
“They didn’t get out of Munster as reigning All-Ireland champions. We just have to look after ourselves and make sure that we’re right and get our best performance out of us on Sunday.” The goal has never changed: get out of Munster and worry about the rest after. Waterford haven’t played in the All-Ireland series since the Covid championships in 2021, and that needs to change.
“That’s what we’ve been craving. There’s no point in hiding that. We’re craving a taste of the All-Ireland series. We’re not that far off; we never have been. It’s no fault of Waterford’s - it’s the competitive nature of Munster. We’ve as good a chance as the four others of being one of the three teams that emerge.”
In terms of available personnel, one man who could return to the fray in the weeks ahead is former Hurler of the Year, Austin Gleeson.
“Austin is training away hard”, said the Déise boss. “He’s put himself in the frame. His fitness has really come up, and he’s worked really, really hard in the last three months. His influence on the group has been great - everyone looks up to him. We’ll just have to see how the next couple of weeks go for Austin as regards his input in the championship.” Queally is also hopeful that the star duo Jamie Barron and Stephen Bennett will recover in time from their respective hamstring injuries to line up in what will be a crucial clash going forward.
“Jamie should be okay”, he said. “I think he’d be 50-50, but we’d be hoping he’d be ok. Stephen Bennett should be ok too. He’s working hard; he had a hamstring injury and missed the last few rounds of the league, but he should be good to go as well.”
One man who won’t be lining out in Ennis is All-Star full back and captain Conor Prunty. The Abbeyside Ballinacourty man is unlikely to feature until the latter stages of provincial action, owing to a quad injury picked up in the Allianz National Hurling League win against Limerick.
“Conor won’t play the first two rounds”, Queally confirmed. “He is doing fabulous work in fairness to try to get back. He had surgery on his quad muscle, and he’s been rehabbing really, really hard. He’s doing everything right, he’s still the captain of the team and has shown great leadership. We’ll have to play it by ear with him after then, but he won’t make the first two.”
Queally has pleaded for strong travelling support to make the long, long journey to Clare. A historic result would be one hell of a way to kickstart the campaign, but the camp is under no illusions that anything less than their best will be insufficient once again.
