Over the last week, Waterford stood toe to toe with Kilkenny and in the end, only two points separated them. They will rue squandering the last ten minutes in Croker but they proved their incredible mettle in defeat. Over the last week, Waterford shrugged off their system and unleashed their 'Waterfordness' on the world, in all its fistpumping glory.
The great Waterford team of the noughties did everything in hurling bar win an All-Ireland. It seems unjust that they never won Liam MacCarthy and this Waterford teams plays to avenge their loss.
This loss felt just like a loss from that era. Because, in the end, what separated victory from defeat was a jump of Kilkenny goalkeeper. Pauric Mahony's free seemed to be heading for heaven, only for Eoin Murphy to get in its way.
Great catch over the crossvar by Eoin Murphy to win it. Nearly undoes it by taking about 14 or 15 steps before clearing it! #KKvWAT
— Ed Stones (@ed_stones) August 13, 2016
It was shockingly similar to how Waterford's season ended a decade ago, when that brilliant team of Flynn, Dan, Mullane and McGrath took Cork to edge. That semifinal ended with a fierce Waterford fightback. Specifically, it ended when Ken McGrath stood over a long-distance free with the Deise down one and watched it head for the bar, only for Donal Og Cusack to pounce and bat the ball back. The agony starts around 15.00.
On RTE Ken McGrath spoke of that free in the immediate aftermath of tonight's match and it still felt raw. Ten years separate that semifinal with tonight' semifinal replay. And yet again, Waterford have been agonisingly thwarted by a free that just didn't make the distance. And still Waterford wait for that All-Ireland.
Tonight's defeat seems like a necessary education for a team that seems destined for big things. But Waterford's anguished history tell us that the ultimate victory is never easy to attain.
