Moore: Absolute focus essential again

Lost in the discussion after the drawn All-Ireland final about whether or not Henry Shefflin should have gone for a goal from the 68th minute penalty was the fact that earlier, the same man had stood over an ordinary 20m free and went for glory.

In the 16th minute, a rampant Galway led 1-2 to 0-1 and were threatening to do what they’d done in the Leinster final and swamp Kilkenny early. Henry stepped forward to take the free. He stood over the ball. No big run-up. No indicator that this was going to be anything other than a regular tap-over. But Henry went for goal and drilled it low and left.

Another defence might have been caught napping. Fergal Moore wasn’t. The Galway captain, one of the most experienced players on the team, stepped into the shot and the ball deflected out for a 65. To add insult to Kilkenny injury, Henry missed what would have been another normal tap-over for him, even from that distance to be denied on the double.

A critical save, given subsequent events? Hardly a save at all, laughed Fergal. “He hit me with it! You’re aware that any free-taker is the top marksman on any team and the most accurate player. So if they get a sniff of a goal they’re going to go for it. I was just lucky I was in the right place at the right time and he hit me with it, on the leg I think. All that was important was that it didn’t go in.”

But it was indeed a save, and an indicator of just how ready Galway were in that final, how alert they were even at that early stage.

They were by far the more inexperienced team but they were the ones who hit the ground running and looked more focused from the start.

That’s the over-riding impression you get from speaking to anyone within this Galway set-up, their absolute focus. Ask Fergal whether he thinks Henry should have gone for goal with that penalty, ask him who he thinks came out better from the drawn game, ask him even about the draw itself, how it felt, and the response is the same. None of that matters.

All Fergal is thinking about now, all his fellow-players are thinking about is that next ball, the next game.

On Henry’s penalty: “The fact of the matter was he took his point and we went down the field and drew the game and got ourselves another chance. It won’t have any relevance the next day. It’s consigned to history now.”

On who might have the psychological advantage after the drawn game: “It’s quite simple, really. The Liam MacCarthy Cup is still up for grabs. We’re still playing the All-Ireland champions. They’re still the odds-on favourites and we’re still trying to take the cup off them. That doesn’t change no matter what happened in the last game.

“Whichever team performs best on the day will take home that cup and we’re doing everything we can to make sure it’s us.”

And the feeling among the Galway players after that draw?

“After the game you’re elated that you have a second chance. You’ve come through your first All-Ireland final and you haven’t won but you haven’t lost and it’s mixed emotions really. But the overriding feeling was one of relief to get the draw, tiredness after that when the relief wears off and excitement after that then, because you know you have three weeks to get things right and have another bite at the cherry.

“I think overall a draw was a fair result. Neither team played well enough to win it but both teams played well in patches, could have sneaked a win. ”

From a media perspective of course, trying to get guys to open up a little, that’s all a bit frustrating. You understand where it’s coming from though. Playing Kilkenny at any time demands total concentration or you’ll be blown away. Playing them in an All-Ireland final, a defender trying to contain that attack for the third time in the same championship season?

“Anything we have done in the past is not going to matter,” said Fergal. “You’re still playing the most dangerous forwards in the country with a bag of All-Ireland medals down their pockets, who know how to win All-Irelands.”

Focus needed then, absolute focus.

Colin gearing up for combat

Kilkenny hurler Colin Fennelly is already eyeing up the perfect pre-season training regime. Inducted into the 101st Platoon recently he will be based in the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh where he will be start 17 weeks of intensive recruit training.

Over the coming months Colin will undertake physical training, foot and arms drill, weapons training, unarmed combat, medical and communications training to name just a few.