Kilkenny 2-19 Waterford 1-16: APART FROM the three they lost, Kilkenny have rarely been put to the pin of their collar in recent All-Ireland hurling semi-finals. Having reached the last four in each of the last 15 years, the county's average winning margin is over seven points.
Maybe it reflects well on Waterford that they beat this spread yesterday but there were few indications the result would be any different despite a spirited attempt by the underdogs to cause what would have been a sensation.
For all the occasional frailties exhibited by the winners, their primary goal was achieved and they now await the winners of Sunday’s second semi-final, with champions Tipperary even more daunting odds than Kilkenny were yesterday to make it through to next month’s final – in what would be the first time in more than 100 years the same counties have contested three successive All-Irelands.
Kilkenny will need no special motivation for the team that reduced to ashes their prospects of an historic five-in-a-row last year, but at times yesterday the struggle to stay alert in a match they were overwhelmingly expected to win got the better of them, in the first half when Waterford doggedly chased down the early deficits and in the second when their wides’ tally soared.
But when threatened, the Leinster champions were too sharp and capable of moving up the gears.
Competitive prospects for the afternoon appeared to take a hit almost immediately, with Richie Hogan put in the clear from Eoin Larkin’s break of a dropping ball before finishing to the net.
Michael Fennelly bustled through for a point and Henry Shefflin converted a free to leave Waterford firmly in the back seat by the seventh minute.
The response was driven by John Mullane. Having started at centre forward and given Brian Hogan an initial hard time, the De La Salle forward switched in to the full forward line and ran his torture programs on Paul Murphy before dropping deep again in the second half.
In the first half Mullane’s 1-2 was integral to Waterford staying afloat, combining with Kevin Moran for the team’s first score from play and taking the ball from Séamus Prendergast’s surging run to stick it in the net.
A tight-angled shot added another point and Mullane’s dander was up – leading to an over-ambitious crack at another goal when a point was available and an efficient save from David Herity as well as a mad clatter on the Kilkenny goalkeeper which earned him a yellow card.
Kilkenny weren’t passive onlookers during this attempted comeback and did enough to stay in front. Colin Fennelly followed the goal concession with a point and after Mullane’s unyielding attempt at goal, Kilkenny pounced on a Waterford failure to clear ball by launching an attack through Tommy Walsh, which Richie Power – whose scintillating form so far this year flagged after a good start and went unretrieved despite a move to full forward – and Colin Fennelly moved to Hogan for his second goal.
An interval deficit of 1-7 to 2-10 must have been disappointing for Waterford, as they had rattled their opponents in the third quarter. Moran and Shane O’Sullivan buckled into Fennelly and Reid and Kilkenny were unusually pressurised under high ball, with Séamus Prendergast helping to secure a better than average return at wing forward. During this phase not even Tommy Walsh was dominating under the dropping ball.
Playing conventionally, one-on-one, the Waterford defence gave a good account of themselves in the absence of an extra defender. Noel Connors and Darragh Fives cleared plenty of ball but the inside line wasn’t invulnerable, as the two goals showed.
Henry Shefflin was again the source of order for the winners. Despite the physical challenge, he again used the ball well, scoring all of his frees and adding three points from play. He landed the opening two scores of the second half to complicate the recovery task.
Waterford weren’t able to craft a way back into the contest. As the minutes ticked by a certain panic set in and they bunched in front of goal, making the defenders’ job easier and a number of over-anxious shots flew wide in the 10 minutes after the restart before Mullane opened their scoring.
Shane Walsh had won some promising possession ahead of Noel Hickey but was unable to turn it to significant account and ended up being substituted for the final quarter.
Kilkenny needed only to keep the scoreboard moving and they matched Waterford over the second 35 minutes to protect their half-time lead despite a run of Waterford points in the closing 10 minutes.
All they had to do was get to next month’s final without mishap and repair for a few weeks to get ready for the match that defines the season.
KILKENNY:1 D Herity; 2 P Murphy, 3 N Hickey, 4 J Tyrrell; 5 T Walsh, 6 B Hogan (capt; 0-1), 7 JJ Delaney; 8 M Fennelly (0-3), 10 TJ Reid (0-1); 9 M Rice (0-1), 11 R Power, 14 H Shefflin (0-7, 0-4 frees); 13 C Fennelly (0-2), 12 E Larkin (0-2), 15 R Hogan (2-0). Subs: P Hogan (0-1) for Reid (half-time), 21 E Brennan (0-1) for Rice (61 mins). Yellow cards: Reid (12 mins), Power (48 mins), M Fennelly (52 mins), Tyrrell (56 mins), Shefflin (60 mins).
WATERFORD:1 C Hennessy; 2 D Fives, 3 L Lawlor, 4 N Connors; 5 T Browne, 6 M Walsh, 18 D Prendergast; 8 K Moran, 9 S O'Sullivan; 10 S Prendergast (0-1), 13 J Mullane (1-6), 12 P Mahony (0-2, both frees); 11 S Molumphy (capt; 0-1); 14 S Walsh, 15 E Kelly (0-3, 0-2 frees). Subs: 17 J Nagle for D Prendergast (half-time), 18 M Shanahan (0-2, 0-1 free) for Mahony (45 mins), 33 T Ryan for Kelly (52 mins), 20 R Foley (0-1, free) for S Walsh (53 mins). Yellow cards: Mullane (29 mins), Kelly (42 mins).
Referee:B Kelly (Westmeath).
Key moments
3 mins: Richie Hogan scoots through the middle of the defence and strikes confidently to the net for the first score of the game and the start Waterford didn't want.
11 mins:John Mullane has just cut the margin to four when Shane Walsh beats Noel Hickey to the ball, but deprives himself of a good start as he sees his shot at the posts fall short and into goalkeeper David Herity.
25 mins: Kilkenny have again stretched the lead to six when Séamus Prendergast breaks and passes to Mullane, who cracks home a goal, to make it 1-8 to 1-5.
33 mins:Kilkenny's lead is down to two when Mullane again turns Paul Murphy but instead of taking a point he shoots optimistically for goal and Herity blocks.
34 mins:Almost immediately Waterford cough up a goal. Declan Prendergast and Michael Walsh lose possession and Tommy Walsh pumps the ball forward for Power and Colin Fennelly to put in Richie Hogan for his second goal (pictured below).
Half-time: Kilkenny 2-10 Waterford 1-7.
56 mins:Stephen Molumphy points instead of attempting to exploit an opening for the goal, which Waterford realistically needed to have any chance of forcing the contest in the closing stages. The scoreline stands at 2-16 to 1-10.
65 mins:Waterford string together four successive points to reduce the deficit to five before Paddy Hogan stops the rot with a point.
Full-time:Kilkenny 2-19 Waterford 1-16.
