There are plenty of positive vibes around Waterford hurling as The Deise booked a place in the Allianz Hurling League final after defeating Tipperary by a point yesterday.
Manager Derek McGrath joined us on Off The Ball to give us an insight into the changes that have helped the county and he highlighted how belief in their own methods have seen them bat away criticism.
"I think there's a general change of opinion within the squad. Not a change of attitude, even though it's contradictory to say that when we were working hard last year and we weren't getting the results. We just probably feel that there was a sense of direction of where we wanted to go this year. Management included, we were a little bit too widely led by outside perceptions more than anything else," said McGrath, who also highlighted the positive impact brought about by tweaks at backroom level.
McGrath also admitted that there had been a small sense of trepidation before facing the Premier.
"There was an element of fear there, I think, initially. We have to acknowledge that because Tipperary are an extremely good team. There was a sense of satisfaction with the performance, that we were able to go toe-to-toe with a very good team," he said.
But he also dismissed criticism of the team as a defensive team.
"I don't think people should be discouraged from thinking differently about the game in any way. I don't think it does the game any harm," he responded.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
