Waterford are into a first All-Ireland final since 2008, eventually seeing off the challenge of Cork at Croke Park. In doing so, they made light work of the absence of the rock upon which they have built their defence: Tadhg De Burca missed the game through suspension.
Ahead of the game, John Mullane believed that his absence could inspire the Deise to greater heights:
I'd still expect Tadhg to play a key role this weekend. Derek McGrath will have used him at last night's gathering, and he'll be a central figure in the dressing-room before throw-in.
That has proved to be the case.
McGrath revealed post-game that every Waterford player wore a stamp of the number '5' on their wrist, to serve as a reminder that they were partly playing to give De Burca another game in this year's Championship.
McGrath confirmed that the squad had done so to The Irish News, saying that "It may seem a bit gimmicky, but he's central to our circle".
De Burca was embraced on full time by McGrath, but as it happened, it loss was not as great as it may have been, given the outstanding performance of Darragh Fives as a sweeper.
This may be the first known instance of a subtle GAA inspiration being mistaken for a stamp at Coppers:
Kevin Moran is that a stamp from @CopperFaceJacks on your wrist?! #GAA #CORKvWAT #Coppers pic.twitter.com/dSP5Hpxzc0
— John Connellan (@JohnnyRC88) August 13, 2017
The great fear for Waterford is that both wrists will be inked during the final, with Gleesons Austin and Conor both at risk of missing the final through suspension.
