Brendan Cummins: Waterford need big crowd to stand a chance against Clare

Waterford need their supporters to descend on Thurles en masse if the Déise are to have any chance of beating Clare on Saturday and getting a win on the board in the Munster round-robin, according to former Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins.

Davy Fitzgerald's side lost their opening two games, whereas Clare are more buoyant having edged out All-Ireland champions Limerick two weeks ago.

Speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, Cummins said a sense of apathy shouldn't set in for Waterford and that vocal support would be vital for them in Semple Stadium.

"If Waterford are to win and Davy's right, there has to be 15,000 Waterford supporters in Thurles on Saturday evening. There just has to be," he said.

"When the Waterford players come out onto the pitch, the hair should be standing up on the back of your neck. 'We are here for a row and we're not going out' and every man, woman and child in Waterford who cares will be at the match.

"And you saw it above in the Gaelic Grounds, look at the scenes after the match with the Clare supporters out on the pitch. It would put the hairs standing on the back of your neck with, 'My God, I'd love to be involved in a team like that with the supporters all around'.

"And if Waterford bring a crowd and they must bring a crowd now, then they have a bigger chance. But if they don't, I think they're going to really struggle. They need that energy from the stands and at the moment they don't have it."

Two-time All-Ireland winner Cummins believes Clare will have enough in hand to earn a second victory in the round-robin amid the mood music from Waterford.

"I kind of reflect maybe what the Waterford supporters maybe would be saying: 'I don't know, it's not really going well, I can't see us winning this...' and