Hurling tactics: Has Brian Cody learned from previous defeats?

Sean Flynn, Waterford causing Kilkenny confusion on the long puckout.

The big question coming into tomorrow’s All-Ireland semi-final relates to the lessons learned by Kilkenny in last year’s defeat to Waterford.

In that game, Waterford scored 2-9 (15) off their own puckout as the Kilkenny half-backs and midfield struggled with the movement of the Déise players.

The Kilkenny backs began the game following their men, and then tried to hand over players amongst the chaos of the Waterford movement. It seemed like the Kilkenny players tried to defend on instinct and make split-second decisions on who to follow. A plan did not seem to be there.

Sunday’s game will pose the exact same questions, as the Cork movement will test Kilkenny’s puckout defence.

Will Cody rely on individuals’ ability in the air, and their pace to follow players, or will they mark zonal and hold their shape to reduce the space for Patrick Collins to place the ball into?

Sean Flynn, Waterford causing Kilkenny confusion on the long puckout.

Shane Kingston will want to move from the inside line into the half-forward channels. Will Cody cut this option out with a wing-back holding his position, or will his wing back have vacated that space, following his own Cork forward like a trailer hitched to a truck?

This type of puckout worked really well for Waterford in the All-Ireland semi-final of 2020, with Stephen Bennett coming out to collect the ball in space, and Calum Lyons coming off the shoulder from wing-back as an option. Cork will look to exploit this and bring Tim O’Mahony into the game off their long puckout.

Cody has a conundrum at the other end of the pitch, too. Will the Kilkenny forwards push up, or sit off the Cork puckout?

In the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final, Kilkenny sat off the Limerick full-back line, which allowed wing-forwards John Donnelly and Walter Walsh to guard the breaks off the Limerick puckout. This saw Limerick win only six breaks off their normally solid long puckout, losing 13.

Gearóid Hegarty and Kyle Hayes were Limerick’s top two puckout targets in that game, and Kilkenny smothered the ability of these two players with their set-up on the opposition puckout.

Limerick only secured possession on three occasions off the 13 puckouts, and this set-up could be replicated to target Cork.

Seamus Harnedy and Robbie O’Flynn have been Cork’s top two puckout targets in this year’s championship on their long puckout. If Kilkenny can tie up these two players, it could force Cork to go short which may, in turn, play into Kilkenny’s hands, as their forwards can physically dominate the Cork backs with their pressing game.

On the Kilkenny long puckout, Cody may be tempted to go with the tried and trusted of John Donnelly, TJ Reid, and Walter Walsh in the half-forward line to win clean in the air, or create the conditions for the breaking ball.

A huge find for Brian Cody this year on the Kilkenny long puckout is Eoin Cody and his ability to secure possession for his team.

In Kilkenny’s two championship games to date, Cody has had eight long puckouts directed on him, and the Cats have secured possession on seven occasions.

Kilkenny and Cork could produce another shootout like Tipperary and Waterford served up last weekend. This means that the puckout will be a key battleground, and Kilkenny’s ability to generate momentum in the game could build on the clarity they have when defending the Cork puckout.