Mullane Explains Issue Ballygunner Dominance Has Caused For Waterford

They've an embarrassment of riches coming through. You might catch them one year but then again they might push on and win another five or six in a row.

I don't want to be coming across with sour grapes because you have to acknowledge that they're probably the best run juvenile club in the country. Not alone in the county, in the country, in how they go about their business. You have to applaud them for that.

But I think it's coming at a cost. I think Waterford hurling are not going to be the beneficiaries of it. It's already after having a knock-on effect.

Look, in saying that, you could say then the Waterford minor team, probably some of the best players on the team - young [Cormac] Spain, Jack Power, exceptional players, really exceptional players, they're Ballygunner.

But, for the monopoly they have...I honestly believe their dominance doesn't serve the Ballygunner player well going forward for inter-county. If you're getting it relatively easy at club level...you have to be tested, you have to be challenged at club level. Every week you go out you have to be tested in terms of rolling up the sleeves, getting down and getting dirty.

They're not getting challenged in that way in Waterford. It's at their ease, they're beating teams by cricket scores, it's all too easy. That's why there's probably a tendency - and they won't like me saying this, but some Ballygunner supporters will probably agree...there would be a tendency for a few Ballygunner players that push on and play inter-county, there is a tendency for them to struggle.

They're getting it so easy at club level. In terms of the lad who plays week-in-week-out at club level and has to roll up the sleeves, grind the teeth and fight on his back for his club. When you go to inter-county level, there still is a big gap between club level and inter-county.

If you go to inter-county and you've a Tipperary lad, Cork lad, Kilkenny lad dragging out of you, you can kind of look around and go, 'What's this all about? I'm not used to this.'

I don't think it's necessarily serving the Ballygunner player well either.

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