Waterford boss Peter Queally says that establishing Walsh Park as a fortress is central to their ambitions in the Munster Championship.
Waterford have a patchy record at the ground, which has re-emerged as a venue for Munster Championship games since the introduction of the round robin series in the province.
They were forced to play ‘home’ games in Limerick and Thurles in 2018, the first year of the concept, as Walsh Park was deemed too small to cater for the crowds, though when they returned to the ground the following year they suffered losses to Clare and Limerick.
The Covid-19 pandemic meant that there was no round robin series again until 2022, when Waterford scored a nervy win over Tipperary at Walsh Park but their campaign effectively collapsed on the back of a loss to Cork at home.
Into the following year, and Walsh Park was once again out of commission due to refurbishment, meaning that Waterford’s scheduled home games took place in Thurles, where they again lost to Limerick and Clare.
They were back at Walsh Park last year and opened with a brilliant home win over Cork before drawing with Tipperary after conceding 1-1 in injury time, a damaging result which ultimately cost them a spot in the knockout stages, but at least their home ground had remained intact.
And what they do at Walsh Park over the next 10 days or so is likely to be season-defining, with Clare coming to town on Sunday, followed by Tipperary the Saturday after.
“Unfortunately, they're only six days apart, which is a big ask,” Queally acknowledged. “But that's the way it went.
“Last year, we started off with two home games again. They were two weeks apart. They were massive games for us.
“It's the same with any team in Munster. The home fixtures are paramount to get some results from them. It is a big ask.
“You have two big oppositions there in Clare and Limerick who have contested the last number of Munster finals. But it's also something we've been aware of for the last four or five months. We're relishing the challenge.”
Albeit they were in the less taxing environment of Division 1B, Waterford were unbeaten at home in the League this year.
"Yes, that's something we spoke about in our home games in the League this year, the importance of continuing that unbeaten streak that we started last year,” Queally explained.
“We're conscious that the stadium in Walsh Park has been revamped. The pitch has also been improved. It's been widened.
“It's something we're excited about playing there at the moment. We're starting to get the supporters back supporting us. They're enjoying it as well.
“It's something we've spoken about. It's something we're bringing into this year's Munster campaign. We want to continue our good form in Walsh Park.”
The fact that they were outside of the top flight in this year’s League may leave Waterford vulnerable against Clare, who have already played a high-octane Championship game, but Queally says that it worked out well in the circumstances.
"It has been beneficial this year insofar as we've had so many injuries. We've had numerous injuries throughout the year. Even pre-season, like in January, we operated with probably 18, 19 players. The same fellas playing every game.
“So, we went from that scenario of playing so many competitive challenge games in January into five or six really intense Division 1 games. It would have been a fair workload for us to contend with.
“So, being in 1B did help a small bit in relation to squad size and the way we operated with a little bit of changing teams and stuff coming up to different games and not putting fellas out that weren't 100pc fit. So, it did help in that regard.
“Having said that, we are delighted to go up into Division 1A next season. Hopefully, it won't have as many injuries.”
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