Do you realise how good and important a player is when they are still there or when they are gone?
The question is generally answered in the performance of their replacement and this weekend Shane Prendergast faces the daunting task of filling in for Jackie Tyrrell in a big Championship game at Croke Park. After eight All-Irelands , eight Leinster titles and four All Stars, the James Stephens man was almost as permanent as the Hogan Stand at GAA headquarters.
But this weekend, the left corner of the Davin End and the right corner of the Hill will have a different gamekeeper trying to spoil a good days hunting for a Waterford team that return to Croke Park for the first time since 2011.
Such a figure is Tyrrell and it was only when chatting about the game earlier and Brian Cody’s options that I realised that the manager would have to find a replacement.
When asked who that would be I did something I never thought possible - became lost for words as I frantically ran through the squad in my head. Of course a quick Google of the Leinster final told me that Clara’s Shane Prendergast was good to go having replaced his elder in the second half of the provincial final. Prendergast made his league debut last year but had to wait until this season before getting Championship game-time against Wexford.
When it comes to Kilkenny, just because the mass public does not know them, that does not mean players come from nowhere. Walter Walsh, Cillian Buckley, Padraig Walsh and Ger Aylward are examples are players who silently grafted and proved they were ready for the step up and Prendergast should be no exception. Just think when was the last time Cody got it wrong?
Just because the replacement is more than capable does not mean you will not miss the one he has replaced. Former All-Ireland winning manager and player Nicky English says being without Tyrell is a blow, arguing that it may have an unsettling effect on the Cats full-back line: "I think Jackie is a big loss. He’s real icon. Waterford are young and Jackie has a huge amount of experience. In addition Joey Holden is in his first year at full-back, so now you’re going to have Paul Murphy with two newer players in the full-back line which changes the balance from experience to inexperience and that might be a slight worry for Kilkenny as well".
Waterford fans know more than anyone after the season they have had that good young players can more than match those who have more miles on the clock and while Prendergast might be young, Kilkenny’s history suggests he could well be a household name at the end of the season!
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