Waterford hurling coach Ned Power – who was on the last Waterford team that won an All-Ireland 50 years ago, was always a believer in creating a system of coaching, rather than getting in a short-term solution.

The latter is the favoured course of action of most counties these days.  It’s also the more expensive option and it will be interesting to see how that situation may or may not change during these relatively straightened times.

On the plus side, bringing in outside expertise brings a fresh approach, a purer meritocracy reigning in the camp, additional confidence in the form of a winner and expert telling the lesser team that they are as good as any he’s played with, etc.

On the negative side, however, while the outsider brings with him enough to make a real difference in the performance of the team (and I’m talking specifically here about GAA county teams), it’s actually rare enough that this results in the coveted All-Ireland crown.  Count the All-Ireland winners over the last few years in both codes and you’ll see that, for the Mick O’Dwyers and the Justin McCarthy’s (who, incidentally, did do a fantastic job with Waterford while he was there), it’s mostly home-grown coaches who produce champion teams.

Waterford, facing familiar foes next Sunday, will be odds-on to buck that trend if they can get past Kilkenny.  The great thing about sport is that you just never know what will happen.  Who knows… maybe we’ll see a rash of All-Ireland victories over the next few years at the hands of teams with “foreign” coaches.

Here’s my dad in action again – this time making a match-winning save against Cork in the Munster semi-final, 1959

“My Father: A Hurling Revolutionary, the life and times of Ned Power” is out on paperback at the end of November 2009.  Click here for further information, pre-order and excerpt.