KILKENNY ARE BACK in a seventh straight Leinster final aiming to complete a five-in-a-row, and on paper, it’s as you were for Derek Lyng’s side.
But they have encountered some bumps on their way back to Croke Park.
Uncharacteristic errors have been evident in their performances, exposing them to scenarios where they narrowly avoided two shock defeats. Their 32-point win over Antrim was their most comfortable result, but even that comprehensive display contained flaws.
Dublin, the challengers for their Leinster crown, gave Kilkenny plenty to sweat over when they collided in the round-robin last month, and they will seek to poke at those deficiencies again on Saturday evening. Kilkenny have some tidying to do.
1. Close Call Results
Kilkenny were the only team who were unbeaten in either of the provincial round-robin competitions, but they did live dangerously at times. A draw against rivals Galway in Pearse Stadium was a satisfactory result, particularly since they were forced to travel without Eoin Cody, Adrian Mullen and goalkeeper Eoin Murphy available for selection. And up to that point, the Tribesmen had a flawless home record in the Leinster round-robin. 5-30 was a scoreline to savour in their opening round victory at home to Antrim.
But Dublin, Wexford and Carlow unexpectedly rumbled Kilkenny. Dublin and Wexford came close to earning upset wins, while Carlow held Kilkenny to a draw which was deservedly labelled as the shock of the season. A controversial penalty was a pivotal moment in Kilkenny’s win over Wexford, with many arguing that Liam Ryan’s foul on Eoin Cody was outside the box and not a clear goal-scoring opportunity. However, referee Liam Gordon felt differently and awarded the penalty which TJ Reid converted. Kilkenny eventually won by one.
Carlow’s draw was even more impressive as they hit the last two points of the game to rescue the result. Martin Kavanagh’s equalising free was initially a sideline ball but it was upgraded to a dead ball shot after Tom Phelan was adjudged to have thrown the ball into the crowd.
Dublin also built a strong case for a win over Kilkenny, and that will be the most encouraging thought running through Michéal Donoghue’s mind this evening. The sides met in Parnell Park on the back of Kilkenny’s back-to-back draws against Galway and Carlow, and Dublin exploited their vulnerabilities. They went six points clear after 55 minutes, only to be reeled in by Kilkenny’s patented late winning drive.
If Dublin get a taste for blood again this evening, they can pin Kilkenny down for the kill.
2. Conceding Costly Goals
Kilkenny have shipped seven goals in five round-robin games. They’ve lifted eight green flags but five of those were against Antrim, who are the only side not to leave a ripple in the Kilkenny net. But it’s the timing of those concessions that is the big concern for Kilkenny.
In Pearse Stadium, Galway broke through from three-pointers at times when Kilkenny were in control of the game. Initially trailing by three points, Kilkenny eventually went 0-8 to 0-7 in front after hitting four unanswered points. But the grind was undone by a goal from Gavin Lee who drifted into unmarked space and drilled his shot low into the net. Galway’s second goal on 42 minutes offered the home side a lifeline. Kilkenny were four points ahead and looked to be the more dominant side but a goalkeeping error gifted a chance to Brian Concannon.
Aidan Tallis, starting for the injured Eoin Murphy, tried to control a long delivery from Conor Cooney on the stick, but his touch fell into the path of Concannon for a first-time tap-in. Suddenly, Galway were roaring again and a draw was the outcome when a Kilkenny win was in the offing.
Likewise against Wexford and Dublin, the goals left considerable bruises on Kilkenny. TJ Reid’s penalty seemed to be the killer blow when Kilkenny hosted Wexford in Nowlan Park, but Cian Byrne fired the ball past Eoin Murphy to cut the gap to two with five minutes left. Conor Hearne struck the last point of the game to leave the minimum between them but the clock spared Kilkenny.
Brian Hayes’s goal was the score that gave Dublin the belief that a landmark win over Kilkenny was possible, pushing them into a 2-2o to 0-23 lead in the final quarter.
Indeed, Kilkenny did put out all those fires but how much more panic can they endure?
3. High Wide Counts
Kilkenny have committed the sin of wayward shooting at times this year. They clocked 10 in the first half of their comprehensive win over Antrim, and 20 in total. Seven of their shots trailed wide in the first half against Dublin with Reid, a normally accurate player, blazing three frees off target in the second half.
The Cats’ final wide count was 17 against Carlow as they finished the game with 14 players after Killian Doyle was sent off on his championship debut for a strike on Chris Nolan.
Kilkenny’s poor shooting can be traced back to the league, wastefully hitting nine balls the wrong side of the post in the first half of the Division 1 final. They were made to pay for their lack of precision as Clare emerged as champions with a two-point win.
Dublin will punish such frailties if they resurface in Croke Park.
– Updated 9 June: An earlier version of this article contained an incorrect photo caption, naming Kilkenny’s Mikey Butler; the photo is of Kilkenny’s Mikey Carey.
