Jamesie O'Connor column: Waterford and Dublin facing hard questions after championship exits

The body language from the Waterford players in Cusack Park on Sunday was not good.

Just two weeks ago, we were all talking Waterford up. They had won the National League title, stuttered to an opening win over Tipperary and went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country in their back yard.

After that narrow defeat to Limerick, we were questioning whether they would necessarily want to qualify for the Munster final. Would they prefer to finish third in the round robin, and avoid another crack at the All-Ireland champions until it's knockout hurling?

But it has been a massive fall, and it just shows how fickle sport can be. It has fallen apart from them. After the National League final, they were seemingly in a good place with a happy camp. That no longer appears to be the case.

Clare rested some of their frontline stars for the visit of Waterford last weekend. For the Banner to put up 3-31 and have the game won a long way from full-time is inexplicable from a Waterford point of view.

There must have been residual damage from the Cork defeat. Maybe Waterford felt that it was out of their hands, and that Tipperary weren't going to do them a favour against the Rebels. Perhaps they had mentally checked out.

But surely the senior players in a group have to take charge of that situation and say, 'Look, where there's life, there's hope. Strange things can happen and we have to take care of business on our end.'

But Clare, without Tony Kelly, John Conlon and Diarmuid Ryan put up 3-31. It is a desperate end of the year for Waterford.

There is a lot of soul-searching to be done, and questions need to be answered in the coming weeks and months. Will Liam Cahill stay on? Are the players happy?

I remember Seanie McMahon saying years ago: 'To have a chance, everyone needs to be pulling together in the same direction.' That gives you a chance. But if the county board, management and players are not on the same page, then you have no chance given how hard these things are to win and how tight the margins are right now.

To me, that would be a red flag around Waterford at present. Are the players happy with the management? They just don't look like a unified group.

There are still top quality players in Waterford. There is real talent in the core group. But there is also talent in Clare, Cork and Limerick.

Maybe a rethink is all that is needed. Did they put too much into the National League? They delivered their best hurling in April, rather than later in the year when it is needed.

Liam Cahill turning down his native Tipperary last year was a big statement. But they have to get it sorted now. The leadership team needs to circle the wagons, because they still have a window in the coming years where they're not going to be far away from an All-Ireland title if they can get it together.

It is an important time for Waterford hurling.

The end of an era in Dublin?

Given the way Dublin's championship campaign petered out, there may be change coming in the capital.

Mattie Kenny has completed four years at the helm. There is a life cycle in everything.

Perhaps the players and the county board might feel that Kenny has taken them as far as he can, and maybe it's time for a fresh voice.

Who could take over remains to be seen. Anthony Daly might be in the mix.

Dalo has never lost that grá for Dublin. He has the charisma. Whether he has the appetite for the commute and all that goes with the job, I don't know.

It's a big call. John Costello and the powers that be in Dublin have a significant decision to make.

But irrespective of who comes in, the current panel is not strong enough to contest for the big prizes.

Their ceiling has been limited by the lack of top-quality forwards.

The defence is still solid and competent. John Bellew, Donnacha Ryan and Daire Gray have added to the solidity provided by Paddy Smyth, Eoghan O'Donnell and Cian O'Callaghan.

But from 10-15, there is a lack of cutting edge and an overreliance on Donal Burke.

Dublin only managed to score one goal across their five matches in the Leinster Championship. That is not going to cut it as this level.

We now know that you need to be hitting 25-30 points to trouble the top teams and win the big matches. Dublin have struggled to do that.

If they were in Munster, I'm not sure if they would have won a single game this year.

Whether it is Kenny or somebody else who is manager next season, they need to go out and find some fresh forward talent.

Many of the best players still seem to gravitate towards football. And that remains a live issue, as the big ball is the box office draw in the county.

Maybe it is a youth policy, bringing guys into the fold from the minor and U20 teams, and selling it as a three or five-year project.

But Dublin hurling is at a crossroads.