Inter-county management isn’t usually given to musical chairs, but Liam Cahill’s movements in the coming weeks will arouse interest beyond Waterford.
There’s no vacancy in Cahill’s native Tipperary as of now, but there might be, as Liam Sheedy reflects after completing his second three-year term in the job.
Similarly, Cahill has now completed the two years that he was given by Waterford in 2019 and, while he hasn’t delivered silverware, leading them to Championship victories over Cork, Clare, Kilkenny, Laois, Galway and Tipperary is an impressive body of work after the team he inherited had been winless in nine Championship games.
“I’m after having a brilliant two years here with these fellas,” said Cahill. “They’ve given me everything. I’ve got out as much as I can around the club scene in Waterford as well.
“Lots of good young hurlers. Nice under-20 team again. A lovely minor team contesting a Munster final on Monday night.
“The two years are up – that was the initial agreement. We’ll just have to sit down and talk to everybody.
“Stakeholders, county chairman and all the boys who initially chatted about what needed to happen.
“It’s hard to know yet but look, these fellas are very hard to walk away from because they’re a really honest bunch of fellas.”
Cahill had no complaints after the 11-point defeat to Limerick but rued his side’s wastefulness when they did enjoy periods of ascendency.
“We thought we were getting a little bit of wind in our sails but we were going to need a lucky break of a goal chance to rightly put the cat amongst the pigeons.
“When you meet a team of Limerick’s calibre, you have to be taking everything on offer. We had five or six wides early on and everything needs to go over.
“I haven’t seen the stats but I think Waterford created at least three or four goal chances in the second half alone. We just didn’t take on the ball where it needed to be to test a goalkeeper of the calibre of Nickie Quaid.
“That’s hurling; that’s life. You take your chances and if you don’t you pay the price.”
Playing on four successive weekends was demanding, but Cahill pointed out how that was the price to be paid for their tame Munster Championship exit against Clare.
“We knew the fixtures at the start of the year to be fair. Once we exited the Munster Championship to a Clare side who were deserved winners on the day, we knew the route we had to go. Cork will have more or less the same path to reach an All-Ireland.
“Times that were in it with Covid, we were lucky to have a Championship. It might have been structured a little bit better from semi-final to final but that was the window of opportunity there and the GAA did the best they could.
“What could we do? That’s what was laid out for us. Four weeks in-a-row is tough going.
“Having said that, we just have to soak it up.”
