Joe has to play where he is the biggest threat
Time after time possession was squandered with many balls struck too quickly and aimlessly into opposition hands. They’ve had three weeks to work on holding the ball that extra second and off-loading under pressure in tight spaces. An improvement here could win them the game.
Damien Hayes and David Burke are fundamental to the success of this tactic. If Galway get possession in defence or midfield and are pressurised by swarming Kilkenny opponents, Hayes and Burke will have to quickly drop deep parallel to the play and out wide, supporting the player in possession. Once they receive a pass they need to run strongly at opposing defenders breaking through tackles and off-loading accurately to an attacker. Alternatively they could drop back into a defensive screen allowing their wing backs or midfielders to drive forward.
Joe Canning is central to the counter attack. He wanders too far out at times away from the play and as a result his goal threat diminishes. Canning has to be available to receive the ball in every counter attack. He carries Galway’s greatest scoring threat but he must be supported on his shoulder by colleagues as he drives for goal. The aforementioned Hayes is crucial in this regard. Too often the last day he turned back when he met defensive traffic intent on not losing the ball. He must have faith in himself to break defensive obstacles and back himself to take the right options.
Brian Cody knows this is his most important game since taking over as Kilkenny manager in 1999.Win and the bandwagon rolls on with all personnel onboard for 2013. Lose and next year those black and amber stripes that struck fear into Championship contenders since 2006 will be mere colours on a jersey.
Their forwards as a unit look a little short on confidence in the drawn game. Some TLC and a comforting arm around their shoulders rather than the hairdryer approach would have been the requirement over the past three weeks. The management will hope that their under-performing midfield and forward unit of the drawn game take the field tomorrow with a confident determination.
Kilkenny aren’t used to chasing games and if I was in Cody’s shoes I would set up a zonal defence with six defenders in their normal positions and a seventh — John Tennyson — as a holding player man marking Galway centre forward Niall Burke in front of centre back Brian Hogan.
Hogan would then have a free defensive role in front of the full forward position. This would block Galway’s route to goal, deny them an early lead and force them into a different scenario from the last outing. At the time of writing Kilkenny hadn’t announced their team but I would play the highly mobile TJ Reid in midfield with Michael Fennelly and five interchanging attackers among them big Walter Walsh (6’ 5”) inside to serve up a different challenge to the Galway full back line. Some marquee names, even Richie Power or Colin Fennelly may find themselves out in the cold but what an impact they could make off the bench with a point to prove.
Midfield dominance between the two 45’s will again be crucial for success. Galway’s Iarla Tannian was the dominant force in this area last day out. Kilkenny fans will hope that the extra weeks training will have the desired effect on the fitness of star midfielder Michael Fennelly, injured for a long period early season and peripheral in the drawn game. Midfield is no longer the preserve of numbers 8 and 9 and half forwards will supplement the work of those picked there. I’m expecting Kilkenny to place Fennelly on Tannian this time around and contest this area vigorously. Getting a lead in the first half (or at least not falling behind significantly) will be the main aim of both managers. The teams are tactically set up to defend early leads and to counter attack. But an early goal or two tomorrow will be the death-knell for the opposition as the game could be a tight low scoring affair. As in all games the defensive performance of the respective half back lines is key but dominance in this line for Galway is essential as stopping Kilkenny scoring goals is a must if you hope to win. I wrote before the drawn game that support play and frees could well decide that game. These still remain a huge factor as does the morale sapping concession of needless frees. No team wants charity from a referee. All they want is consistency.
There is huge pressure on referee James McGrath and I wish him well in his first All-Ireland.
