“We’ve got a depleted squad through injury” - Queally
Waterford Senior hurling manger Peter Queally. Photo: INPHO/James Lawlor
With Calum Lyons and Neil Montgomery not part of the Waterford senior hurling panel in 2025, Austin Gleeson will miss the early rounds of the league according to Waterford Senior hurling manager Peter Queally. “He has had a few setbacks in the last few months so it could be March before we see Austin.”
March is also the target for Conor Prunty, Tadhg De Burca and Darragh Lyons. “Conor is still recuperating from his shoulder. He’ll probably be March. Darragh is looking at the end of March as well. Tadhg, probably March. Tadhg has had a lot of injuries in the last few years so he is slowly coming back. He picked up an injury with his club at the end of the year so he is just recuperating from that. Darragh had a bad injury on the groin going back to the Clare game where he came off after ten minutes. He still isn’t right since that.”
Queally admits that the squad is depleted at present. “You saw it today. We had 24 fellas togged out. We could have named 30 on the panel but we didn’t have 30 to name. We’ve a lot of injuries. We’re a bit hampered at the moment but we’re hoping that they’ll be all good come the end of April.”
Waterford fell twelve points down in a testing opening half. “I don’t think people in the stand realise how difficult conditions were, playing against that breeze in the first half. We learned a lot in the first half. I think we lacked a lot of aggression, we put it down to being so close to Christmas and the first game. A lot of young fellas getting a start, an eye-opener for them. I thought we adapted a lot better in the second half, threw in a few fresh faces who got game time into them. I think they made a difference.”
He wants to see those new players step up ahead of the Division 1B opener away to Carlow next month. “Supporters came along here today not to look at Jack Prendergast or Shane Bennett or Jamie Barron. They’re looking to see have we any good young fellas coming along and I thought they adapted very well.
“I thought young Seamus Fitzgerald for his first game at corner back was very good. He wouldn’t be the biggest man in the world and it wasn’t a day for small hurlers. Finbarr Reaney got his first taste of inter county hurling at wing back. We’d be pleased with some of the new guys. They’re going to get plenty of game time in the next few weeks. We’ve a few more good games lined up against Kilkenny, Wexford and Limerick.”
