Justin Mc Carthy (hurler) - Managing Waterford

Managing Waterford

McCarthy was appointed manager of the Waterford senior hurling team on 30 July 2001. He wasn't the only candidate nominated for the position and was initially appointed for a two-year term. He succeeded his former team-mate Gerald McCarthy as manager and beat off several former Waterford greats for the post.

McCarthy’s very first championship game in charge posed quite a challenge. Waterford were drawn to play McCarthy’s native county of Cork in the Munster semi-final. It was a tough assignment for the new manager, however, Waterford came through it to win by a single point. With his first victory behind him McCarthy’s team subsequently lined out against reigning Munster and All-Ireland champions Tipperary in the provincial final. The game was in the balance for much of the seventy minutes with both sides being level six times in all. The last quarter saw Waterford assert themselves and they went on to win the game on a score line of 2-23 to 3-12. It was Waterford’s first Munster title since 1963 and McCarthy was lauded as a hero. Waterford’s next game was an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Clare. Clare were defeated in the first-round of the provincial championship, however, the reached the penultimate stage of the All-Ireland series via the qualifiers. Waterford were expected to win, however, victory went to the men from the West.

In 2003 McCarthy’s side set out to retain their provincial title. Once again the team swept through Munster and reached the provincial final where Cork provided the opposition. At half-time Waterford looked on course to capture a second consecutive Munster title, however, Cork fought back in the second-half to snatch a 3-16 to 3-12 victory. McCarthy’s team were down but not out, however, their next outing in the All-Ireland qualifiers system ended in defeat.

In 2004 McCarthy’s side marched to a third consecutive Munster final appearance following defeat in the National League final. Once again Cork provided the opposition and Waterford were out to avenge the previous year’s defeat. McCarthy’s side got off to the worst possible start when Cork scored a soft goal after just three minutes. The Deise settled down quickly after that and got right back into the game. The result was still in the balance up until the final second, however, McCarthy’s men won on a score line of 3-16 to 1-21. The game itself is considered one of the greatest of all-time. Waterford’s next outing was an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Kilkenny. "The Cats" were not as spectacular as they had been in previous seasons, however, McCarthy’s side were defeated by 3-12 to 0-18.

In 2005 Waterford faced Cork in the Munster championship for the fourth season in-a-row. Once again McCarthy’s team conceded an early goal, however, the result was much tighter at the end. Cork won the day on a score line of 2-17 to 2-15 and confined Waterford to the qualifiers. McCarthy’s side came through the qualifiers system successfully, however, the random draw for the All-Ireland quarter-finals meant that Waterford had to play Cork for a second time. The game was less exciting than previous meetings with Cork winning by five points.

In 2006 McCarthy’s side fell to Tipperary in the Munster semi-final. The qualifiers proved a happy hunting ground for Waterford as they won every one of their games in the round robin and topped the group. The men from the Deise later gained revenge on Tipp in the All-Ireland quarter-final before lining out against Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final. Once again the game proved to be an exciting and close affair, with neither side gaining any huge lead. Cork led with just seconds remaining in the game when Donal Óg Cusack, Cork’s goalkeeper, saved a ‘65’ from going over the bar. The sliothar was subsequently cleared, and Cork won the game by just a single point. After the game McCarthy came in for some criticism, however, the players insisted that he was the men to lead them again for another season.

The players’ faith in McCarthy was rewarded early in 2007 when he led them to a National League title. The victory over Kilkenny was all the sweeter as it was Waterford’s first league success since 1963. The subsequent Munster championship saw Waterford take on Cork once again. Cork were severely depleted due to the suspension of some of their key players, however, the game turned out to be another classic between the greatest hurling rivals of the decade. The score line of 5-15 to 3-18 tells its own story with McCarthy’s men capturing the victory. The Munster final saw the Decies paired against Limerick. It was the teams’ first meeting in the provincial decider since 1958. Justin's men showed their class in the final quarter and won by eight points. Waterford captured their third Munster titles in six years under McCarthy. McCarthy’s men later faced Cork for the second time, however, the game ended in a draw after a controversial free. Waterford won the replay setting up a second meeting with Limerick. Waterford has to play a third high profile game in two weeks and this showed on the day when Limerick caught them on the hop and won a place in the All Ireland final. Most people believed that Waterford were unfairly treated by the system and they should have got at least two weeks to prepare for the semi final after playing two tough games against Cork. McCarthy’s men had failed at the All-Ireland semi-final stage. Once again there was some criticisim of the manager, however, the players indicated that they wished McCarthy to stay on for another year. Dan Shanahan and John Mullane spoke out and publicly said that he was the only man they wanted for the job and Once again their request was granted.

In 2008 expectations were high that Waterford would retain their Munster title and challenge for the All-Ireland once again. After a disappointing National League campaign and a nine point loss to Clare in the first round of the championship a players meeting was held where it was indicated that some of the team no longer wanted McCarthy in charge. From that another meeting with the County Board was held where McCarthy resigned as manager. McCarthy had a successful reign over Waterford and most will remember all the great games that he was involved in but will also remember the fact that Waterford never reached an All-Ireland final under him.