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Gone in two goals and 30 minutes

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

By Kieran Shannon

Incredible. Almost comical. Predictable. Frightening. Phenomenal.

That people actually fancied Dublin to spring a surprise last weekend, as if the league final hadn’t shown the folly of backing anyone against Mr Cody’s team.

But more so, the manner in which Kilkenny dismissed Anthony Daly’s side.

With Cody, the script and the target is almost always the same. In the 20-something minute his team will have banged in their second goal and with it effectively bagged the win as well. They pile on the misery up to half-time, and then pile on some more, just not so thick, but enough to win the second half in its own right and remind their reeling opponent to not even entertain the idea of beating Kilkenny, ever.

The year before Cody’s appointment, Kilkenny had only seen Laois off through a late Ken O’Shea goal. 20 minutes into Cody’s first game as a championship manager, Laois had already been plundered for three goals. By half-time it was 5-12 to 0-4, before the Cats eased up for a 6-21 to 1-14 win.
28 minutes into the Leinster final against Offaly, Charlie Carter had notched their second goal. A DJ Carey strike on half-time made it 3-7 to 0-8. Full-time: 5-14 to 1-16.

The 2000 championship was much the same. By half-time in the first round, Charlie alone had scored 2-3 on the Dubs. Ten minutes into the All-Ireland final against Offaly, DJ and Henry already had a goal apiece. By half-time it was 3-8 to 0-7, by full time, 5-15 to 1-14.

We’ll keep going like this, to emphasis the point and their superiority, because that’s what they have done, for over a decade now.

Their first day out in 2001, Henry and Eddie had secured the usual two goals before half-time for a 2-11 to 0-5 lead over Offaly. Eight minutes into the Leinster final, DJ had already rattled the Wexford net.

Two minutes into the 2002 All-Ireland final, he’d put one into Clare’s.

16 minutes into the 2004 Thurles showdown with Galway and a Henry goal put them up 1-6 to 0-3 to set up a 4-20 to 1-10 win.

The following year he had them 2-1 to 0-2 up only five minutes in against Offaly. By half-time it was 4-12 to 0-11; by full time, 6-28 to 0-15.

And that’s all before the four in a row.

The tone for 2006 is established in the league semi-final against Tipp in Thurles. A Cha goal just 14 minutes in has them 2-3 to 0-0 ahead. By half time it’s 2-13 to 1-4.

Three months later at the same venue in the All-Ireland quarter-final, a 23rd minute Taggy Fogarty goal puts them 2-6 to 0-3 ahead of Galway. By half-time it is 2-13 to 0-6.

Just 25 seconds into the 2007 league semi-final and Taggy’s already rattled the Wexford net. 25 minutes in and he’s scored another for a 2-5 to 1-0 lead. 12 minutes into the Leinster final and Willie O’Dwyer has also scored a couple of goals for a 2-11 to 0-6 half-time lead.

It’s not just Wexford that are ransacked early that year. The All-Ireland final is 10 minutes old and Limerick have already been blitzed for 2-3.

12 months later and two Eddie Brennan goals in as many minutes has Waterford 2-10 to 0-4 down after 24 minutes.

The following spring in Nowlan Park, Cork are blitzed for 2-14 in the opening 35 minutes on their way to a humiliating 4-26 to 0-11 loss. It’s not even Kilkenny’s best first-half display of that league; Tipp are pummelled for 5-9 in that period.

In 2010 the drive for five starts with Eddie Brennan rattling the Dublin net after just 40 seconds. Just 13 minutes into the Leinster final and Henry has blasted one into Galway’s for a five-point lead, which Kilkenny double by the game’s end. Cork hold out for the opening 20 minutes of the All-Ireland semi-final until Brennan and Fogarty strike for two goals in two minutes and before they know it, the Rebels are down 2-12 to 0-5 at the break.

Kilkenny are denied the five in a row that September but normal services resumes the following summer. Richie Hogan billows the Wexford net after just nine minutes. 20 minutes into the Leinster final Dublin have already conceded the obligatory two goals en route to a 4-17 to 1-15 defeat. In the All-Ireland final Tipperary hold the Cats goalless in the opening quarter but are held pointless themselves to trail by five points.

In the opening game of this year’s league, Declan Ryan’s team are 1-5 to 0-1 down after quarter of an hour. In the same time Galway are hit for two goals, trail 3-12 to 0-6 by the half, and 3-26 to 0-10 by the finish.

In the league final, Cork are down 2-6 to 0-1 after 10 minutes, 3-11 to 0-6 by half-time.

And we haven’t mentioned any of the three All-Ireland semi-final victories over Waterford in which Kilkenny had scored either two or three goals by half-time before calling off the goal dogs. Notice a certain trend here? Incredible. Almost comical. Predictable. Frightening. Phenomenal.

* Contact: kieranshannon@eircom.net

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