Seán Morantalks to John Conran and Conor Hayes, former coaches of Galway and Wexford, about beating the Cats

IN THE past 11 seasons Kilkenny have failed to qualify for only two All-Ireland finals. Only two counties have beaten them outside of a final, Galway – twice, in 2001 and ’05 – and, sensationally, Wexford in the 2004 Leinster semi-final.

Some teams take the field against the champions with no clear intention of winning but just restricting the margin.

Waterford go into tomorrow’s GAA All-Ireland hurling semi-final against the backdrop of an awesome beating in last year’s final and as the most distant of outsiders.

Tactics play a role in restricting what Kilkenny can do but the champions have proved adaptable when it comes to finding the antidote to any innovation. Once caught, it never happens again.

June 13th, 2004,

Leinster SHC semi-final, Croke Park

Wexford 2-15 Kilkenny 1-16

Wexford had been competitive in Leinster over the previous couple of years without looking likely to topple the champions. In 2003 the county had strung together a couple of good displays, defeating Waterford and taking Cork to a replay.

The spring of 2004 had, however, gone badly, with the players restless; manager John Conran, his selectors and panel members agreed to thrash out a game-plan.

Even with the success of the kinetic tactics of not staying still, it still took a goal from Michael Jacob on the stroke of time to bring about the win – the only time since the provincial final of 1997 Kilkenny have been beaten in the Leinster championship.

JOHN CONRAN

( Wexford manager)

“We had had a disastrous league and played terribly badly, including losing to Kilkenny in Wexford Park. We felt that we were coming from a long way behind, that we hadn’t done ourselves justice. We had good players, experienced hurlers like Darragh Ryan, Liam Dunne and Adrian Fenlon.

“We had been written off and there was talk of disquiet in the camp and, of course, normally when things are going badly, there is!

“We tried a running game based on Newtownshandrum, who had won the club All-Ireland that year and which would be the basis of Cork’s win later that September. The players practised a lot of moves on the puck-outs to hold on to as much ball as possible.

“We played Cork in a challenge in Ardmore. Now usually Cork used to beat us up a stick but we played really well against them that night and then against Galway. They were challenges but quite competitive. We were absolutely terrified that Kilkenny would hear about it and be ready for us.

“Kilkenny, being the team they were, it was still a huge task to go out and beat them but the tactics worked well and I felt we were the better team. Our half forwards were running across the field and back again and it unsettled them.

“It worked from the word go. Kilkenny regrouped at half-time but we stayed with them. It took a huge physical effort with all of that running. I remember JJ Delaney didn’t know whether to stay or go and the plan was to throw the ball into any space and have a fella come running on to it.

“We felt we needed primary possession from our own puck-outs so when Damien (Fitzhenry) pucked out the plan was give him two or three options. In fairness, the players bought into this completely because it was half their own plan and they were determined to work it.

“We were really confident. We had a great belief in the plan, which was most important. I think sometimes Kilkenny are put too much on a pedestal. They are the benchmark but if you don’t believe deep down that you’re good enough to win, you won’t.

“It took an awful lot out of us. Teams go into zones and we had put a huge effort into beating Kilkenny. We were lucky enough to get past Offaly in the Leinster final – Damien Fitzhenry was fantastic – but we were going backwards and Cork hockeyed us in the All-Ireland semi-final.”

August 21st, 2005

All-Ireland SHC semi-final, Croke Park

Galway 5-18 Kilkenny 4-18

Defeat by Galway in the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final had formed one the great instructional influences on Brian Cody’s early management, convincing him of the need to develop physical endurance and the importance of not being pushed around, however skilful the team.

This was a different type of match. Like Waterford tomorrow, Galway were still in recovery from a major beating administered the previous summer. Unlike Waterford, they also benefited from Kilkenny being under-strength and, crucially, missing Noel Hickey at full back.

The match was notable for the improvisation of Galway’s defence as well as the pinball velocity of the play and the level of scoring. Niall Healy got three goals for the winners and Ger Farragher two. But Kilkenny were still closing by the end of the match, as Galway clung on.

The Connacht side went down in the final against Cork and a year later the Leinster champions had their revenge but this match remains the last occasion on which Kilkenny were beaten in the championship.

CONOR HAYES

( Galway manager)

“Looking back our build-up in 2005 was completely different to the previous year. Then we had one match against Down and a week later, with no step-up, Kilkenny.

“We’d won the league in ’04 and then let the guys go back to their clubs for two weeks – which became three.

“By the time they came back they had been playing at that level long enough to lose the sharpness that we’d built up in the league and it took a good while to get back to the required level again.

“In ’05 we had pool matches against Laois, Antrim and Limerick. Beating Limerick meant that we avoided Kilkenny in the quarter-finals and played Tipp instead. Seven down, we came back to win that and it gave us a great lift so that we had a completely different attitude going in against Kilkenny.

“The team realised that we were not failures after beating Limerick and Tipperary and were really ready to have a go at Kilkenny. We weren’t shying away from them and had confidence. There was an element of looking forward to proving that we were better.

“We planned to mark their forwards in a particular way. They switch them around a fair bit. Henry Shefflin can start at full forward and then move to the wing or the corner. We had to work out what to do when that happened and we decided to leave the same markers with them.

“I remember Tony Regan marked Shefflin, Ollie Canning was on DJ Carey and Damien Joyce picked up Eddie Brennan. We didn’t want them to get into a flow by switching forwards and finding their rhythm. It worked better in the second half than in the first and they became frustrated at the same lads following them around and getting in their faces.

“We were also lucky. They were missing Noel Hickey and they brought in John Tennyson at full back and in fairness to him, his best position is farther out. We used speed against them. Derek Hardiman and (David) Collins were constantly drilling ball up the field. Work on supply, work on supply – keep feeding the forwards and they stuck to the task well, held their nerve.

“It’s difficult to work at tactics with Kilkenny because they can play it any way they like. In the end you have to outhurl them to win and you have to win in more positions than they do.

“At half-time I was happy enough. They had thrown a good bit at us but we were still there. We were 10 up and I was thinking ‘this can’t last’ and wondering would we be able for the surge. At one stage I was looking at bringing in an experienced player – Liam Hodgins was on the bench – but they started moving again and we left things as they were.

“They have great know-how when it comes to getting around a game. Waterford tried to rough them up before last year’s final but they probably get that every week in training so it had zero effect. Maybe their hunger is gone or they’re a bit stale or Waterford have more appetite to win this but I wouldn’t be convinced.

“I don’t know what Brian Cody’s game plan is going to be but the one thing, match after match, that he gets them to do is to win all of their individual positions. Their defensive clearances mightn’t always be measured but the forward is still expected to win the ball.”