PLAYING AGAINST KILKENNY, you’re immediately struck by the fact that you’re suffocated from minute one to minute 70.
You might find space to breathe for a while, when you match Kilkenny’s level and go a little beyond even, but their workrate and energy levels are so high that they’ll usually wear you down.
Other teams will peak and trough but Kilkenny remain incredibly consistent.
They might appear to be on the rack for long periods but when other teams glance at the scoreboard for the fruits of their labour, it’s usually Kilkenny going in at half-time a point or two ahead, even when it seems that, as the opposition, you’ve had most of the ball.
The crazy thing is, you’re often at your most dangerous against Kilkenny when you have the ball.
They can turn defence into attack at frightening speed and often, it’s just one flick of a ball into space that does the damage.
They’re so adept at turning over the opposition in the middle third, and having perhaps pucked the ball out just seconds earlier, you’re watching it sail back over your head again.
Kilkenny apply the pressure in the 2012 All-Ireland semi-final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
That’s a killer for any team but how you break Kilkenny down is by scoring goals against them.
Goals are currency, kryptonite against the Cats. If you do manage to bulge the back of their net, the psychological value is as good as five points, not the three on the scoreboard.
When we played Kilkenny in the 2009 and 2010 All-Ireland finals, we targeted goals against them and were willing to take risks.
Tipp did likewise in the 2014 final replay but Kilkenny had a good look at them in the drawn match and planned accordingly.
Tipp should have come up with a different gameplan for game 2 and fell into their trap.
That’s the challenge for Galway now, to devise something different from the Leinster final.
That script has to be torn up and a new solution found to crack the Kilkenny code.
They say Kilkenny don’t do tactics but I beg to differ.
In the parade before the 2011 final. Kilkenny had their homework done. James Crombie
James Crombie
Brian Cody had a tactic to stop Lar Corbett in the 2011 final and he obviously looked at a video of last year’s drawn final and set his stall out accordingly for the replay three weeks later.
Kilkenny learned more than Tipp did and he set his team up to nullify our attack.
Cody had a strong bench in 2014 to achieve this but retirements might mean that when he glances over his shoulder on Sunday for reinforcements, he may not reap similar rewards.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if Cody sets up in a manner designed to stop Galway’s young forwards like Cathal Mannion, Jason Flynn and Jason Whelan from exerting an influence early in the game.
He’ll tell his players not to let these guys settle quickly, and to stem the flow of ball inside.
I expect Kilkenny to bunch the centre of their defence, not too dissimilar to the Tipp replay last year.
At the other end, I have a hunch that Cody will operate with a two-man inside line – but TJ Reid won’t be one of them. His mission will be to drift off the shoulder of Aidan Harte and ghost into the opposition danger zone to receive passes from the men inside.
Walter Walsh and Colin Fennelly could dovetail close to the Galway goal because putting Reid in there would be too obvious – and I’m not too sure that Cody will do obvious.
I've a hunch that Kilkenny will start Walter Walsh on the edge of the Galway square. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
He might tell Walter that this is his chance to get the confidence levels flowing but he might only have 15 minutes to do this, with Richie Power warming up on the touchline.
This is a big game for Walter, with pressure on his shoulders to deliver the form that we saw in the 2012 replay against Galway.
The edge of the Galway square will be riddled with early nerves and this could provide the spark he needs.
Galway will surely defend better this time but my feeling is that the constant rotation of the Kilkenny forwards into this pivotal zone will prove their undoing.
Kilkenny will look for another of those fast starts.
It’s what they’ve always done and what they’ll do again. They did it to us in 2009 and 2010 and they tend to hit you with everything they’ve got at the start of each half.
Indeed, from minute one they’re in the fast lane, whereas other teams veer in and out of it.
These are really key periods for Galway, the start of each half, and if they can stay in the game for the first 15 minutes, I expect them to give as good as they get.
