The Cats may have been one of the last counties out of the blocks in this year’s championship, but when the time arose last Sunday they sent out a severe message to the rest of the contenders that they mean business again this year.
It was a typical first round performance, after a sluggish start Kilkenny gradually moved up gears to comfortably see off Dublin's tame challenge. After dishing out a 19-point beating to the Metropolitans the usual questions were being asked as to how good were Kilkenny or how bad were Dublin. The answer for most fans among the 25,260 attendees was a mixture of both.
Kilkenny got off to a flying start last Sunday when Eddie Brennan goaled within the first minute, even at this early stage it seemed as if it was going to be a hard day for the Dubs. It took some great defensive play from their backs and some wayward shooting from the Kilkenny forwards to keep them in the game until half-time. The highlights of the first-half were simply the breathtaking displays from Tommy Walsh and with Henry becoming the all time top scorer in the championship. One of Kilkenny’s favourite sons Eddie Keher held the record for an astonishing 38 years, but at eighteen minutes past two last Sunday Shefflin had relieved the Rower Inistioge man of the honour. His tally of 22 goals 382 points in 49 championship games is incredible. It only seems like the other day that Shefflin entered the dressing-room for pre-season training. The Ballyhale youngster slipped into the set-up nice and quietly. I think at the time he was afraid of his life of former centreback and family friend Pat O'Neill...the craic used to be good. Shefflin may have been quiet off the field but he quickly became an integral part of the set-up. It's a fair testament to his ability and composure that as a 19 year old he took over the free-taking duties from no less an icon than DJ Carey. Henry's 12 point haul took him well clear of Eddie's record and there is no telling how far he can pull clear before he retires. The manager may have played down his achievements after the game. I suppose he has he reasons for doing so but the Kilkenny fans and genuine hurling supporters all over the world salute his achievement.
The formation of Kilkenny's forwards surprised most Marble City supporters last Sunday. Richie Hogan is a very talent hurler, but every dog in the street knows he is not a centre forward; the chap is an out and out corner forward. He must have been wondering why he was positioned there — considering all the other forwards are six foot plus. Another man who found himself out of position was Captain TJ Reid. I mentioned in last week's article that I feel TJ’s best position is wing forward and last Sunday’s performance certainly confirmed my comment. Hogan and Reid are young and are still learning the ropes at this level. Both are honest players, both are used to taking on the responsibility of scoring for their clubs. However, at this higher level where time on the ball is not of the same essence maybe they could throw it around a bit more.
I think it's fair to say that you could only judge Kilkenny's performance in the first 45 minutes because after Richie Power's well taken goal in the 48th minute the game was as good as over. Dublin completely lost their shape after that major score. The sight of fresh troops being introduced to finish off the jobs must have been a sickener for Anthony Daly especially with the quality of subs that were being introduced...Larkin, Fogarty, Lyng and John Mulhall were all hungry to leave down a marker for the next day. Taggy Fogarty certainly caught the eye, he looked very sharp, he once again showed what a keen eye he has for a goal. His second goal last Sunday was of the highest calibre. Larkin too looked sharp, his league form may have been poor by his high standards but it’s better he'll get as the year goes on. Noel Hickey also had a satisfactory return, he did get rounded twice during the 70 minutes but I'm sure it's something he'll work on before the Leinster final. At the end of the day they got the job done without any real trouble. They'll know their first-half performance won't be good enough from here on in. 4-19 was a good score to register but 17 wides was way too much, still it shows how much possession Kilkenny won.
I was disappointed with Anthony Daly's tactics. When will he realise that you can't win a game with five forwards? Daly’s persistent use of a third man midfielder is so negative. It's almost saying to his team that we are not good enough to win. They may have taken a huge step forward last year but it certainly looks a case of one step forward - two steps back.
The Galway V Offaly game turned out to be a rip-roaring contest. Moral victories don't count for much but this gritty performance from Offaly certainly put pride back in the jersey — and boy did they need it after their dismal performance against Kilkenny U-21s recently. I met two former Offaly legends before the game and neither of them held out much hope of victory. The script was going according to plan for the first 10 minutes. Galway were cutting loose and shooting points from all angles but then to everyone’s amazement Offaly completely took over. Joe Brady set the goal fest in motion when he was quickest to react to Shane Dooley's shot that had rebounded off the Galway keeper. Dooley was Offaly's hero on ; he had Ollie Canning in serious trouble all afternoon. He made him look very flat footed for Offaly's first two goals. It looks like Father Time is finally catching up with my old sparring partner Canning. Joe Bergin added a third in the 25th minute to really trouble the Tribesmen, to be honest they looked shell shocked at this stage.
It's a long time since I've seen Offaly fans stand up and give their players a standing ovation but that’s what they received at half-time. They were well worth their five point interval lead. This see-saw encounter swung back in Galway’s favour after the interval, 2-4 in a nine minute spell wiped out the Offaly lead. Many of us were looking for the exit signs at this stage. The game certainly looked up for the Faithful county when Daniel Currans received a straight red card in the 44th minute, but fair play to them they dug deep and Shane Dooley's injury time point was no more than they deserved. They do battle again this Sunday evening in Portlaoise you still have to fancy Galway especially now the surprise element is gone. The Tribesmen certainly have more room for improvement. Sadly this replay is not being televised; it's a pity because after all the drama last weekend it would have been worth watching.
