More of this, please

IT’S IN the hottest fires that the best steel is forged – it doesn’t come any hotter in hurling than the cauldron that was O’Connor Park on Saturday.

Had this match been in Croke Park, as had been suggested by many, it’s possible Kilkenny and Galway would still have replicated the superb contest they put on here; impossible to duplicate, however, would have been the heat, the environment, the totality of what was happening.

Where a crowd such as we had in Tullamore would have been lost in the vastness of Croke Park; here there was a connection between what was happening on the field and off, players and supporters in absolute accord, everyone playing an active part. Brilliant, electric, long after the final whistle dozens of animated youngsters were still gathered outside both dressing-rooms, excited by what they had just witnessed, energised by it all.

“Look, I got Shefflin AND Canning!” one eager Galway youngster thrilled to his mates. More, please.

Roared on by the thousands who had made the journey across the Shannon, and backed by the breeze after Ollie Canning had won the toss, Galway tore into Kilkenny from the start, and were 1-3 to 0-1 ahead after just six minutes.

Joe Canning was the one who hit all their scores, his goal coming after a powerful run from nearly 40m – who says this guy doesn’t have pace? Kilkenny came back, of course, just as you’d expect from this all-conquering side, and – again as you’d expect – it was Henry Shefflin leading their charge, and his four points had it back to a goal (1-4 to 0-4) at the end of the first quarter. Again Galway took charge, however, and in the 27th minute, for the second time in the half, took a five-point lead, 1-7 to 0-5, Joe still doing most of their scoring.

With Galway doing unto Kilkenny what Kilkenny usually do unto others – hunting in packs, defending from the front, hurling with fierce intent and a unity of purpose – the All-Ireland champions were under immense pressure, and only desperate defence prevented Galway extending that lead.

One perfect try-saving tackle by right winger Tommy Walsh – sorry, one imperfect goal-saving rugby – tackle by right-half-back Tommy Walsh on the flying Andy Smith in this period stands out, a tackle that should have resulted in a second yellow for Tommy, but this was Kilkenny in that period, living on the edge, doing what had to be done to hang on.

Hang on they did, and more. Just before the break, in a two-minute spell between the 28th and 30th minutes, Kilkenny did what Kilkenny do oh so well; 2-1 they scored, turning a five-point deficit into a two-point lead in practically an eye-blink, but it was the nature of the scores that most impressed.

In the 28th minute, they won a ball about 40m from the Galway goal, were faced by the same swarming defence they had met all the way to that moment, but they began to work the ball through – a stick here, a hand there, a boot, a ball breaking dangerously up in the air a few yards from goal, and suddenly, between them, Henry, Michael Fennelly, Richie Power and finally Aidan Fogarty had the ball in the Galway net. Within a minute there came an Eoin Larkin point – this guy’s timing is just brilliant – then the second goal. Superb diagonal ball from mid field by Michael Rice, to Richie Power, looking trapped out in the corner; but there was a gap, a tiny gap but enough, and he took off, bore down on goal, drew the last line of defence, parted unselfishly across the goal to Eddie Brennan, who picked his spot.

Kilkenny took that two-point lead in with them at the interval (2-7 to 1-8) but there were still a couple of twists left in this game. Four minutes after the restart Galway corner-forward Niall Healy was fouled, a normal 20m free. In Joe Canning, however, Galway have anything but a normal free-taker; his blast near tore a hole in the rigging, and Galway were back in front. Four minutes later, and for the third time in the match, they had their five-point lead back again, this time courtesy of yet another green flag, a second-chance scooped effort by Healy after good work from Joe Canning and Damien Hayes; another minute later, and after an exchange of points from the two number 15s, Fogarty and Healy, and for the fourth time in the match, that five-point advantage was still there for Galway (3-11 to 2-9) a shock on the cards. 0

However, that was when that innate Kilkenny team drive kicked in again. With veteran Derek Lyng introduced to midfield, 10 points they scored on the trot from the 49th to the 68th minutes, and all over the park the extra effort was evident.

In the centre of defence, JJ Delaney and John Tennyson getting to grips with Joe Canning and Cyril Donnellan; in midfield, Lyng and Rice in command; in the half-forward line Henry and Eoin Larkin working hard, leaders, leaders, everywhere, not a shirker in sight.

Great performance by Galway, the gauntlet thrown down in sterling fashion, but the steel in this Kilkenny team, the iron will, would not be denied.

Magnificent match, magnificent occasion.

Scorers for Kilkenny: H. Shefflin 0-10 (0-6 frees, 0-1 65); E. Larkin 0-5; E. Brennan 1-0; A. Fogarty 1-3; D. Lyng, TJ Reid, 0-1 each.

Galway: J. Canning 2-9 (1-8 frees, 0-1 65); N. Healy 1-1; A. Callanan, C. Donnellan, D. Hayes, 0-1 each.

Kilkenny subs used: D. Lyng for M Fennelly (47); S. Cummins for M Kavanagh (50); R. Hogan for E Brennan (62); TJ Reid for M Comerford (63).

Galway subs used: D. Tierney for K Hynes (inj. 31); A. Kerins for A Smith (59); R. Murray for D Tierney (64).

Referee: B. Kelly (Westmeath).