Happy Hayes wants repeat of ’88 heroics from Galway
And how he wants to repeat that feeling.
"There was a lot of pressure on Galway," he said yesterday. "We wanted to change our history, of winning one game and losing the next. I said that if we did nothing else this year we had to do that.
"We just had to break that sequence. I would have said it several times to the lads - that we had to put another win on top of that (win over Limerick).''
He hopes the success over Tipperary will establish the team as real championship contenders if not this year, then "over the next year or two.''
Overcoming a six-point deficit at a crucial stage of Sunday's game was one thing, but the way it was achieved gave him greater satisfaction.
"It was the way we defended. The patience we showed. We did not panic,'' he explained. "And the right lads came right at the right time!'
"I thought that when David Forde got the goal it would bring us back into it, but when they went six points up it looked like it was going away for us. The only thing that gave me hope was that we were winning a lot of possession.
"Derek Hardiman started to dominate, we brought Ollie Canning out on Eoin Kelly, we put Shane Kavanagh back on 'Redser' O'Grady who was causing us problems and Tony Óg Regan took over against Micheal Webster.
"Our midfield started to win ball and we were moving it quicker into our forwards. I always felt we had a chance. Then, after we got back into it, the lads just took off. We started to wear them down. If it had gone on for another bit I felt we would have won by five or six points.''
Hayes singled out Richie Murray's huge score from midfield as a highlight and the long-range free struck with such confidence by ex-minor star Ger Farragher, when the game hung in the balance.
"That's his forte. Even though he missed an easy one in the first round, he just stood up and was counted. In fairness, the lads showed lots of guts and character.''
Hardiman had thrived under pressure in the last 15 minutes, when he might have been expected to tire. And, in acknowledging the contribution of substitute Colin Coen, he said that this was one of many benefits from their League campaign.
"We knew what he was made of, we had no fears,'' he said. "And we had played Ollie out on the wing, so we knew what he could do. It was so satisfying that things you thought about and tried out during the League worked out so well. That this team achieved its potential.''
And what of the impact of the qualifier series?
"I would say that last year we were probably guessing. We definitely had a lot more in reserve this time. In the League we tried to give ourselves more options, whereas last year winning the League was an end in itself. On the other hand, the League final victory (over Waterford) probably stood to us in our qualifier game with Limerick. It showed the lads that they could win.''
His verdict on Kilkenny's display was that "they looked like they were doing enough to win," and always looked in control. "You felt they always had something extra in the tank and they had when Limerick came back at them,'' he said. "They have a lot of quality players they are battle-hardened.
"Obviously we have a point to prove after the way they hammered us last year. Beating Tipperary will bring us on a bit and we know we can improve. We have things to work on.
"If we get them right, we know we are in with a right good chance of making the final.''
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