Their confidence should blossom from there but if they go four or five points down against Kilkenny, it’s a long road back.
If Kilkenny find a buffer, they’ll flood their defence like they did against Tipp last year and Waterford in the recent semi-final.
Kilkenny displayed incredible workrate in last year's All-Ireland final replay. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
They know how to close out matches and you don’t win ten of the last 15 All-Irelands without that kind of knowledge.
How many times have we seen the Kilkenny half-forward line playing from midfield back?
They run that 30-yard square as their two midfielders sit five yards inside the ’65, with the centre back dropping back to play as a sweeper.
They’re so good at this that they’re not labelled as defensive. There was one passage of play in the semi-final when Waterford’s Colin Dunford has seven Kilkenny players swarming around him, just 25 yards from goal.
Now if this was up the other end of the pitch we’d be pointing out how defensive Waterford are but Kilkenny know as a collective when it’s time to stop hurling and start hooking and blocking to break the opposition’s momentum.
It’s incredible game awareness and during the semi-final, I watched from the stands how Reid reacted to a couple of high balls coming in.
He pointed to Eoin Larkin, urging him to pop it in low instead. That instruction resulted in a ripple effect through the team.
Michael Fennelly is Kilkenny's midfield enforcer. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Larkin passed the message to Michael Fennelly, the midfield enforcer, and like Chinese whispers, Fennelly communicated back to Kieran Joyce, who informed his line of the pitch.
So what you have in that instance is all lines of the pitch from full-forward to half-back communicating in perfect sync.
We had that in 2010, when Eoin Kelly famously tapped his helmet, urging us to remain focused and to stick to the gameplan.
We had reached a stage where we were so confident about our game management and that it was better than the opposition.
That was a rare occasion against Kilkenny because when they’re under pressure, they’re so good at minimising the damage inflicted on them.
And when they have their own purple patch, they extract maximum output.
Celebrating All-Ireland final victory over Kilkenny in 2010. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
No other team can sit back and take the flak as good as Kilkenny.
When they do, and when they lose momentum, they turn into that hooking and blocking machine.
During those periods, the biggest roar from the Kilkenny crowd is when a hook or a block is executed. It’s almost as loud as a goal.
Those moments energise their players on the pitch, their supporters in the stands and on the terraces.
Kilkenny are the masters of this, creating a claustrophobic environment that sucks the life from the opposition.
This is where Galway will be tested most. The test is not so much in terms of their hurling, but in their belief to be capable of getting the job done.
Because there’s no team better than Kilkenny at providing the most stern test of your mental capabilities at Croke Park.
Brendan Cummins: Galway Kryptonite, Kilkenny's secret weapon and TJ influence
PLAYING AGAINST KILKENNY, you’re immediately struck by the fact that you’re suffocated from minute one to minute 70.
You might find space to breathe for a while, when you match Kilkenny’s level and go a little beyond even, but their workrate and energy levels are so high that they’ll usually wear you down.
Other teams will peak and trough but Kilkenny remain incredibly consistent.
They can turn defence into attack at frightening speed and often, it’s just one flick of a ball into space that does the damage.
They’re so adept at turning over the opposition in the middle third, and having perhaps pucked the ball out just seconds earlier, you’re watching it sail back over your head again.
That’s a killer for any team but how you break Kilkenny down is by scoring goals against them.
Goals are currency, kryptonite against the Cats. If you do manage to bulge the back of their net, the psychological value is as good as five points, not the three on the scoreboard.
When we played Kilkenny in the 2009 and 2010 All-Ireland finals, we targeted goals against them and were willing to take risks.
Tipp should have come up with a different gameplan for game 2 and fell into their trap.
That’s the challenge for Galway now, to devise something different from the Leinster final.
That script has to be torn up and a new solution found to crack the Kilkenny code.
They say Kilkenny don’t do tactics but I beg to differ.
