Tigerish defence holds Tribe stars in vice-like grip
Galway manager Anthony Cunningham had a major decision to make prior to Saturday: use Jonathan Glynn and Joseph Cooney as impact subs as he had the previous week, or start them.
An argument could have been made for naming much the same team as the drawn game with Glynn on from the start but remaining inside near the square with the hope that Johnny Coen and Pádraig Brehony might have some extra motivation for this encounter. Instead Glynn and Cooney were on from the beginning, but were well marshalled by Paul Murphy and Cillian Buckley. By starting them Galway had no impact subs left apart from Damien Hayes.
Brian Cody and his selectors went back to their default defence, but reintroduced Joey Holden at right half back and Conor Fogarty at midfield. This was a calculated gamble. It might have backfired but Cody and company will be well pleased as their selection and replacements all worked well. The movement up front of Pádraig Walsh and Aidan Fogarty as well as the experience and work rate of Eoin Larkin caused Galway problems, particularly in the second-half. Galway might have moved Joe Canning and Iarla Tannian to midfield after the break to utilise their strength and long range scoring ability.
But, in the final analysis, TJ Reid’s judgement, pace and skill with 2-1from play and 0-11 from frees decided this contest. Galway didn’t have a defender with the necessary attributes to subdue him.
The large contingent of Galway fans would have been enthused by the manner in which their team responded to TJ Reid’s early Kilkenny goal. They levelled quickly and went into a three point lead after 10 minutes. If those fans were then told Pádraig Walsh and Richie Hogan would score Kilkenny’s only two points from play for the remainder of the half they would have felt the game was theirs’.
However, Galway conceded nine frees in that first-half, some very avoidable. The concession of three frees in three minutes brought Kilkenny back on level terms. The third of these, after 13 minutes, perfectly illustrated the lack of disciplined intensity required by Galway. Joe Canning chased and pressurised Richie Hogan for 40 metres and then committed a needless foul straight in front of the goal.
What Galway should have done there was force Hogan to strike for a score or attempt a pass under this severe pressure. Andy Smith was late challenging Tommy Walsh handing another easy chance to Kilkenny, while Conor Cooney committed a needless free on the aforementioned Hogan and dissent caused the ball to be moved into a much more favourable position. Defeating experienced opponents requires aggressive disciplined tackling. It is a prerequisite for victory as it builds the necessary pressure to force mistakes. Galway lacked this on the night.
It’s an old adage it is easier for a defence to operate behind a dominant midfield. Kilkenny had the novel pairing of Richie Hogan and Conor Fogarty in the middle sector. Hogan loves to drive forward, while Fogarty would have been picked for his pace and defensive covering ability. They eclipsed Galway in this area, allowing their defence to play as a defensive unit.
Apart from the first 10 minutes, when Galway’s movement up front created discomfort, the Kilkenny defence stood firm with Brian Hogan, returned to centre back, superb. Jackie Tyrell occupied his old stomping ground of left corner back and swept up an amount of breaking ball, while Paul Murphy dealt effectively with Jonathan Glynn, who caused him problems the first day.
JJ Delaney comfortable throughout, gave a masterclass in full back play in the last 15 minutes when marking Joe Canning, A little nudge here, an early jump there, denying Canning possession, leaving everything through to his ‘keeper or to Tyrell sweeping up behind. Galway facilitated Kilkenny’s defensive unity by going ‘route one’ seeking goals too early and too often when points were available in the second-half, hopeful deliveries gratefully swept up by the Kilkenny defence.
