'Maybe down the road, he'll suffer a bit over it. But he loves playing for Waterford'
*******
WATERFORD'S STEPHEN BENNETT was trying to breathlessly sum it all up on The Sunday Game after a crucial win over Clare last weekend.
He had just scored 2-8 in a man of the match performance to mark his 100th Déise appearance. The result against the reigning All-Ireland champions gives Peter Queally's side the best possible start in their attempt to qualify out of the Munster championship.
An eternal quest for progress given that this was just their fourth win in 21 round-robin games, but despite the doubt that follows them every year, Waterford's players stood tall in Walsh Park.
Bennett was a giant.
That he has hit the century mark is scarcely believable given his injury history. Two hip surgeries before turning 17, and four by the age of 20 puts his situation in stark terms. He has no cartilage left in either joint, and arthritis is already setting in. The right hip is out of its socket. Playing through pain is a constant burden and a double hip replacement awaits him whenever he does retire.
Bennett doesn't have a timeline on that but he told the Smaller Fish podcast recently that time is not his friend.
Man of the match Stephen Bennett admits victories like today over Clare make the sacrifices worthwhile
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'I was told I had €10,000 left in the bank and every time I run that money is being spent. When that is gone, I'm getting hip replacements. I don't know how much money I've left but I'll keep going.'
Prolonging his Waterford career requires limiting his time on the training pitch. They take a similar approach in his club Ballysaggart.
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'When he comes back to us, he does whatever he can,' says manager Adrian Meagher.
'He'd do the running with us but wouldn't do anything physical. We leave it to him. If he thinks he can do a training session, we let him off and if he says he's not able, that's fine.
'We know what we're going to get off him come the day of championship anyway. All you want is honesty and that's what he would be with us.'
Meagher has been in charge since 2012, overseeing a period of considerable growth in the last 13 years. He guided Ballysaggart to junior county and Munster glory in 2013 before reaching an All-Ireland final against Creggan Kickhams of Antrim that went to a replay. The second game ended in a four-point defeat for the Waterford side. Bennett scored a combined 3-8 across those two games and finished as the competition's top-scorer with 7-39.
Ballysaggart tasted intermediate success in 2019 and went on to contest the Munster decider where their journey ended with a four-point defeat to Fr O'Neill's of Cork. They moved up to senior in 2020 but were relegated back to the intermediate grade by De La Salle.
In 2023, they were in another relegation battle against Ballyduff Lower. But Bennett's heroics helped ensured their survival with a six-point win.
'We were under pressure but he gave a performance in the second half that was unbelievable,' Meagher recalls.
Bennett's breakthrough was preceded by a successful underage career. Along with his brother Shane, he was part of a crew who helped Waterford end a 65-year wait for an All-Ireland minor title in 2013.
'We had six on that minor panel,' Meagher continues. 'We knew we had potential and knew we were going to win the junior county with them. But to go on and win Munster and go to Croke Park and to extra-time and a replay, we probably didn't see that coming.'
By that stage, Bennett's ability was already well known locally. He was into his third year of hurling for the Waterford minors having made his bow at just 15 in 2011. He guided his county to a Munster final after hitting 3-2 in an extra-time epic against a Limerick side that included Dan Morrissey, David Reidy and Shane Dowling. Jamie Barron also featured that day, starting at corner-back for Waterford.
Waterford lost that Munster final to Clare but reached the All-Ireland semi-final where they played out a thrilling 6-19 to 5-13 battle with Dublin. Bennett finished with 1-1 while the victorious Dublin team included some household football names including Cormac Costello and Ciarán Kilkenny.
Stephen Bennett in action against Creggan Kickhams in the 2014 All-Ireland final. Presseye / John McIlwaine/INPHO Presseye / John McIlwaine/INPHO / John McIlwaine/INPHO
To know more about the rise of Stephen Bennett means understanding where he came from. Ballysaggart is a small village community with a population of about 250 people. A church, pub and tyre centre comprise the local landmarks along with the hurling field which is located in front of the Knockmealdown Mountains. Lismore is to the side, who Ballysaggart amalgamate with at underage level under the name St Carthage's.
'It (the GAA pitch) was on mountain ground and it was reclaimed back in the 1970s,' Meagher continues.
'The older GAA men went in with their tractors and drained it. They did massive work that time to make it into a field.
'It was always wet down the years but the committee have done unbelievable work the last five years. They've a massive clubhouse put up and I think they've spent well over €1 million. They've levelled the field and drained and it's like an all weather pitch now, as good as any in the country.'
In a small area like Ballysaggart, everyone knows everyone, but Meagher knows the Bennetts particularly well. The mothers of both families are close friends and the Bennett boys — Kieran, Stephen, Shane and Ryan — have been regulars at the house since they were children. Their father Pat, who also hurled for Waterford and served under Davy Fitzgerald during his time with the Déise, is a frequent caller too.
Meagher's son Darren grew up hurling with the three brothers, giving him a front row seat to the first flashes of Bennett brilliance. It started in the back garden and carried through to their underage hurling. All three were quality players but even then, Stephen was a distinguished talent.
'He's the one fella you'd say that he had it all.
'When they were in primary school, the three of them were excellent. They used to be winning games by themselves at that level. They just had it. They were very committed and they work hard.'
The pair were chatting this week in the wake of Bennett's star performance against Clare. His second goal came up in conversation and Bennett explained his movement and thought process that led to the score.
'He told me he was going in there to take a chance but then he looked up and knew it wasn't going wide. The wind held it up and the goalie [Eibhear Quilligan] and John Conlon thought it was going wide.
Stephen Bennett in the 2011 Munster minor final against Clare. James Crombie James Crombie
'There's not too many fellas who would have gone into the corner but that instinct is in him.
'But that's Stephen. When he got into his hand, you knew it was going into the back of the net. It's just in him and you probably can't train that.'
Waterford will take another huge step towards finally ending their Munster round-robin curse later this evening if they can get the better of Limerick. Bennett is clearly on form at the moment given his 1-49 in the league and his contribution to last week's result.
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But his scoring record against Limerick also bodes well for him.
Of their last three meetings in this competition, Bennett has scored 1-25 with 0-21 from placed balls. In 2020, the year of Bennett's All-Star award, he scored a combined 0-22 in the Munster final and All-Ireland final against Limerick. He was also the top scorer in that championship with 1-54.
Meagher can remember when Bennett first started experiencing hip problems as a young player, and continues to help him manage the situation delicately as his mentor. He still marvels at how Bennett can defy the medical limitations of his injury with his powerful displays.
'It's unbelievable for the family, and it's massive for us in Ballysaggart. [We're] a small club that have three boys on the Waterford panel. Stephen is just pure talent. His workrate is immense this year.
'For a fella with his hip issues, he needn't run the way he's running. He could stand inside in the corner and wait for the ball to come to him. But he's running up and down the field. He's leaving everything out there.
'Maybe down the road, he'll suffer a bit over it. But he loves playing for Waterford and the one thing we'd all love to see him do is win an All-Ireland. If they can get out of Munster, it's a wide open field for them then.'
*****
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