Davy Fitzgerald 'excited' by Waterford's enthusiasm and potential

Davy Fitzgerald says he is raring to go as he returns to manage the Waterford hurlers for the second time.

Having been in charge of Wexford from 2017-2021, this year was a first away from the inter-county hot seat since his first foray with the Déise ended 11 years ago.

"I was lucky to have been [continuously] involved between playing and managing for over 30 years. Last year was a bit strange, not being involved with any fellas team at a high level," the 51-year-old told Des Cahill on Morning Ireland.

"I got work with RTÉ on The Sunday Game, which was different. It was nice to have that change and see things from a different light. I certainly enjoyed my time in Cork [Camogie] anyway.

"There was a committee put together in Waterford. We got together and had a chat a number of days ago.

"I couldn't believe how thorough they were. It was a few hours of a meeting and they went into every detail. It was exciting because I love people asking me good hurling questions and from both sides was pretty much the same."

The Clare native was appointed for a two-year term on Thursday night and said today that he wouldn't rush into appointing selectors as he wanted to ensure a strong local representation.

"We haven't even looked at a backroom team yet. I want to take my time and make sure there’s a nice bit of Waterford involvement and get the best possible team I can together.

"The Déise fans are very passionate. They love their team and their hurling. It’s a big task ahead of us and I want everything to get it as right as I possibly can."

Waterford reached the Munster and All-Ireland decider in 2020 but were knocked out in the AI semi-final last year and didn't make it out of the province this term, despite having won the Allianz Hurling