Game Over Ball Burst - Limerick hurling can learn from Waterford's patience

DAVE Keane, Pajo Whelan, Joe McKenna, Richie Bennis, Justin McCarthy, Donal O'Grady, John Allen, Donal O'Grady/Tj Ryan, TJ Ryan and John Kiely.

The names above are the Limerick senior hurling managers who have been in charge of Limerick since 2000. The manager before them was Eamon Cregan. The last Limerick manager to enter a fourth season in charge of the team.

Where am I going with this? Well, Derek McGrath will lead his Waterford side into the All Ireland against Galway in September at the end of his fourth year in charge. The manager has been given time, through good seasons and bad, to mould a panel ready to operate at the highest level.

Counties such as Tipperary, Cork and Kilkenny, where the player population is huge, might be able to rotate both players and managers more frequently than others, but surely Limerick must take some lessons from what they have seen in the Waterford model.

Good things come to those who wait. Yes Limerick have done the waiting since 1973, but have we, as a county, supported a culture of stability? It seems we have not. When you look at the age profile of both Galway and Waterford squads, maybe all we need is consistency of panel and backroom teams, getting it is another thing.