Waterford sweeper system won’t work against the best teams

We have written in this column all season about Waterford’s ‘system’ and posed the question — would Derek McGrath’s masterplan hold true in the ultimate test against Kilkenny in Croke Park?

The answer was emphatic on Sunday: Waterford’s gameplan will need refinement to compete with the best teams in the land.

Both Kilkenny and Tipperary exposed Waterford’s inability to add a goal threat to a system where the majority of their players play in their own half. The stats on the day back up this theory.

Waterford hit 28 deliveries into the Kilkenny full-back line on Sunday and only five scores resulted. A further 10 deliveries dropped short to Eoin Murphy, which is one of the biggest errors a team can make against Kilkenny. This allowed Murphy to launch counter attack after counter attack with devastating results. Waterford did not create a goal chance in the game. Key player Maurice Shanahan had only two possessions for the opening 50 minutes which was again as a result of the endless deliveries into Shanahan, who was often faced by more than three defenders at a time.

Shanahan finished the game with justfive possessions in total. This was in total contrast to the returns of Kilkenny’s two key attackers Richie Hogan and TJ Reid. Hogan had 21 and Reid 14 and the duo contributed a key 1-7 from play. The Waterford talisman managed just two from play.

There is little doubt that Derek McGrath will spend the winter trying to refine his system. Jim McGuinness faced a similar challenge back in 2011 with Donegal when they lost an All-Ireland semi-final to Dublin.

They came back the following year to win the All-Ireland so there will be a massive incentive for Waterford.

They will also be boosted by the return of Padraic O’Mahony who was greatly missed against a team of Kilkenny’s class. McGrath will have been disappointed however by the fact that for the second time against top class opposition in 2015 his players did not manage to match their opponent’s work rate.

This is the bedrock of Kilkenny’s success. The tackling stats of Colin Fennelly and Ger Aylward illustrate everything that is central to the Brian Cody method. It is not just scoring potential that is required to be a Kilkenny forward but also ferocious workrate.

The two members of the Kilkenny inside forward had a phenomenal 21 tackles between them and it is the type of industry that would make some of the so called top forwards in the country blush. Another stand out stat from the day was the performance of wing back Cillian Buckley who finished the game with 25 possessions, won 5 pucks-outs, had two assists and scored one point.

Buckley had an outstanding game and he wasn’t alone as Kilkenny go forward to the All-Ireland final cahsing for an eighth title in 10 years.