Derek McGrath: Politician tackled Dan Shanahan about Waterford decisions at a funeral
Waterford hurling manager Derek McGrath has admitted that the criticism he sometimes endures in a county desperate for All-Ireland success can make him “paranoid”.
In a wide-ranging interview with John Fogarty in Saturday’s Irish Examiner, McGrath says he tries to cocoon himself and his players away from criticism, but described how his selector Dan Shanahan was accosted last season.
“Dan told me he was at a funeral last year and a well-known political figure attacked him over a player being on the team and somebody else not being on it. Dan tried to tell him, ‘I’m at a funeral here’.
“We don’t offer our opinions too much on politics or matters of the day. Obviously, you link yourself to charitable things to boost their profiles but it’s open season in sports. I don’t feel taken for granted but I do in my own paranoia. We’re just interested in getting better every time we go to the field.”
Waterford’s style of play has come in for criticism during McGrath’s reign and he admits some of it has been difficult to accept.
“I’ll tell you how fickle it is: I was being perceived as villainous for dropping well-known names off the panel two years ago.
“What I was perceived as doing was madness.”
