‘We didn’t panic, we kept our cool’
Time and again in recent years they have illuminated or even rescued run-of-the-mill All-Ireland championships with performances of vigour and heart. They managed to up the bar again yesterday.
After the apocalyptic picture painted by the provincial semi-finals late last month, suddenly folk in the eastern province are learning to smile again and look to the future with a degree of hope.
Kilkenny have long talked up standards in Leinster, of course. Most of the time, it’s easy to sneer at their politically correct mutterings, but it’s games likes this that mean their gentle words can never entirely be dismissed.
Peter Barry knows the pitfalls that Wexford can provide better than anyone. It was the James Stephen’s man’s clearance that Mitch Jacob hooked last year before firing ‘that’ goal beyond James McGarry to pilfer the Bob O’Keeffe Cup. Odds of 10-1 on for Kilkenny didn’t mean much to the centre-back as he prepared for the re-enactment last week.
“People were knocking Leinster hurling more than anything and maybe blowing us up. We’re saying all along that there’s nothing wrong with Leinster hurling. I know the semi-finals weren’t a great advertisement for it but, as far as I can tell from today, it was a cracker.
“It’s great for hurling itself and then to see the Dublin minors win as well it proves that it is being spread around. All these myths about Kilkenny hurling and having all the young lads coming through is not really true. We do what we can and today was a great day for us because we won.”
It was, in fairness, an encouraging day for the game in general. In both halves, Wexford hared into a lead. Both times Kilkenny reeled them in, mining a lead for themselves by the final whistle that they managed to shelter despite Wexford’s best efforts.
“It was real point for point stuff,” said Henry Shefflin. “Coming towards the end we had a few points of a lead and I suppose everyone was thinking of last year. It was a great game of hurling but 2002 was the same, it was 19 points to 17.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy game. We were coming up to play a Leinster final against the Leinster champions and any time we play Wexford it’s a hard battle and a great game.
“The last couple of years there have been great games between ourselves and Wexford and I’d say that will continue because some of the young players Wexford brought on there today were brilliant. They’re a coming team, definitely.”
From the off yesterday, they came far quicker than even Shefflin or Barry probably expected. By the 13th minute they had fashioned an unlikely seven-point lead, one they still had eight minutes later.
Where other teams might have panicked though, Kilkenny simply dragged themselves back into contention.
“I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t realise we were that far down,” said Barry.
“I thought maybe there was a couple of points in it alright but, next thing, it was 1-4.
“It just happens. It was early enough so there was plenty of time to get back. That’s one thing about us, we never seem to panic. Sometimes that can be our downfall but we didn’t panic.
“We were a bit ragged but you’ll always have periods of games where you get on top and we knew we’d get ours.”
In all, this was a game that said far more about Kilkenny than the 31-point evisceration of Offaly. Not once, did they equal the heights they soared to the last day. This was a day for graft rather than guile and Brian Cody’s side were not found wanting.
“We weren’t going the best in the first part of the game,” said Shefflin.
“Wexford hurled brilliantly and fired over some marvellous, unbelievable scores. Eoin Quigley got one out from midfield and it was just unbelievable.
“We just worked hard, got a few frees and a few scores and we didn’t do anything brilliantly. We just kept our cool. We knew we weren’t going the best and we knew we had to just keep working hard to get through that.
“The Leinster championship is over now though and this is where the cut and thrust begins.
“There’s three matches that need to be won to win the All-Ireland now. It’s the team that takes off from here on in that will do that.”
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