Brian Cody had a tactic to stop Lar Corbett in the 2011 final and he obviously looked at a video of last year’s drawn final and set his stall out accordingly for the replay three weeks later.
Kilkenny learned more than Tipp did and he set his team up to nullify our attack.
Cody had a strong bench in 2014 to achieve this but retirements might mean that when he glances over his shoulder on Sunday for reinforcements, he may not reap similar rewards.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Cody sets up in a manner designed to stop Galway’s young forwards like Cathal Mannion, Jason Flynn and Jason Whelan from exerting an influence early in the game.
I expect Kilkenny to bunch the centre of their defence, not too dissimilar to the Tipp replay last year.
At the other end, I have a hunch that Cody will operate with a two-man inside line – but TJ Reid won’t be one of them. His mission will be to drift off the shoulder of Aidan Harte and ghost into the opposition danger zone to receive passes from the men inside.
Walter Walsh and Colin Fennelly could dovetail close to the Galway goal because putting Reid in there would be too obvious – and I’m not too sure that Cody will do obvious.
He might tell Walter that this is his chance to get the confidence levels flowing but he might only have 15 minutes to do this, with Richie Power warming up on the touchline.
This is a big game for Walter, with pressure on his shoulders to deliver the form that we saw in the 2012 replay against Galway.
The edge of the Galway square will be riddled with early nerves and this could provide the spark he needs.
Galway will surely defend better this time but my feeling is that the constant rotation of the Kilkenny forwards into this pivotal zone will prove their undoing.
Kilkenny will look for another of those fast starts.
Indeed, from minute one they’re in the fast lane, whereas other teams veer in and out of it.
These are really key periods for Galway, the start of each half, and if they can stay in the game for the first 15 minutes, I expect them to give as good as they get.
Their confidence should blossom from there but if they go four or five points down against Kilkenny, it’s a long road back.
If Kilkenny find a buffer, they’ll flood their defence like they did against Tipp last year and Waterford in the recent semi-final.
They know how to close out matches and you don’t win ten of the last 15 All-Irelands without that kind of knowledge.
How many times have we seen the Kilkenny half-forward line playing from midfield back?
They run that 30-yard square as their two midfielders sit five yards inside the ’65, with the centre back dropping back to play as a sweeper.
Now if this was up the other end of the pitch we’d be pointing out how defensive Waterford are but Kilkenny know as a collective when it’s time to stop hurling and start hooking and blocking to break the opposition’s momentum.
It’s incredible game awareness and during the semi-final, I watched from the stands how Reid reacted to a couple of high balls coming in.
He pointed to Eoin Larkin, urging him to pop it in low instead. That instruction resulted in a ripple effect through the team.
Larkin passed the message to Michael Fennelly, the midfield enforcer, and like Chinese whispers, Fennelly communicated back to Kieran Joyce, who informed his line of the pitch.
So what you have in that instance is all lines of the pitch from full-forward to half-back communicating in perfect sync.
We had reached a stage where we were so confident about our game management and that it was better than the opposition.
That was a rare occasion against Kilkenny because when they’re under pressure, they’re so good at minimising the damage inflicted on them.
And when they have their own purple patch, they extract maximum output.
No other team can sit back and take the flak as good as Kilkenny.
When they do, and when they lose momentum, they turn into that hooking and blocking machine.
During those periods, the biggest roar from the Kilkenny crowd is when a hook or a block is executed. It’s almost as loud as a goal.
Kilkenny are the masters of this, creating a claustrophobic environment that sucks the life from the opposition.
This is where Galway will be tested most. The test is not so much in terms of their hurling, but in their belief to be capable of getting the job done.
Because there’s no team better than Kilkenny at providing the most stern test of your mental capabilities at Croke Park.
It’s where Galway will sink or swim.
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All-Ireland SHC Brendan Cummins column COMP:ALL-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship expert view GAA Galway Hurling Kilkenny KilkvGal Galway Kilkenny