Manager Paul Shankey has no fear that Waterford football could go the way of Kilkenny by dropping out of the league and provincial championship.
For the second time in three years, the Déise finished winless and bottom of Division 4 but Shankey, a former Meath footballer, says the club game in the county is "very healthy".
"No, I wouldn't fear that at all," he replies when asked about the Kilkenny comparison. "I don’t know where that came from.
"If Rathgormack or The Nire were playing Castlehaven or Nemo, there’d be very little in it. Club football in the county is very healthy so I wouldn’t see that as a major issue at all.
"I suppose the big elephant in the room is the finances, the money being spent on teams, and that is one of the biggest issues for the GAA generally to address going forward."
Shankey adds that the footballers are getting a fair slice of the pie when compared to Davy Fitzgerald’s hurlers. They have "fantastic" training facilities, the same gym access, and received a "great response" when they reached out to clubs for players.
It’s at the younger grades where Shankey believes there is a difference: "We probably have to go down to 14-15-year-olds that they feel they want be part of a Waterford football development squad. That’s the area we need to attract players."
He insists the talent is there but the difference between their current standing and a leap up the rankings is a couple of top-class forwards.
"If we had the two Cliffords, we’d be operating higher up the divisions. Ultimately, it’s the finishers – it’s very hard to find them or nurture them. They don’t come along too often.
"If lads want to play hurling, that’s fair enough, that’s good for the county, but we are just trying to create an environment where fellas would think football is also an option."
With so many players gone teaching in Dubai or travelling in Australia, two-thirds of the team that pushed Meath close in the Tailteann Cup last year have moved on.
"They are gone for a year and hopefully they will come back next year.
"A lot of the other counties have had a consistent group for three or four years whereas we have a lot of lads who are 20-21. It’s a fast learning curve but they are competing very well.
"Some of the scorelines have looked bad but we did create a lot of chances in those games."
The Kilmainhamwood native, who's been living in Portlaw for the last 20 years, has found the transition to inter-county management enjoyable, despite the fast-track turnaround from his appointment at the tail end of 2023.
"It was the last appointment – best until last, yeah?" quips Shankey. "It wasn’t on my radar. It was actually my wife who said late last year that they had nobody, 'Why don’t you apply for that job?’ I think she was trying to get rid of me.
"It really was a last-minute decision."
Their one point gained in the league was against Sunday’s opponents Tipperary, which gives some cause for optimism. A Munster semi-final against Clare is the prize for the winners.
"There is a healthy rivalry there and while it’s a rivalry Tipperary might seem to come out on top in by a point or two, historically the teams compete quite well.
"We don’t have any lofty ambitions or anything like that because you have no control over it. We’re just trying to get better on every occasion we go out."
