Nobody the better for succession of mismatches

HURLING ANALYST:IT IS EVEN more dispiriting to see Kilkenny shred the 15-point handicap laid on by the bookmakers for those who believed Wexford could stay even remotely in touch.

This is just further confirmation of the crisis hurling currently finds itself in - though I do believe change is now inevitable. Striking a balance between the ever-competitive Munster championship and a Rest of Ireland conference that would include Galway appears to be the obvious solution.

For the wellbeing of hurling in the long term, we cannot be waiting for late July, early August for the championship to spark to life from a national perspective.

As mentioned many times before, a Galway-versus-Kilkenny "Leinster" hurling final yesterday would have captured the sporting imagination of the whole island. Galway's young prodigy Joe Canning began his championship career in Casement Park against Antrim followed by the weekend annihilation of Laois, instead of being paraded where he and his team-mates belong in mid-summer - in Croke Park.

People are voting with their feet, making the result of yesterday's provincial final detrimental to the game of hurling. Galway putting heavy scores on Antrim and Laois is equally pointless. These games have been of little benefit to Galway and yesterday we learned very little about the current evolvement of this Kilkenny team.

The theme after yet another Leinster hurling final remains the same. Kilkenny prevail as expected although not as impressively as the 19-point margin suggests.

It's hard to know for certain what sparked such a competitive first half either. Was it Kilkenny complacency or Wexford endeavour? We will be generous and call it a combination of both.

The performance of both sides can be reflected in the performances of two players, Wexford's Stephen Banville and Eddie Brennan of Kilkenny.

Banville contributed on so many levels in the opening 35 minutes only to fade to virtually a watching brief after the break. In contrast, Brennan started poorly - just like Henry Shefflin and Tommy Walsh - only to recover dramatically to notch up 2-2 after Brian Cody got hold of his players under the Hogan Stand at the break.

Undoubtedly Cody had a quiet word with his men before altering the style of attack.

The long ball into the full-forward line was shelved as they began to focus more on retaining possession.

The work ethic also dramatically improved.

There had been snippets of hope for a competitive 70 minutes of hurling. To their credit, Wexford didn't crack after Shefflin's first-half penalty, responding with some decent scores.

When Diarmuid Lyng hit that sideline point early in the second half the ingredients for a surprise were in the melting pot.

Five minutes later Brennan and Richie Power had registered goals and Wexford duly collapsed.

It seemed like an old mental complex set in again. They probably never truly believed victory was possible so when these hammer blows came they relented. Six points became 10 points and then Kilkenny were out of sight. The shape of the Wexford team visibly disintegrated.

So, as was widely expected, Kilkenny stroll into an All-Ireland semi-final but Cody could not have learned much here.

Granted, some players like Eoin Larkin and Aidan Fogarty produced impressive displays but what do we know about Kilkenny that we didn't know before? Not much.

Shefflin appears to be struggling to reach full fitness. His movement has improved since the Offaly game and he now has several weeks to work on regaining fitness — provided his knee holds up.

Walsh is another key man who was off his best but the same was said of him last season only for a strong run of form in August and September to put him in the frame for "hurler of the year". Expect more of the same.

The Jackie Tyrrell experiment in midfield and Derek Lyng at centre forward both look unconvincing. Michael Fennelly, for one, should come back into the equation. As mentioned, Larkin shows no ill-effects of a winter away on Army duty.

Richie Power has been accused of over-elaboration in the past but here he produced a simple and effective performance that should hold off those pressing hard in the queue behind him.

Aidan Fogarty is the next man in line. He seemed disgusted to be withdrawn so soon after making an immediate impact as a blood sub for Martin Comerford and did well when introduced as a full replacement.

One thing is for certain: Kilkenny remain overwhelming favourites to clinch the three-in-a-row. We need to see more from Tipperary and Galway first, while Waterford appear to have turned a corner. But the current system ensures we don't really know where we stand for a few more weeks.