Hurling at its imperious best is spellbinding
On Saturday, I expressed my disappointment at the path hurling was going down, with every analyst, on television particularly, determined to define each hurler by the number of plays they made, all this nonsense about tactics and hurling-by-numbers.
Eamon O’Shea and Brian Cody must have heard my cries for tactics were thrown out the window yesterday. This was hurling, pure and simple. This was hurling as it should be played. This was living.
And to think it set patrons back only €80. I have long complained about the admission price at provincial and league fixtures, but here each of us got excellent value for money. So spellbinding was this final that if you blinked you missed a score, you missed a Richie Hogan gem, a Seamus Callanan beauty. If you were only a second late emerging from the toilets at half-time you missed TJ Reid’s superb goal strike.
I have nothing against either Tipperary or Kilkenny, but was I delighted when John O’Dwyer’s injury time free drifted wide, when Hawk-Eye declared ‘MISS’.
My ear-drums have been bursting all week with talk of football and how the football championship has come alive. I would say to the football fraternity, follow that.
Referring back to tactics, or lack thereof as was the case in this our third successive drawn All-Ireland final. Where was everyone playing? Positions were of no relevance yesterday. You fought for possession and if you succeeded you moved it on as quickly as you gathered it. You then paused for breath before going again.
When was the last All-Ireland where we saw so many players on both teams performing as well as they did, particularly on the Tipperary side. Cathal Barrett and Paddy Stapleton were outstanding. The Maher’s were of similar class, Pádraic particularly. He distributed the world of ball. Further forward, ‘Bubbles’, Lar, Seamus Callanan and ‘Bonner’ Maher were excellent. For Kilkenny, Paul Murphy, Brian Hogan, Richie Hogan, Cillian Buckley, TJ Reid and Richie Power were imperious. Each of these players stood up to be counted without having as much space to tie their shoelaces. Remarkable endeavour.
For Kilkenny, more question marks surfaced by comparison with their opponents. When have we ever seen Michael Fennelly so ineffective? We haven’t because he is a man who always delivers. He looked injured on the field.
Credit to the Kilkenny management in switching Richie Hogan to centre-forward, but too slow were they in making changes. Walter Walsh should have been pulled ashore long before the 49th minute, while Henry and Pádraig Walsh were required earlier in the fray than when they were introduced.
John O’Dwyer playing in his first All-Ireland final clipped five points from open play. Along with Richie Hogan is there two better strikers of the ball? Their skill levels are beyond any adjective and so the 28 other hurlers inside the whitewash were forced to haul themselves up to such a level if they were to survive. The majority did, hence the nature of the battle.
Doubts hung over Seamus Callanan entering this game. He finished with five points from play off the legend that is JJ Delaney. Questions answered. Lar too sparkled on occasion. Bonner Maher was their drill sergeant and his team-mates were inspired by the fight and determination of the ~centre-forward.
If I hear of anyone complaining about Barry Kelly’s performance given the contest, performances and scores we were treated to, they will get the boot, and deservedly so. Barry is but human. The boot will also be for anyone spewing the line this game was a tactical affair and tactics employed by either side lent itself to the result. This was hurling, pure and simple.
Nine wides was the sum total when combining the missed opportunities on both sides. Remarkable.
This is the best All-Ireland hurling final I can remember, a final which delighted the souls of young children and 90-year old men like Tipperary hurling legend Mickey ‘the Rattler’ Byrne.
Michael Cahill, one of the finest corner-backs in the country, was introduced at midfield, adapted and raised a white flag. We will see him the next day from the off?
For Kilkenny, there will be changes, merited changes. When did we ever see Kilkenny go five points up in an All-Ireland final and fail to close the deal? We never did.
One parting comment, the gap between the minor final and the commencement of the senior decider is too long. It needs to be shortened.
And so to the replay. The mouth waters…
