Peter Queally coptimistic Déise can find answers after year of 'soul-searching'

After an off-season spent head-scratching and soul-searching, Peter Queally believes signs of pre-season progress are already evident in Waterford.

Whereas last year their training drills were repetitive by design to embed a change in tactics, the Déise selector is noticing a greater flow as things are "coming a bit more natural".

While there are hints of on-field improvements, Ballydurn clubman Queally says "group therapy" was necessary to resolve their off-field issues.

"There was a bit of soul-searching during the Championship, a bit of soul-searching after it. We've sorted a lot of issues out and hopefully it'll be a bit better for us this year," he says ahead of their Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League opener against Kerry at Austin Stack Park (tonight, 7.30pm).

"Some honest, frank discussions. I think that’s the best way of describing it. If you want to put a professional slant on it, maybe a little bit of group therapy.

"They were very productive talks that we had about sorting certain issues out and trying to get to the bottom of it and make sure we don’t have a repeat.

"We had little areas outside of hurling that we needed to work on and we seem to have sorted a lot of them issues out which is a good thing."

Defender Mark Fitzgerald has spoken about the players taking more "ownership" of raising their standards.

It’s a point that Queally expands to explain some of their "collapses" during games in last year’s Munster Championship.

"We were as well-prepared as any team was. We went into the games full of hope.

"The soul-searching that we did was based around when things go wrong… We've let lulls affect us for the rest of the game, we haven't sorted it out. We need more on-field leadership and resolve and making sure