Cool Cats in cruise control
A comprehensive win — far more emphatic than the final eight-point margin suggests — over the team that has challenged most over the last three years.
They’re a machine, always well-oiled and turbo-boosted and yesterday they left Tipperary trailing in their wake.
Front to back, start to finish, the Cats were in control. In a full-back line of familiar names but unfamiliar combination, Jackie Tyrrell was in his ‘wrong’ corner, on the right, regular full-back Noel Hickey was in Jackie’s place, while JJ Delaney — multiple All-Star at wing-back. It didn’t matter though as all three were in total control.
The half-back line saw Tommy Walsh in outstanding form on one wing, Paul Murphy dominant on the other, Brian Hogan commanding in the centre.
They simply squeezed all life from what looked like a threatening Tipperary attack.
In midfield Michael Fennelly was again a force of nature while up front there were threats everywhere. Eoin Larkin and Richie Power were doing most of the finishing but Michael Rice pulled the strings on the 40, TJ Reid doing sterling work as an auxiliary midfielder — man, if only TJ could compose himself before pulling the trigger what a player he’d be, but five wides from six shots is a very poor return.
All systems working smoothly then and in such form Kilkenny would have been a challenge for Tipperary even at their best — they were far from that.
From the start Kilkenny dictated, 0-5 to 0-1 ahead after 10 minutes (Power with two, TJ, Matt Ruth and Michael Rice with the others, Noel McGrath with a super point for Tipp). But when Richie Power rocketed a penalty to the net in the 12th minute the writing was on the wall.
Tipp did bring it back to a goal following a four-point run, but Kilkenny went up by five again at the break, 1-10 to 0-8, and it could have been more had they taken their opportunities. Brendan Cummins denied TJ Reid with a brave body block, there were a couple of other occasions where one more touch would have had Tipp in real trouble.
Tipp started well in the second half with points from Noel McGrath and free-taker Pa Bourke. But the second Kilkenny goal, this one by Eoin Larkin, reward for his power and perseverance, was the killer.
It was only the 42nd minute and it put just two goals between them (2-10 to 0-10), but two follow-up points by Richie Power extended that lead, and though substitutes Shane Bourke (three) and Eoin Kelly (one) did their best to ignite a Tipp comeback, it was all too easy in the end for the Cats.
“A good start to the league obviously,” said manager Brian Cody.
“It was a good display and a good win. The standard of hurling was good for the time of the year. There are only a few matches in the league [five] so it’s important to get a win under our belt; we’re happy the way things went.”
Not so happy, however, was Tipperary manager Declan Ryan and with good reason.
“Very disappointing performance I have to say. I would be disappointed with the strength of the performance overall, absolutely.
“It just looked as if Kilkenny are a couple of steps ahead of us at the minute — two or three gears ahead. That’s the disappointing thing.
“The lads put in a lot of hard pre-season work. It didn’t look like it today. Kilkenny looked a lot sharper, their ball-handling and everything in general play. Obviously it’s something we’re going to have to work on considerably over the next while.”
With Galway up next in the league in two weeks’ time it doesn’t get any easier for Tipperary but they do at least get another competitive outing in the meantime against Clare in the final of the Waterford Crystal SH Tournament on Sunday. Given Clare’s performance in their big win over Limerick on Saturday night that will be a good test for Tipp.
Kilkenny? The Cats just keep purring along, Brian Cody doing the stroking.
“To get the maximum out of the league we try to target winning matches, get to the knockout stages.
“We’d love to win it as well but at the same time it’s important to look at players and try maybe one or two in every match. I think come the end of the league if we haven’t got the opportunity to look at players it won’t be something that will be of benefit to us.”
Scorers for Kilkenny: R Power 1-11 (1-0p, 0-10fs, 0-1 65), E Larkin 1-2, M Rice 0-2, TJ Reid, M Ruth, 0-1 each.
Scorers for Tipperary: P Bourke 0-6 (5fs, 1 65), N McGrath, S Bourke 0-3 each, E Kelly, B Maher, C O’Mahony (f) 0-1 each.
Subs for Kilkenny: C Fogarty for Delaney (inj. 57), J Mulhall for C Fennelly (63), R Doyle for P Hogan (66).
Subs for Tipperary: J Woodlock for B Maher (blood, 17/18), S Bourke for A Ryan (35), E Kelly for G Ryan (49), J Woodlock for O’Brien (56), J O’Keefe for Curran (inj, 59), S McGrath for Bourke (64).
Referee: M Wadding (Waterford).
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