Ask any player in any county would he like to win the National League.

Ask any player who's ever won a National League medal if he values it. The answer in all cases is obvious.

There are only two national titles to be won at intercounty senior level in hurling and football. To win either, therefore, has to be classed as a significant achievement.

In English soccer, on the other hand, there are three major trophies, plus a shot at success in Europe. All of these trophies are pursued with vigour and intensity, even when some managers field second-string sides. Bear in mind, moreover, that these competitions are run off simultaneously. So there's no reason why hurlers and footballers should not be encouraged to chase two major titles months apart.

For sport to offer a proper buzz, it needs people. It's a pity that the National Leagues lack spectators when it comes to the closing stages. Less than 30,000 people saw Brian McIver's Donegal capture their first football league title.

Only 22,000 were in Thurles seven days ago to watch Waterford raise the hurling silverware after an absence of 44 years. To repeat, a pity.

Yet it doesn't have to be like this. The great marketing opportunity that the National Leagues provide can and must be fully utilised. Given the opposition that the GAA faces in the battle for hearts, minds and viewers, it's vital more attention is given to the league.

The restructuring of the competitions next year provides a perfect opportunity.

The managers have a role to play as well. John O'Mahony quite rightly said before the NFL final that more should have been done to market the game. How disappointing it was, then, to hear other managers say at the launch of the football championship a few days later that "the real football is starting now". How condescending of them!

How disappointing also that Justin McCarthy, a truly great hurling man, refused to attend the promotional gig for last Sunday's final. Irrespective of the grievances we may have with one another, we should never pass up an opportunity to promote the game. One last point to reflect on before I leave the subject: the great Wexford team of the 1950s won All Irelands in 1955 and '56, yet what's generally regarded as their most glorious hour was the National League final of 1956, when they trailed by 15 points at half-time but fought back to beat Tipperary in front of a packed Croke Park. The league has come a long way since then. But not, unfortunately, in the right direction.

Congratulations then to Waterford on their achievement last weekend.

The entire hurling world was delighted for them, and that includes Kilkenny. To me what made the difference on the day was the maturity the underdogs showed, typified by the emergence of Dan Shanahan and John Mullane when it mattered most. For 60 minutes the sliotar didn't run for either, but they held their heads, kept their patience and popped up for three vital points when it was in the melting pot. This was crucial.

The very fact that Waterford were still in the game at that stage was due largely to the heroics of their goalkeeper and full-back line. That's not a sentence anyone would have written a few years ago, but against Kilkenny these four were the winners' men of the match, with Clinton Hennessy and the slight but skilful Aidan Kearney having absolute blinders. Let's not forget either that in winning the three major trophies they've won over the past five years, Waterford have beaten the big battalions: Tipperary in the 2002 Munster final, Cork in the 2004 equivalent and now Kilkenny. The aforementioned Justin and his players have written an entirely new agenda for themselves and given hope to aspiring teams everywhere.

The shot in the arm Waterford gave hurling seven days ago was the culmination of what turned out to be the most interesting and enjoyable National League for ages, a competition that was all the better for . . . unlike in the recent past . . . not finishing on the eve of the championship. There was encouragement for Dublin, who beat Galway and drew with Kilkenny; for Wexford, who made serious progress and reached the semi-final for the first time in 11 years; for Antrim in beating Dublin; and for Tipperary in winning in Nowlan Park.

On the negative side, Offaly, who were decimated by injuries, face relegation despite beating the new league champions in Walsh Park (I'd like to see the authorities reinstate them and thereby ensure a logical, 10-team Division 1 next season), while Limerick went backwards after a bright start against Tipp in Nenagh.

Galway and Ger Loughnane, of course, have left us in a quandary: no surprise there.

All in all, a lot to take heart from and a lot to look forward to.