The philosophy that Kilkenny manager Brian Cody urged his players to adopt when faced with a 10-point deficit for the second half at Nowlan Park yesterday is as old as the hills, but still very effective.
"Don't go mad fellas looking for goals, take the points and the goals will come," urged Cody in a dejected halftime dressing-room.
The strong wind sweeping sheets of drizzle towards the Tipperary posts was be a big help, but such was the splendour of Tipperary's first-half display, there was really no guarantee that Cody's men would suddenly out-pace and out-wit the Tipperary cover and create scores.
Within five minutes of the restart, though, it was a whole new ball game as Kilkenny drew within three points of their rivals. By midway through the half, they were on level terms, 2-10 to 1-13.
Cody's strategy being proved right and his introduction of Niall Moloney to the attack proved a match-winning one. The cracks in Tipperary's armoury began to show significantly after Moloney entered the fray, most notably when John Leahy was confronted by an improved DJ Carey. Moloney joined the scoring bonanza with a goal and three points.
Carey had a quiet first half during which Leahy was an inspiring figure in the Tipperary defence. But that all changed in the second half as the visitors were rendered quite helpless by the grit, tackling and skill of Kilkenny. Tipperary manager Nick English said that the match was the first real test for his side.
"It was a test we did not pass, but you can learn from defeats like this just as well as you can in victory. We were not good enough, we did not consolidate our position early in the second half and that was a major factor for us. We must be realistic. Maybe we have been unrealistic of the teams expectations. I did not feel secure with a 10-point lead at half-time. The wind was strong out there and we found it hard to get beyond half way in the second half, just as they found in the first," said English.
But for a team that played with such style and purpose in the first half Tipperary's sole return of one second-half point was a hugely disappointing. "We must now put this behind us and look to our match against Cork next week," said English. Within a minute of the restart, Carey was right into the action as he placed Henry Shefflin for a Kilkenny point.
Within a couple of minutes Moloney was on the spot to ram home a goal. Carey added a point to reduce the deficit to three and from that moment, Kilkenny's roller-coaster show looked a winning one. Goal number two arrived in the 45th minute when a long delivery by Charlie Carter was dropped by Tipperary goalkeeper Kevin O'Brien and Ken O'Shea was on hand to knock the ball home. The sides were now level.
O'Shea's cross was sent home by Brian McEvoy for Kilkenny's third goal with 12 minutes remaining and there was simply no way back for Tipperary.
Kilkenny: J McGarry; J Butler, J Costelloe, P Larkin; M Kavanagh, E Kennedy, P Barry; T Murphy, A Comerford (0-1); DJ Carey (0-2, one 65), J Hoyne, B McEvoy (1-1); K O'Shea (11), H Shefflin (0-6 five frees), C Carter. Subs: N Moloney (1-3) for Hoyne (half time), S Grehan for Murphy (20 mins).
Tipperary: K O'Brien; D Fahy, E Corcoran, L Sheedy; R Ryan, D Kennedy, J Leahy; E Enright, T Dunne (0-5, two frees); P Kelly, E Tucker (0-2), W Maher (0-1); L Cahill (0-3), P Shelly (1-1), E O'Neill (0-1). Subs: B O'Meara for Maher (35 mins). M Ryan for R Ryan (39 mins).
Referee: P O'Connor (Limerick).
