The always insightful Derek McGrath joined Joe on tonight's show to discuss a range of issues on and off the hurling field.
The Waterford boss is in the midst of his fifth year in charge, making him one of the country's longest serving inter-county managers after Brian Cody. With progress made in every year of his tenure - from a qualifier exit in 2014 to an All-Ireland final defeat last year - there are plenty of expectations that 2018 is finally the year the Deise bridge a 59 year wait for Liam McCarthy. But rewind a few months previously and there was a strong chance they'd have to go into that quest without McGrath at the helm.
McGrath confirmed he was "100%" set to leave at the end of 2017, but slowly changed his mind following the banquet night and pressure from the public, players and other members of the management team. Once he asked himself whether he had given the job as much as he could, he looked into the logistics of what would be needed if he was to give it one more year. In his own words, "it's very easy to go out on the relative high of an All-Ireland final".
He also recalled a conversation he had with Michael 'Brick' Walsh and how that helped shape his decision to remain in charge of 2018.
"I've seen so many examples in life of people going out and looking at their own need for self-appreciation, but with Michael there's never a question of that - he just goes back. For instance if he left the scene there'd probably be a statue of him erected in Stradbally and there'd be all that he deserves, but he's never afraid of risking failure and that's a brilliant sign."
Waterford have endured a difficult start to the 2018 Allianz Hurling League ©INPHO/Ken Sutton
"It's also about being able to look the players in the eye, regardless of how the year will go or not, and being able to say to them that we gave it everything we have. That has to come from your own gut which it did, but for myself in retrospect I probably let it drag a small bit. I should've made a decision in early October and just said it then, but I gave no definite stance on it [after the All-Ireland] so it took me a little bit longer.
The much discussed parental leave also came up in conversation. McGrath availed of it last year to dedicate more time to management, beginning a wider debate in GAA circles about the growing professionalism in the game. McGrath has opted for the same again this year, but is keen to stress that more family time will be on the agenda.
"I had 14 weeks left [of parental leave] for my youngest son Oran, and as I've said this is probably my last go at it in 2018 so I just said I'd use the time between Easter holidays and mid-terms to take 10 weeks to give it absolute effort and get the balance right - with more balance in terms of spending a bit more time with the kids as opposed to the hurling. The prerequisite of parental leave is that you have two children and that's why you're there to look after them, so I've been spending a little bit more time with them. I made a mistake saying it last year because it became this big debate about professionalism, but that's the nature of it. You can't hide behind the truth."
And what of the tactics? To some the sweeper system is an abandonment of what makes the game so great; to others it's simply a manager getting the best from the squad he has to work with. It's not hyperbole to suggest Waterford are the most scrutinised hurling team in the country when it comes to how they set up, so how does McGrath feel about being under that kind of spotlight?
"It can be a drain. It can be frustrating. It can be funny. It can be informative, depending on the analysis or who's involved. I think what gets lost in the whole debate is the allowance for people to flourish within a system. For instance we've been in five finals in four years - two Munster finals, two National League finals and an All-Ireland final - and we've only won one. In the world of Slavan Bilic and the Premier League you'd be sacked. You'd be gone. But then last year we had five lads who won All-Stars. So I feel sometimes there needs to be a balance of people equating that to talent coming to the forefront of the actual system, as opposed to the system curtailing them. That's the reality of what we feel is best for us as a team."
Tadhg De Burca has won an All-Star and a Young Hurler of the Year award playing as a sweeper in the Waterford setup ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
"I don't think people do enough in-depth analysis in terms of tweaks or the evolution of it which we do as a team. We live amongst ourselves as a group trying to explain ourselves, and sometimes when you're explaining you're losing, so it's very important to keep the head down and persevering with it."
McGrath was also keen to quell any talk of the squad completely abandoning a system which ultimately brought them to an All-Ireland final.
"Maybe if we were coming into a new three or four year term we might try and revolutionise it and change it completely, but when it's a one year project you're probably just going to say 'I'm going to squeeze as much as I can from it with the relevant tweaks along the way'."
You can listen to the full interview below where he also discussed the fallout to the 2017 All-Ireland final and the jump into the unknown at this year's Munster Championship.
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