Derek McGrath thinks Waterford have learned from Kilkenny's 'ordinariness'
Waterford manager Derek McGrath wants his players to embrace and cherish the big game atmosphere ahead of the All-Ireland final.
But hopes his players can keep their feet on the ground in the manner he has seen with Waterford's great rivals Kilkenny.
"There’s pomp and ceremony with the final and it’s a different set of circumstances. Us against the world, that siege mentality, works to a certain degree in certain scenarios but it’s a final and it has to be enjoyed.
"They’re rooted in ordinariness and I think they’ve taken the example from Kilkenny.
"The greatest thing I ever saw coming out from Kilkenny was their willingness to move onto the next challenge and be as ordinary as you can be but not a false humility, which is something that isn’t attractive to people.
"I think that comes from their parents and their teachers and themselves.
"The advice we have given them in the run-up is to be themselves. So if they’re in a photograph with somebody down the town they haven’t lost the run of themselves – the reality is they’re just having a photograph with somebody. They’ll prepare well for the game no matter what."
McGrath was speaking in a wide-ranging, exclusive interview for Saturday's Examiner Sport, in which he discusses everything from love and marriage to prayer and his lapsed Catholicism.
