Players are fit but are they ready for hurling?
No, I’m going to talk about Clarinbridge and De La Salle and the brilliant game they served up in Thurles in the All-Ireland club senior hurling semi-final.
Due respect to all the county teams, but pride of place has to go to those two magnificent club sides for the standard of hurling they served up, and remember, these are still winter conditions, conditions both Cork and Kilkenny struggled with yesterday. More on that later.
The leadership shown by several players on both Clarinbridge and De La Salle, the guidance given by the management teams, and not a dirty stroke in the whole game — this was hurling as it should be played, an exhibition.
Unfortunately there had to be a loser, and that’s the only down side — neither side deserved to lose this one, and you had to feel sorry for John Mullane, Kevin Moran, the Bull Phelan and their team-mates. But, great credit too to Clarinbridge, and especially to the Kerins brothers Alan and Mark and to David Forde, also to a young lad called Eoin Forde, whom I’m certain we’ll be hearing more about.
Okay, enough on that, to yesterday, and Nowlan Park. As I headed to Kilkenny, having seen what I saw on the Saturday my appetite was really whetted, but boy, was I disappointed.
I’m beginning to wonder are fellas doing too much gym work? Both teams looked really well honed yesterday, several contenders for Mr Universe, but are they ready for hurling?
There was so much bunching yesterday, so much crowding around the ball, it was more like rugby at times, but the touch was missing, the basic skills of hurling. I think referees are going to have to look at what’s happening in these situations, fellas going down over the ball and causing these rucks. And remenber, we’re talking about Kilkenny and Cork here, teams and players you'd expect to have those basic skills.
To the game, and I’m going to start with Cork here. This was a huge game for Cork, and while Denis Walsh and his selectors will be happy enough with having escaped from Kilkenny yesterday with honour intact, I don’t think too many Cork supporters will be happy with that same management team.
Cork started with the wrong 15 and it took them far too long to recognise that, and make the necessary changes. Michael Cussen and Patrick Cronin didn’t want to know yesterday, and one thing about winter hurling, especially on a day like yesterday and even more especially against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park, you have to want to know. Those two were the big men in the Cork attack, and they failed miserably — they should never have got to half-time.
In midfield, again a wrong selection by Cork and it took them half-an-hour to realise it, when they introduced Jerry O’Connor for Graham Callinan. Eventually too they switched the other midfielder, Brian Murphy, to wing-back, and brought on Cathal Naughton.
Corner-back Shane Murphy was under serious pressure, was never switched, and it was only because of injury he was replaced, Conor O’Sullivan doing well when he came on.
With all those changes, Cian McCarthy and Tom Kenny doing far better than either Cussen or Cronin had done in the half-forward line, Cork finally had some shape to their game and what had looked like being a landslide developed into a great contest.
In fact Cork had the winning of the game in the end, if Niall McCarthy’s shot had stayed on line, and you’d have to ask where Kilkenny would have been without Richie Hogan — he was the best player on the pitch by far. Ten points from Kilkenny’s 14, and several of those really fine points from play, this was Richie’s best performance for Kilkenny in the senior jersey.
THE Kilkenny defenders were very good too in the first half, but when the pressure came on in the second half, they showed some vulnerability.
I thought John Gardiner played very well for Cork, their main man, led by example; Eoin Cadogan also did well at full-back. Patrick Horgan took his frees well, the penalty especially.
Denis Walsh has to have a good look at himself though; pick the right team to begin with and you make things a lot easier for yourself,. But if things are going wrong, make the right changes, and make them in time.
Kilkenny? I think Brian Cody will be having a closer look at some of his older players. The spirit was there, as always, but boy, do they need Henry Shefflin and Richie Power!
Nevertheless, I’d have to say, if anyone asked me which was the higher standard of hurling, Saturday’s club semi-final or this game yesterday, I’d go for the club game, hands down.
One thing we learned though — Cork haven’t gone away!
