Kilkenny must win battle against self-doubt

Kilkenny v Galway: There has to be some element of intrigue as to why Kilkenny appear so nervy about tomorrow's Guinness All-Ireland hurling semi-final but they are.

They beat opponents Galway by 19 points in last year's qualifiers and on the basis of the latter's quarter-final win over Tipperary there's not compelling evidence that the challenge is going to be radically different.

So why the closed doors at training, the weekend trip to Dublin and the ongoing hoarding of the team announcement until the weekend? The answer lies in the question marks over Kilkenny themselves. So far there has been an air of lassitude about their performances in the big matches and they have gone the last two without scoring a goal - a sequence unequalled in the past 10 years at least.

Consequently the intense focus on raising performance levels is understandable and few in the county are going to be too unhappy about the clandestine preparation if the team responds with a first really authoritative display in this summer's championship - allowing that Offaly were knocked over too easily.

The selection conundrum was: use Tommy Walsh's talents in attack or in defence. Again it's easy to understand Brian Cody's dilemma. Walsh was man of the match in Thurles a year ago marking Damien Hayes. The Galway corner forward did score 1-2 but his marker was not to blame for the goal.

Hayes had another influential match against Tipperary three weeks ago and the temptation will be to concentrate once again on shutting him down in the probability that with Hayes restricted, Galway can't win.

Walsh is named at centrefield with Bryan Barry dropped but the training ground switch with James Ryall - who despite the questions also had a stormer in Thurles last year - is an available option and it remains to be seen how the team lines out. John Hoyne returns to the half forwards as does Eddie Brennan in place of Richie Power.

Galway's pace is also a worry to a team that isn't blessed with that quality in the backs but sceptics would be entitled to ask what damage can it do Kilkenny in Croke Park that it so signally failed to do in Thurles. Admittedly there is a hardness to the headquarters pitch that accentuates acceleration and the speed of the ground ball but Kilkenny are more familiar with it than Galway.

Whatever way Kilkenny are configured Galway have to counter it, so what do Conor Hayes's team bring to the table? It's surprising to compare Galway with last year and look at the players they don't have now.

Eugene and Diarmuid Cloonan, Fergal Moore and Kevin Broderick all started last year and won't tomorrow. Of these, only Broderick is available and after injury is sure to be introduced at some stage. In the case of the others they aren't involved this year and it's impossible to be sanguine that their replacements are a major improvement if any.

On the plus side there were encouraging signs that Ger Farragher is engaging more with general play as well as potting impressive dead-ball totals, which could be significant if Kilkenny continue to give away cheap frees.

Shane Kavanagh and David Forde had good matches on either 40 despite misgivings and Kavanagh, selected the last day at full back, holds on to the centre-back position. But can they replicate that in more daunting circumstances? Galway desperately need a good start and the encouragement of getting to grips with the game. Last year the match was still open on the scoreboard after 45 minutes but had the look of a foregone conclusion after about 10.

The reservation about Galway is that Tipperary were poor yet still got into a winning position. The recovery was impressive but Kilkenny will hardly let that sort of advantage slip.

Neutrals will hope that Galway rise to the occasion and equal last week's Clare achievement in creating a really competitive semi-final but even if they succeed the odds are against them pulling off a shock, particularly if Kilkenny can locate that elusive big performance.

KILKENNY: J McGarry; M Kavanagh, J Tennyson, J Ryall; R Mullally, P Barry, JJ Delaney; T Walsh, D Lyng; M Comerford, E Larkin, J Hoyne; E Brennan, DJ Carey, H Shefflin.

GALWAY: L Donoghue; D Joyce, T Regan, O Canning; D Hardiman, S Kavanagh, D Collins; F Healy, D Tierney; R Murray, D Forde, A Kerins; G Farragher, N Healy, D Hayes.

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary).