By Cian O'Connell

Waterford selector Eoin Murphy admits the Deise face a significant 'challenge' after being forced to relinquish home advantage for two Munster Hurling Championship matches.

Murphy, though, believes that Waterford can still produce in what promises to be a hugely interesting round robin series. “It’s a tough one," Murphy admits. "We would have liked it to be played in Waterford but it is what it is.

"The thing is that Walsh Park is going to be developed and future generations will hopefully get to witness Munster Championship there. For us, travelling away is a challenge. Even logistically, going up so far.

"Thurles is a bit like home, we play a lot of our games there. Even going to Cork previously probably wouldn’t have been as bad.

"Limerick and Ennis, our track record in Ennis probably isn’t great but 2018 is going to take on a life of its own, a bit like 2017 did for us.

“We are looking forward to the challenge, too. There is something nice about going into the cauldron that is Cusack Park with the home team and the crowd and the majority of people against you. You can motivation out of that as well.”

With four games in as many weeks will the travelling have an effect with the short turnaround? "It certainly could," Murphy says. "You don’t know where the little things are going to fall out of. "You plan meticulously for this, that and the other and you don’t know, it could be anything.

"We deal with it in trying to stay level-headed, no matter what happens. We’re turning it into a challenge for the group: to go away to try to win three games. Try to win all games.

"But I think a team that can win three games out of this Championship should be safe. Maybe two will do, but we’re going out to give it the best we can on the first Sunday and move on from that regardless.

"The challenge for us as management, regardless of what happens that Sunday – win, lose or draw – the players arrive in on the Tuesday night ready to go again and not dwelling on if they played bad or won Man of the Match. Draw a line under it and move on."

Murphy also confirmed that Austin Gleeson (ankle and back) and Pauric Mahony (finger) suffered knocks, but they should be available for the Championship. "No, I don’t think there is huge concern over them," Murphy added.

"Another Conor Prunty, one of our panel members may have ignited an old injury that he was just after getting back from. Generally, I think we’re okay. Four weeks out, I think we’re in a good place. Hopefully it will stay like that."