Waterford are getting closer to Limerick, says Liam Cahill after Deise's latest defeat to the Treaty

Waterford threw the kitchen sink at All-Ireland champions Limerick on Saturday night, but ultimately fell three points short.

Nonetheless, it was a marked improvement on the Déise's last two championship efforts against the Treaty, when they fell by 11 points on each occasion.

And Liam Cahill says that the National League champions are closing the gap against John Kiely's charges.

"Tonight showed me that these guys are beginning to come that little bit more towards the Limericks of this world," he said after the match.

"I'm just hoping that we can get back in, rally the troops and get two points in Walsh Park in a couple of weeks' time, get into the latter stages of the Munster Championship and get a crack again at Limerick to see can we improve.

"I have massive belief in this group of players. That's the reason I'm here. I really think they can learn again from tonight."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Many are suggesting that the two counties are primed for a trilogy of games this year, with potential meetings in the Munster final and All-Ireland series possible.

But Cahill knows that the Déise must keep their feet on the ground, and there is still significant work to do against Cork and Clare in the coming weeks.

"We have to concentrate on Cork in three weeks' time, and then hopefully give ourselves an opportunity to go back and see can we find a little bit more to try and take down this Limerick team," he noted.

And although it was only a three-point margin at full-time, the home team showed their superiority in getting over the line.

"With this Limerick team and the ferocity they have, you only get a split second to make a decision. And that needs to improve for us if we're to have any chance of unlocking this Limerick side that are so awesome at the moment," the Tipperary native reflected.

"Did we really deserve over the hour? I'm not 100 per cent sure. My initial feeling is we didn't, if we did have to sneak something. This Limerick team, it's going to be very hard to try and unlock them as to what the strategy is to beat them. They're a real decent outfit.

"You can't afford to be butchering chances the way we are doing. Against top-class opposition, you just can't afford to be doing that. When you bring the ball into contact with this Limerick team, they just dominate you and we did that on a couple of vital occasions where we brought the ball into contact, lost it and those turnovers were big with a massive Limerick crowd.

"You can't make basic errors in the middle third or get dominated there and when you do, they hurt you and that's the quality of the team they are. They're not All-Ireland champions for nothing for the last couple of years."

And in front of a crowd of 27,488 in the cauldron of the TUS Gaelic Grounds, he was surprised at the small travelling support.

"I'm really thrilled for the Waterford supporters that travelled today, but I suppose if I'm being really honest, I thought there'd be more of them there," Cahill stated.

"When we came in on the bus the colour just wasn't there and we kind of had a feeling that the Waterford people didn't travel, and hopefully now they'll get behind this team because they have something to look forward to with this group of players if they get in behind them and support them."

Positives for Waterford

The Sky Sports pundits felt that Cahill and Co can take significant positives from their performance.

"I think the Waterford players proved to themselves that they can function at this level," opined JJ Delaney.

"The [All-Ireland] semi-final last year, they were very disappointed with their own performance. But I don't think they'll be disappointed with their performance going home.

"Yes, they'll be disappointed with the result, but the performance they put in for the majority of that game would be a lot of teams, but unfortunately wouldn't beat that Limerick team.

"They have time to work on it. They're still in the Munster Championship and All-Ireland Championship. But they have to refocus and go again."

Jamesie O'Connor added that some players who have been subdued by the Treaty in the past enjoyed improved performances:

"Positive for Waterford, Calum Lyons has really struggled against Limerick. He had a huge first-half, three great points from play. They learned something, maybe he has something to offer further up the field.

"Dessie [Hutchinson] had been relatively quiet in previous matches. Five points from play. He can take confidence out of that.

"And Jamie Barron is a third guy who has really struggled to make any impact against Limerick. He just needs more game-time, and if they can get more from those guys if they beat Limerick again, that's a positive."

Sky Sports' live GAA coverage continues next Saturday, with Monaghan vs Down in the Ulster SFC and Wexford vs Dublin in the Leinster SFC.