Emotions have been high among Waterford players over recent days. On Monday evening, Derek McGrath made public his decision to step down as Waterford manager. He had told his players on Sunday following defeat in their final game of the Munster championship against
"We made memories with Derek that we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives," Pauric Mahony told Darren Frehill on RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland.
"He's put his own life on hold for the last five years. In that situation, you can't expect him to go for another year.
"People have said it before and even on social media over the last few days that he was more than a manager - it might sound a bit corny or a bit cringey but he was that."
Mahony said that McGrath - who is a teacher at De La Salle College - has often gone beyond his duties as a manager for the Waterford panel.
Even certain things, like students with college, he'd be getting them jobs for the summer to keep them ticking over.
I'd say there's 10 or 11 teachers in our dressing room - Derek would be going the extra mile, whether it was seeing if he could get them a work placement or a permanent position. There was even a couple of lads up in Dublin that he looked after.
He goes that extra mile for the players and I'd like to think that maybe in some ways we went out on a high on Sunday with our performance because, really, we were just playing for Derek. He's just done so much for us and we'll never be able to thank him enough for what he's given for the players.
Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
