Advertisement
Comment

5 key factors for tonight’s All-Ireland hurling qualifiers in Semple Stadium

Clare meet Wexford and Kilkenny face Waterford in tonight’s big games.

1. The F-factor

The F in this case refers to fatigue and more specifically, Kilkenny’s ability to recover sufficiently from last Saturday’s titanic battle against Tipperary and go again. Mentally, getting themselves up to such a massive peak will have taken its toll on the Cats.

This is a new type of challenge for Brian Cody as he’s not used to the qualifier minefield, due to Kilkenny’s recent dominance of the Leinster championship. Normally at this time of the summer, the Noresiders are preparing for an All-Ireland semi-final after conquering the province.

But now they’re right in the thick of the qualifier quagmire and gearing up for a fourth championship game in as many weekends.

Kilkenny scaled the mental and physical heights to slay Tipp at Nowlan Park and a dip in intensity levels is natural and should come as no surprise. Whether Waterford are good enough to take advantage or not is another thing.

INPHO/Morgan Treacy

2. Run at Kilkenny

This is what Waterford must do to have any chance of pulling off a surprise result. Tipperary, and in particular James Woodlock, showed what can be achieved last Saturday evening when you run in straight lines against an ageing Kilkenny back line.

On two occasions, Woodlock went straight for the jugular to create goal chances for Eoin Kelly and Jason Forde. Waterford have the potential to hurt Kilkenny with this strategy if they can get the likes of Kevin Moran, Jake Dillon and Shane O’Sullivan with ball in hand and squaring up to the Kilkenny half-back line.

If the Kilkenny defence is turned and facing goal on a regular basis, Waterford will be right in it. But raining high ball down on top of Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan and Kieran Joyce is a tactic that simply will not work.

INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan

3. Have Clare finally found a scoring touch?

There’s no doubting the potential quality in the Clare side but have they the scoring power to break into the top four? An All-Ireland semi-final place is there for the taking if a county is brave enough to go and grab it.

With Dublin and Kilkenny seemingly the leading contenders for Liam MacCarthy glory, there’s no reason why Clare can’t launch a genuine assault themselves if they can settle on the right blend.

A cutting edge up front cost them against Cork in the Munster semi-final but 13 of the 15 starters registered scores against Laois in last weekend’s one-sided qualifier romp.

Privately, Clare boss Davy Fitzgerald believes that his team is as good as any left in the championship and that deep-rooted conviction could yet manifest itself before the season’s end. Defensively Clare are solid but delivering the right type of ball to a potentially prolific attack is the key to potential glory for Clare.

INPHO/Cathal Noonan

4. Are Wexford that far off the mark?

Following a very direct line of form, there’s no reason to suggest that Wexford can’t be competitive for the remainder of the championship. They should have beaten Dublin at Wexford Park and never gave up in the replay despite playing with 14 men for the vast majority of that Parnell Park encounter.

We’ve seen how those two games steeled Dublin for an ultimately successful assault on the Leinster championship and now we’ll see how Wexford have benefited. Since then, the Slaneysiders beat Antrim by ten points and Carlow by just two.

But even though Liam Dunne’s were lucky to stutter past John Meyler’s well-drilled Carlow, their performance levels will increase again this evening.

And the midweek Bord Gáis Energy Leinster U21 final success against Kilkenny is another massive fillip as a renewed sense of optimism sweeps through the Model County.

INPHO/Morgan Treacy

5. Weather conditions

With a host of 30-somethings in their ranks, the hot and sticky conditions will test Kilkenny’s legs in Thurles. And with a number of exciting young players in their ranks, Waterford’s plan should be to run the Cats around the vast expanses of Semple Stadium.

The tight confines of Nowlan Park suited Tipperary last Saturday night when the game descended into a dogfight. And there’s a fair argument to be put forward that Tipp would have fared better against met Kilkenny at Semple Stadium or Croke Park, with more space to avail of.

Davy Fitzgerald had Clare motoring extremely well earlier in the season but they seemed to flag in the Munster semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds as Cork boss Jimmy Barry-Murphy referenced the improved fitness levels of his players.

If Clare don’t have the fuel in the tank and the engines to last the distance, Wexford will take advantage as they have been working with one of the very best strength and conditioning experts in the country in Gerry Fitzpatrick.

Kilkenny leave King Henry on the bench for Waterford clash

Lee Chin set to be involved with the Wexford footballers this weekend

Your Voice
Readers Comments
5
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.