Brian Cody and his primed Kilkenny get their timing spot-on

PEERLESS: Kilkenny manager Brian Cody

All-Ireland SHC semi-final: Kilkenny 2-26 Clare 0-20

Give a Brian Cody Kilkenny team time and they will give you a performance. That truism should have dawned on more people before this semi-final where they were as emphatic as they were electric.

As Leinster champions, the county with Cody at the helm has now reached the All-Ireland final in 14 of 18 seasons. Two semi-final losses came in these past couple of years when there were respective two and three-week turnarounds between games after knockout provincial championships. The introduction of quarter-finals for provincial winners in 2005 complicated matters and Kilkenny suffered at the hands of Galway as they did in 2001 when they had a yawning six weeks on their hands.

But four weeks here was a perfect number. TJ Reid spoke of the bonding done in the tough “six to 10” training sessions since beating Galway and Cody couldn’t hide the fact the time together had been hugely beneficial in the manifestation of this display.

“Up to the Leinster final we were playing more or less every week, which gives limited time - no time, really - for training. We have great emphasis on our panel at all times, so that gave a chance to everyone on the panel to get out there and work for the team, to put their hands up to make a claim for a starting place.” 

Cody again took aim at those who have questioned the team not being settled and yet only one change was made from the Leinster final. That switch, Pádraig Walsh, hardly felt new and for all the shuffling earlier in the season the manager seems happy with his hand.

From the outset, Kilkenny’s touch was razor-like on Saturday. In front of a predominantly Clare crowd of 39,626, they dismantled their favoured opponents with a first-half display that gave up just one wide and one saved shot.

Afterwards, Brian Lohan turned down two requests by the GAA’s communications department to speak to the media. Not a great look. Sure, Lohan must have been distraught by that first-half display but there was enough heart demonstrated by his charges after the turnaround to be able to put a brave face on it. 

Martin Keoghan’s additional time goal in the first half, coming seconds after the ball was swiped away from Peter Duggan as he was about to strike at Eoin Murphy’s net, may as well have been worth six points such was its psychological value. Putting Kilkenny up by fourteen points, 1-17 to 0-6, he became the sixth starting forward to score from play. Indeed, all of the front eight were on the board by half-time.

Clare had been hurt by John Conlon’s 11th-hour withdrawal with a suspected hip/back problem but he would hardly have stemmed enough of the flow coming the way of their backs. Plenty of their problems originated from the lack of thought put into the deliveries to their forward line but then there was the wide count too – 11 wides and three short by half-time in contrast to one wide for the Cats.

Clare led 0-2 to 0-1 after five minutes but the next six points came from the Leinster champions, Adrian Mullen scoring the first couple of them. TJ Reid was buzzing everywhere, setting up Mullen for that second point, sending over an 11th-minute free and then teeing up Eoin Cody for a point after dispossessing Conor Cleary.

As Kilkenny backs dominated the air and hoovered up breaking ball, Billy Ryan put Kilkenny ten points up on the half-hour mark seconds after Eibhear Quilligan saved brilliantly from Cody. It was as close to a complete first-half performance as the 2008 final mauling of Waterford and Cody wasn’t disinclined to hailing it afterwards. 

“There’s no doubt about it, it was a very, very good display for sure. You’d be very happy if you get the first half display for a full game, anytime.” By the end, Clare had racked up a mammoth 24 wides. Kilkenny went 15 up in the 53rd minute as Cian Kenny found the net but the Banner at least ended up winning the second half as Shane O’Donnell, David Fitzgerald and David McInerney kept matters respectable.

Cody could forgive that. “In the second half the performance dipped a bit, understandably, because when you’re that far ahead you’re watching for the final whistle, but we tacked on some great scores. I have absolute admiration for the way the players performed.” 

As should plenty of others in the build-up to Sunday week’s final.

Scorers for Kilkenny: T.J. Reid (0-10, 7 frees); C. Kenny (1-2); A. Mullen (0-4); E. Cody (0-3); M. Keoghan (1-0); P. Walsh, C. Browne, B. Ryan (0-2 each); W. Walsh (0-1).

Scorers for Clare: T. Kelly (3 frees, 1 65), S. O’Donnell (0-4 each); D. Fitzgerald (0-3); D. Ryan, P. Duggan (1 free), M. Rodgers (0-2 each); R. Hayes, D. McInerney, R. Taylor (0-1 each).

KILKENNY: E. Murphy; T. Walsh, H. Lawlor, P. Deegan; M. Butler, R. Reid (c), M. Carey; C. Browne, C. Kenny; T.J. Reid, P. Walsh, B. Ryan; A. Mullen, M. Keoghan, E. Cody.

Subs for Kilkenny: W. Walsh for M. Keoghan (h-t); J. Donnelly for P. Walsh (49); R. Leahy for C. Browne (62); A. Murphy for B. Ryan (66); D. Blanchfield for M. Carey (70+2).

CLARE: E. Quilligan; R. Hayes, C. Cleary, P. Flanagan; D. Ryan, D. McInerney, P. Fitzpatrick; C. Malone, R. Taylor; S. O’Donnell, D. Fitzgerald, T. Kelly (c); D. Reidy, I. Galvin, P. Duggan.

Subs for Clare: A. Shanagher for I. Galvin (26); M. Rodgers for D. Reidy, C. Nolan for P. Fitzpatrick (both h-t); S. Meehan for P. Duggan (49); S. Morey for R. Taylor (65).

Referee: F. Horgan (Tipperary).