Waterford duo focused on next business

WHEN TWO of Waterford's best and toughest hurlers tell you straight up the Justin McCarthy crisis is over with and it's time to move on then you know they're serious. Then Ken McGrath and Dan Shanahan soften up a little, and while they don't list the top 10 reasons why McCarthy had to go, they clearly believe it's all for the betterment of Waterford hurling.

"Look, it's been a very eventful 10 days," says McGrath, "but we're looking forward to moving on, getting back into championship hurling again. Neither of us really wants to discuss what happened last week, put ourselves out to dry. It's still very raw in Waterford at the moment, so maybe in a few weeks we'll discuss a bit more of it.

"We still think we've as good a chance as we ever had of winning an All-Ireland. That's what we're aiming for, pushing for. Hopefully, this is the start of something special. At the moment we've a new manager coming in this evening, and we haven't spoken to him yet."

Former Clare goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald's appointment was only confirmed late on Monday night. Fitzgerald yesterday severed his links with Tipperary club side Éire Óg, Nenagh in order to give his new position his full attention. He is also bringing Bertie Sherlock, his former assistant at Limerick IT, to help with Waterford.

"I suppose it will be strange to have Davy coming into our dressing-room," admits McGrath, "but I'm looking forward to it, and I know the rest of the lads are.

"There was a fair bit of rivalry there over the years, but Davy did what he had to do on the pitch, and we respect that. We all want to win big games. Davy showed unbelievable heart playing them games, and lasted so long. We've no problem at all with that. He got two All-Ireland medals out of it, and if he comes down with that passion to us, and I'm sure he will, then what more can we ask for."

"Definitely," agrees Shanahan. "We have to think that way. But I'm confident Davy can do the job. I know what he's like."

Both Shanahan and McGrath admit the fallout from McCarthy's removal has been difficult, particularly the reaction of some supporters. Shanahan received wider criticism for the way he walked past McCarthy after being substituted in the Munster quarter-final defeat to Clare, but he claims that was in no way deliberate.

"Sure every player hates being taken off. And I'm no different. But the pictures in the papers made me look, actually, bad. But there was no intention there or anything like that. People took it up the wrong way, but there's nothing I can do about that except get out on the field and do my best again. But I didn't deliberately do that, to any man."

Shanahan believes supporters will say what they want anyway, so he just lets them at it.

"To be honest, it's not about the supporters. We just look at ourselves as a team. We want to prove it to ourselves, more than the supporters. Obviously you meet a few people, but you just tell them, 'You're right'.

"But we said we'd stick together on this one. We're going to get a lot of flak, but sure we're used to that. I think it will make us a stronger team. It has already."

"Everyone has their opinion, that's all it is," says McGrath. "Waterford is the same. It shocked a lot of people. Not everyone knows exactly what's been going on either. But we can't be looking back anymore. We've been looking back for too many years."

Both McGrath and Shanahan believe keeping team trainer Gerry Fitzpatrick on board was crucial. He has taken the three training sessions since McCarthy's removal: "I'd say we trained as hard as we've done all year in those," says McGrath.

"The players have bonded big time, and hopefully it's the start of something. We have to move on from this. All we're eager for now is to get out playing again."

"He (Fitzpatrick) is a class act," says Shanahan. "He's done it with Ireland in basketball, and soccer teams in England want him. That's how good he is."

McGrath missed the Clare game with injury but is targeting the first-round qualifier on July 5th - against the losers of Galway and Antrim - as his comeback.

"I'm sure we will bounce back. There are a lot of good players left in this team, and we just have to go out and show it now, as Dan says, to ourselves. Look, we have to be positive, and take the best out of what happened. We're in the All-Ireland championship now.

"Munster is over. And we can't wait for July 5th. That's our biggest date and, hopefully, you'll see a different team."