Cagey Cats ‘not caught on the hop’

KILKENNY selector Mick O’Flynn rejected suggestions that their players were complacent going into Sunday’s Leinster SHC final.

O’Flynn, who has been involved with Kilkenny teams on an almost continuous basis since the late Ollie Walsh first brought him on board, insisted that Wexford’s stirring performance had not caught them off guard.

“I remember three years ago we barely scraped through. And then last year was an absolute lesson for us.

“We just could not get away from them; they were like leeches sticking to your back and they had exactly the same approach on Sunday.

“People were saying that they weren’t even going to go to the match, saying things like Kilkenny were going to ‘win it by a cricket score’ and all that. That gets to players as well, no matter how they try to convince themselves otherwise.”

Wing-back Richie Mullally said the provincial decider offered vindication not just for Kilkenny but for hurling in Leinster.

“Everyone is comparing us to Munster, but sure they’re two different styles of hurling, you can’t really compare them. The Leinster title is still of huge importance to us and to Wexford, and you could tell that in the atmosphere for the match.

“People are writing off Wexford and Offaly, but they’re as good as anyone out there. Wexford proved that in this match and look at the game that

Offaly gave Clare on Saturday night. Wexford were trying, we had no illusions coming up, knew about them since last year. Everyone was writing us up, saying Leinster hurling was gone, but by no means is that true, Wexford are as good as anyone, and proved that again.” Hunger was the vital component for Kilkenny, according to the defender.

“It’s just work-rate, that’s all it is, the hunger clicked in. If you get the work-rate right, it will win matches for you, that’s it. My tongue was hanging out for most of the game. It was a fast game, for the full seventy minutes. But as Brian (Cody, manager) says, when you’re tongue is hanging out, that’s when your real hurling will click in. And that’s what happened, when we were put to the pin of our collar, our hurling clicked in.

“Your aim from the beginning of the year is to win, to win every match as you go along, and it’s no more complicated than that. Last year we won absolutely nothing, and that hurt, that’s bound to spur you on in a tight game. When it is touch and go, as it was for a while there, that’s bound to creep into your mind, give you an extra spurt. This year, that’s our aim, win the next match, and if you win that, then the match after that.”

That was certainly the attitude that got Kilkenny past Wexford. Despite being seven points behind after 14 whirlwind minutes by Wexford, in trouble, Kilkenny didn’t panic, kept their composure, and gradually, point by gritty point, fought their way back into the game.

“Wexford were flying, we were breathless for the first ten minutes, not that we weren’t breathless for the rest of the match either, but they were flying. We just knew that if we could keep into them, that we might get on top in the last quarter. You’re depending on your half-forward line, on all your forwards, to work like dogs, basically. If they do that, then their backs can’t give good ball into their attack, which makes our lives a lot easier.

“That’s when you win games.”