Breathless thriller sees Kilkenny edge Waterford in Thurles

Kilkenny 2-19 Waterford 2-17

You can anticipate outcomes but sometimes the process comes as a surprise.

Many believed Waterford had lost their best chance of winning this All-Ireland hurling semi-final a week previously having seen a four-point lead evaporate in the final quarter but few could have anticipated how close they would come to being wrong.

In a way Kilkenny ran this colossal replay from the front, leading from – crucially – the end of the first half to the final whistle with just a minute or so being pegged back to level terms but equally there was to be no straightforward run for the tape but a battling, ferociously contested struggle all the way down the finishing strait.

Things that wouldn’t have been expected: Waterford having a free from just farther than 65 metres to draw the match and surely send it to extra time, Kilkenny sitting comfortably on a five-point lead 10 minutes into the second half and still not being able to shake off their opponents and strangest of all the champions going virtually the entire final quarter without scoring until a three-point flourish scattered throughout an extended injury-time (between the two halves added minutes contributed six of the winners’ total) got the scoreboard ticking over again just sufficiently to keep Waterford at bay.

Turning point

Eoin Murphy’s catch and clearance from Pauric Mahony’s free in the 73rd minute was effectively the turning point and a last-second point steered over by

Richie Hogan

settled the matter.

Rarely has a replay delivered such a spirited reprise of a brilliant first match.

To Waterford’s immense credit they improved in areas that needed it, primarily in the scoring of goals but equally in securing improved performance from players who hadn’t been as prominent the first day and in their rising to the reconfigured challenge of Kilkenny.

The champions' manager Brian Cody did as suspected change the announced team. Liam Blanchfield and Mark Bergin came into the corner forward positions to replace Jonjo Farrell and John Power whereas Eoin Larkin's selection was recognition of his contribution off the bench in the first match and allowed Conor Fogarty resume at centre back in place of Kieran Joyce.

It was however the realignment of the team that proved as significant. Cody compressed his best players into the middle of the field and the last two Hurlers of the Year, Richie Hogan and TJ Reid started at centrefield with another former winner of the award Michael Fennelly, lining out at wing forward but moving to the 40 to push onto Tadhg de Búrca.

It made the exchanges in the middle third vastly challenging.

The ball whistled from ruck to hand to block to being coursed around the contest zone. Waterford more than held their own and in the first half did really well on puck-outs but critically the squeeze also created space on the inside lines and Colin Fennelly got inside Barry Coughlan for two goals to settle Kilkenny and raise the pressure on their opponents.

When Kilkenny take the opposition for two goals in little longer than the opening 10 minutes, it can generally be the signal for anyone with pressing business to leave but Waterford met fire with fire.

Blanchfield, the more successful of the corner forward introductions, scored his first point – he would add two more before half-time and play an influential role in the dizzying end-game – within a minute.

But one of the stars of the drawn match, Austin Gleeson, scored a super goal in response, taking a pass from late inclusion Stephen Bennett off a possession quarried out by Michael Walsh, who was the engineer in Waterford’s first three scores.

Gleeson pointed within a minute and although he found the going tougher as the match wore on his team were up and running – literally – and he ended up with the same personal tally from play as the previous week.

Walter Walsh survived an early knock to play a key role in both the Fennelly goals – his ability to get on ball in tight spaces and pick out the right pass again highlighted in the second strike, which like the crucial equaliser in the drawn match also involved Michael Fennelly, whose late departure on a stretcher looks ominous with the final three weeks away.

Waterford had managed to cauterise the tradition haemorrhage of scores against Kilkenny in and around half-time on the first day but if there was a fatal lapse on Saturday it was in this very period.

In injury-time before the break, just after Mahony had equalised, Kilkenny rattled off three quick points to lead by 2-10 to 2-7.

Looked grim

Between the 21st minute just after Jake Dillon was sent in by Stephen Bennett for Waterford’s second goal to which Shane Bennett added a point for a 2-5 to 2-2 lead, and the 45th when Reid pointed a free Kilkenny won the exchanges by 0-12 to 0-4, ultimately the basis for their success.

But Derek McGrath's team responded when things looked grim. His introduction of Maurice Shanahan had an immediate effect, as he was fouled for a converted free and a minute later Walsh had supplied him with the makings of a point from play.

You’re not really hurting Kilkenny though until you’re making them chase the game and wing back Pádraig Walsh’s two boomers on the counter were vital in keeping them ahead.

On the line Cody was visibly agitated by some of referee James McGrath’s calls, which denied Kilkenny plausible awards although the mystery of the added time was more the original assessment of three minutes rather than the fact that five were played.

Waterford will bitterly regret that last couple of minutes because after Barron, who had an exceptional day wriggling through the centrefield exchanges to turn scraps into attacks, launched an equaliser from the left wing in the 69th minute just after Reid had inexplicably missed a free the challengers looked to have critical momentum.

In the end though they didn’t press home that advantage and anyone imagining that Kilkenny wouldn’t take advantage obviously hasn’t been paying attention.

KILKENNY: 1 Eoin Murphy; 2 Paul Murphy, 3 Joey Holden, 4 Shane Prendergast (capt); 5 Pádraig Walsh (0-2), 8 Conor Fogarty, 7 Cillian Buckley; 15 Richie Hogan (0-4), 11 TJ Reid (0-7, six frees); 9 Michael Fennelly (0-1), 10 Walter Walsh (0-1), 21 Eoin Larkin (0-1); 24 Mark Bergin, 14 Colin Fennelly (2-0), 25 Liam Blanchfield (0-3).

Subs: 20 Lester Ryan for M Fennelly (58 mins), 13 Jonjo Farrell for Bergin (61 mins), 23 Kevin Kelly for Blanchfield (72 mins).

WATERFORD: 1. Stephen O'Keeffe; 4 Noel Connors, 3 Barry Coughlan, 2 Shane Fives; 7 Philip Mahony, 5 Tadhg De Búrca, 17 Conor Gleeson; 10 Kevin Moran, 8 Jamie Barron (0-2); 12 Michael Walsh, 6 Austin Gleeson (1-2), 20 Pauric Mahony (0-9, six frees); 24 Stephen Bennett, 11 Shane Bennett (0-2), 14. Jake Dillon (1-0).

Subs: 21 Maurice Shanahan (0-2) for Stephen Bennett (48 mins), 13 Patrick Curran for Shane Bennett (55 mins), 22 Tom Devine for Dillon (62 mins)

Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)