1. Kilkenny simply refuse to die
NOBODY WILL BE complaining about another day out. It was a fantastic spectacle, but ultimately Kikenny are the ones who’ll be leaving Croke Park this evening the happier. They pulled this one out of the bag.
This was an out-of-sorts display by Kilkenny but one key characteristic of Brian Cody’s team remained. They showed their never-say-die spirit by dragging the game out of the fire as their season flashed before them. The Cats surely used up one of their nine lives in Croke Park today, as Walter Walsh smashed in a critical equaliser from a tight angle in stoppage time.
On another day Walsh and John Power might have been withdrawn but they stayed on the field (mainly due to a lack of artillery at Cody’s disposal on the bench) and combined for the game-changing goal.
Kilkenny malfunctioned for long spells all over the field but managed to keep their wits about them in the closing stages. Waterford reverted to type by dropping deeper and deeper as the five minutes of injury-time ticked away, inviting Kilkenny onto them.
Ultimately, it cost them.
***
2. Kevin Moran’s close call
Perhaps the defining moment of this game arrived on 67 minutes. Waterford were edging closer to victory as normal time wound down when Kevin Moran fired off a long-range shot at the posts that would give the Deise a vital four point lead.
The umpire liked it and raised the white flag. For a moment at least, Waterford had a four-point cushion. But the referee was alerted from upstairs that the shot may have been wide and we went to Hawk Eye. “Níl.”
Waterford’s lead was back down to three and it handed Kikenny a massive psychological boost for those final few minutes.
Derek McGrath’s side hit 10 wides overall but five of those arrived in succession in that final quarter when the game was on the line. Their profligacy in front of goal reared it’s ugly head again just in time to deny them a victory.
Had Moran’s effort been awarded as a point, it’s probable that Waterford would be preparing for a first All-Ireland final since 2008.
***
3. Plenty of positives for Waterford
First off, Waterford can take a lot of positives out of this game. Sure, they might have left the win behind them but it’s important to remember that they’re only a month out from losing a Munster final by 21 points.
They’ve come a long way since then. They broke their recent duct of losing to the Cats in the championship. Coming into today the big things Waterford needed to do was put up a strong third-quarter performance and keep their wide count down. They did both, although hitting five wides in-a-row with the game on the line ultimately cost them.
Still, Austin Gleeson was immense, scoring five points from play. Gleeson’s accuracy is usually a good indicator of Waterford’s scoring rate. He hit six wides as Waterford’s attack misfired against Wexford in the quarter-final but had just two misses in the 70 minutes today.
Tadhg De Burca, Kevin Moran, Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, Jamie Barron and Jake Dillon were all excellent for the Deise too. Pauric Mahony scored 14 points and missed just one shot at goal all afternoon.
McGrath’s matchups were spot on. They surprised Kilkenny with a far more offensive game plan than expected. Tadhg De Burca initially dropped off Richie Hogan in front of the full-back line with Barron slotting back into the number 6 position when Kilkenny were in possession.
But Hogan picked off four points from play during the first-half, forcing McGrath to push De Burca to man-mark the 2014 Hurler of the Year. When Hogan lined out at 14 after half-time, De Burca followed him and kept him under wraps, although the forward did win three pointed frees.
Waterford looked buoyed by the recent heroics of their U21s in taking Munster glory. Waterford’s work-rate was outstanding and there’s every indication this group could develop into a great team. Beat Kilkenny in the replay and then we can talk about greatness.
***
4. Quiet day at the office for many Kilkenny stars
Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Kilkenny dressing room at full-time. The underlying emotion inside the Cats’s inner sanctum was surely relief. Too many of Kilkenny’s big players didn’t perform to the level expected of them today.
Eoin Larkin made a huge contribution off the bench but Cody will expect more from Colin Fennelly, TJ Reid (from play), Jonjo Farrell and John Power the next day out.
Kilkenny relied heavily on Reid’s 0-11 from placed balls but what will worry Kilkenny fans most was the lack of weapons Cody trusted enough to throw into attack. Perhaps it’s only now that we can see the void those season-ending injuries to James Maher and Ger Aylward leave in Kilkenny’s attack.
Only Lester Ryan and Larkin were introduced into the fray and Cody’s team had an over reliance on Hogan throughout.
The reigning champions will lick their wounds and come back better the next day, but things will have to improve up front if their to win the replay.
***
5. Who’s in a better position for the rematch?
Kilkenny generally raise their performance levels by a gear or two for replays. Derek McGrath said as much when he spoke to the press afterwards.
“The general consensus will be that Kilkenny don’t lose replays, that you don’t get a second chance,” McGrath said. “So we’ll be coming in as much under the radar as we did today.”
Kilkenny’s record in replays under Cody stands at 3-1. The Leinster final loss to Dublin in 2013 is the only black mark against the county in the 62-year-old’s time in charge.
Much will depend on the ability of both squads to recover physically and emotionally in time for another outing in just six days. Waterford will need to stop shooting from impossible angles and avoid retreating so deep as they did today in the closing stages.
Finding a goal-scoring threat would be a game-changer for this Waterford team. Just one goal in four championship outings just won’t do at this level. They haven’t rattled the onion bag since Clare two months ago.
When they got within sight of goal today they seemed happy to take their point. That’s what will worry McGrath most ahead of the replay.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
