Davy must tread fine line in order to beat spread

Basics will be the key to Déise hopes

RIGHT, then. The bookies are giving Waterford a seven-point start tomorrow. You have a free bet. Knowing what you know about themselves and Kilkenny, and about the respective managers, do you back them to beat the handicap or not?

To a degree, admittedly, the answer hinges on your opinion not of Waterford’s current health and welfare but of Kilkenny’s. We know that Waterford are not the team of a few years ago, cannot be expected to be and will not be again in this generation. Kilkenny are not the team of a few years ago either, but they look a better, more cerebral, less injury-ridden proposition than they were last summer.