Possibility of re-match savoured

It is not that Gerald McCarthy is a secretive sort of person; merely that the Waterford manager plays his cards close to his chest. Insofar as Waterford's plans for Sunday is concerned, he is less than forthcoming.

The impression is that a trip to Croke Park by the Waterford squad is not really on the cards, but that a close eye will be kept on the live television coverage of the match between Clare and Offaly. A collective appraisal of the game will be conducted quietly and privately in a relaxed atmosphere, far from the hype which attended the Munster final replay. McCarthy would not be human if he were not to relish the hope that Clare would win and, in doing so, set up the possibility of a repeat of the controversial Munster final and thereby give Waterford an opportunity to reverse the outcome of that match. Yet he trots out the predictable mantra - one game at a time - when asked about such a possibility. He does not demur, however, when asked how he would assess the Clare-Offaly match. "Clare must be strong favourites. They have a very strong physical team and they have masses of hurling ability and it will be a big surprise if they lose.

"At the same time Offaly are always best when they have their backs to the wall. They were not impressive against Antrim and this will have annoyed them, particularly after playing poorly against Kilkenny in the Leinster final also. In those circumstances they have the hurlers to pull out a very strong challenge to Clare. "Clare will miss Brian Lohan greatly and there are doubts about a few other players also, I believe. Lohan is a big loss, both as a player and as somebody who can inspire players around him. But they have a very strong panel of players and I'm sure that Ger Loughnane will be able to put out a very well-balanced team, no matter who is missing.

"We have a clean slate as far as injuries are concerned. There is a slight problem about Ken McGrath who picked up an injury in an under-21 match against Cork, but we are confident that we will be able to pick from a full panel.

"Offaly have a good side with some really fine hurlers, but even if they manage to improve significantly from their Leinster final match I can't really see Clare being beaten."

As for Waterford's situation, he appears to be relaxed. "We are concentrating on the match against Kilkenny. We were pleased with our performance against Galway. It was great to get back against a good side after the disappointment following the defeat by Clare," he says.

Waterford's clash with Kilkenny on Sunday week has revived a lot of neighbourly rivalry in both counties. They met in the All-Ireland final in 1959 when Waterford won after a replay.

McCarthy seems to relish the fact that the Waterford supporters have rallied around the team in a big way. "They really are great and the fact that we are meeting our neighbours, seems to have given an extra edge to the situation. The supporters have got right behind the team and that means a lot to the players.

"It was very important for us to get back to beat Galway convincingly after our defeat by Clare. Since then we have eased our way back into what I hope is the right frame of mind. "What we have to do now is sharpen up again and be in the best possible shape for the Kilkenny match. After that we will face whatever comes but, for the present, we are not even allowing ourselves to think about the final."

The Waterford manager is in favour of what has come to be known as "the back door" method into the All-Ireland series which his side have benefited from this year. "I believe that there should be some way of extending it to give other teams a chance. Teams like Galway and Antrim need more competitive matches when they come into the championship proper.

"It may be argued that they come in fresh, but teams should be able to have more competitive matches and I believe that some way will be found to bring this about," McCarthy says.