A good script, but no fairytale finale

I MET a man in Charleville on Saturday, a Cork man, bitterly bemoaning all the predictions from the soothsayers that he had been hearing and reading for the last week, about the outcome of this match.

Kilkenny, we were saying, would win, not a doubt in our collective minds. “Lord God,” he said, “Are ye all scientists or what? Is there not a dreamer or a romantic among ye?”

Well, yesterday in Croke Park, against a Kilkenny team hotly fancied – long before the season even started – to win their fourth All-Ireland title-in-a-row, Waterford nearly made fools of us all. Nearly, because though they did come close, gave their thousands of supporters in the near 62,000-strong crowd reason to dream right up to the final minutes, the dream never really threatened to become reality. That reality, unromantic and all as it might be, is that Kilkenny remain the benchmark in hurling. Waterford came close yesterday, played their part in a cracking contest, but Kilkenny are still champions today, and Waterford are still the nearly-men of hurling. A pity, for the dreamers and the romantics among us, a pity for the players and supporters of Waterford especially, that at a time when they’ve produced a team of such talent, they come up against this Kilkenny super-team.

Waterford were good yesterday, very good. A tally of 3-15 against any outfit in Croke Park in an All-Ireland semi-final is good clipping, good enough to win most games – 3-15 against Kilkenny on this stage at this stage is near miraculous.

That Waterford came up short, well, what can you say? Credit to them, they gave it a shot, gave it their best shot, but it simply wasn’t enough. Reality again, stark reality – Kilkenny were the better team, and by more than five points. On an afternoon when four of their six starters in what is always a high-powered attack were well held by their markers, only the imperious Henry Shefflin and Eddie Brennan on song, Kilkenny still managed 2-23 – could have been 5-23. Uncharacteristically, however, on three occasions in the second half alone Kilkenny missed clear goal-scoring opportunities, the kind of golden opportunities they normally bury, and with them bury any remaining hopes the opposition might harbour.

Waterford too had their missed chances, but they were half-chances, born of fortune as much as anything else, not as clinical in the set-up as Kilkenny’s, not as clear-cut in the miss.

They may even point to the two Kilkenny goals, both scored in the first half, claim they were softly conceded, the result of Waterford errors – wrong. True, the ball was turned over very easily on both occasions, but those turnovers were well out the field – the goals were created by genius, the genius of Brian Cody in the first instance when placing Henry Shefflin at full-forward to terrorise Aidan Kearney, which he did when setting up the first goal for Eddie Brennan, the genius of Tommy Walsh for the second when he picked out the aforementioned Henry from all of 80 yards with a superb long pass.

So, no romance in Croke Park yesterday, and the only dream left standing is the Kilkenny dream, the dream that dare not speak its name in that so-pragmatic hurling county – the four-in-a-row.

THE big fear coming into this game, a fear shared by dreamers and pragmatists alike, was that Waterford would suffer the kind of stage-fright they suffered in last year’s All-Ireland final against the same opposition, then suffer the same kind of subsequent humiliation – 3-30 to 1-13, just to remind ourselves of the mountain Waterford had to climb. From the outset, however, it was obvious that this was going to be a different kind of game, this was going to be a real contest. In stark contrast to last year, when the match was over by the end of the first quarter, Waterford actually led after 12 minutes, 1-3 to 0-4, the goal scored by Shane Walsh after good work by Kevin Moran and Micheal ‘Brick’ Walsh. Inspired by Shefflin Kilkenny fought back, were 1-9 to 1-6 ahead after 25 minutes, when they scored their second major. Shane O’Sullivan it was with the error for Waterford, a diagonal ball that was meant for the corner but went directly instead to the unmarked Tommy Walsh (had a great battle with Eoin McGrath, shaded by the Kilkenny man but not without a struggle, probably indicative of the match overall), who did brilliantly to pick out Shefflin. Waterford came straight back from that body-blow, however, three points from free-taker Eoin Kelly (magnificent from placed balls, but oh, how Waterford could have done with his presence further out the field!) bringing them back within a goal, 2-9 to 1-9. Typical Kilkenny, however, they put the pedal to the metal again just before the break, three points in three minutes (from Richie Power, Eddie Brennan and Henry, respectively), and at 2-12 to 1-9, they were that bit more comfortable heading for the dressing-rooms.

What Waterford couldn’t afford now was a strong start by Kilkenny, allow them to build on that lead, and it almost happened – 37th minute, superb fetch, turn and solo by Richie Power, the cover drawn, handpass to Shefflin in acres of space on his own inside – overhit, ball gone wide, opportunity missed. Waterford took full advantage of that let-off, went straight upfield, and a long Tony Browne free was gathered by Shane Walsh (that man again), booted to the net; three points in it (2-12 to 2-9), we were back in a game. Again, however, the Waterford defence was split open, again it was by Richie Power, but again he failed to capitalise, this time batting wide from close range. Again Waterford took advantage of the miss, Eoin Kelly with yet another pointed free, reducing the deficit to just two points. That was as close as it was to get for the remainder of the game. Sensing the danger, Kilkenny upped the ante, Shefflin especially, and four points in five minutes, from the 44th to the 49th, put clear water between them again. Tit for tat for the next 15 minutes, during which Kilkenny missed their third clear goal opportunity before Waterford were thrown a bit of a lifeline, a soft goal from an Eoin Kelly 65 (now playing on the wing, and looking dangerous every time he came near the ball). Just four points in it again, still seven minutes remaining, wind in their sails, this was surely Waterford’s chance.

They didn’t take it, weren’t allowed take it. Again it was Kilkenny stepping up, again it was Shefflin doing the finishing, two points again putting them six clear. There was one last opportunity for drama, a goal-bound close-range Eoin Kelly volley of a John Mullane handpass superbly saved by PJ Ryan, deflected over the bar, but that was it, all she wrote. Okay, we didn’t have a romantic ending, but a decent script all the same. Waterford end the year with honour, Kilkenny survive their third decent test of the year. Still on track though, still on track.

Scorers for Kilkenny: H. Shefflin 1-14 (0-7 frees, 0-1 65); E. Brennan 1-2; E. Larkin 0-2; J. Fitzpatrick, M. Rice, R. Power, A. Fogarty, R. Hogan, 0-1 each.

Waterford: E. Kelly 1-10 (1-0 65, 0-7 frees); S. Walsh 2-0; S. O’Sullivan (s/l), K. Moran, S. Prendergast, E. McGrath, J. Mullane, 0-1 each.

Kilkenny subs: TJ Reid (for Comerford 42); R. Hogan (for Fogarty 48); D. Lyng (for Fitzpatrick 57).

Waterford subs: D. Shanahan (S. Prendergast 53); M. Shanahan (Walsh 61); J. Nagle (Molumphy 61); K. McGrath (E. McGrath 64).

Referee: B. Kelly (Westmeath).