Waterford and Ballygunner hurler Dessie Hutchinson claims Waterford are not far off All-Ireland finalists Clare and Cork.
It was another disappointing season for Waterford, who failed to get out of the round-robin stage of the Munster championship.
Hutchinson says it was made all the more frustrating by the fact it was Cork and Clare in the final. Waterford defeated Cork by two points, and came up just short against Clare in the championship.
While the Waterford forward says this was tough to take, he takes optimism heading into 2025.
Following Davy Fitzgerald's departure, Peter Queally has taken over, and Hutchinson is confident Waterford can be among the contenders next season.
“You are watching such a good game and you are within a puck of a ball of both teams. Cork were within a puck of a ball of us and we were within a puck of a ball of Clare. You were just thinking that could be us there. It gives a lot of motivation to get back there and play in some of those massive games.
"The biggest thing we took from it is we aren’t too far away, where in other years we had a lot of work to do in the next while.
"It gives us hope going into this year that we’re right up there with the best teams. I think it gives the whole country hope again that there’s an opening for teams to go at it. Over the last few years, a lot of teams would have been kind of fearful of Limerick when they kept winning it but it opens the door again for everyone.
"Cork are going to come stronger than they were last year. We’re going to try and bridge that gap as well. Limerick are going to want to win it back. There are Leinster teams that are going to give it another go too so there’s loads to play for."
For now, the focus is on Ballygunner, as they continued their dominance of Waterford with their 11th straight county title.
Waiting for them in Munster is the winners of the Limerick county final, Na Piarsaigh or Doon.
Despite the talent and success in Waterford, and indeed Munster, it has been the smallest of margins stopping the 2022 All-Ireland winners returning to Croke Park.
"We have been beaten in semi-finals but each time we have been beaten that team has gone on and won. And we’re only losing by a puck of a ball here and there.
"I don’t think there is a sense of under-achievement within the group because we know our performances have been very good and what we have been doing has been up to a really high level. But as a player you want to be winning as much as you can in the short period that you have."
Last year saw Ballygunner defeated by eventual All-Ireland champions St Thomas on penalties.
Hutchinson says he doesn't agree with penalty shoot-outs in hurling, and would like to see finals being decided in other ways.
"To be honest I don’t think there is any place for the penalty shootout in hurling. The game is too entertaining and fast to bring a game to penalties. For anyone watching that game, it was an unreal spectacle, and there was no reason why the two teams couldn’t have gone out the following weekend and done the exact same thing again.
"That’s just the way it is at the moment but hopefully that rule might change. Because even if it was the other way round, and Thomas’ had lost on penalties, it wouldn’t have been fair.
"You saw it in Clare last weekend as well, a team going out in a county semi-final on penalties, it doesn’t sit right with a lot of players. I don’t think there’s a player in the country that would say the penalty shootout works, or even a supporter.
"Of course, you have to call it at some stage if draws keep happening but I think there are better ways to do it, overtime like the NFL, or a golden point, things like that."
