A third consecutive semi final defeat left lingering questions and unsatisfactory answers coming out of Croke Park on Sunday. Did the team become constrained by a defensive mindset? Were Kilkenny there for the taking? Will Davy Fitzgerald stay on for another term?
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect was the predictability of the second half outcome. The script could be written beforehand. The concession of an early goal, John Mullane’s one man scoring show, the brief but unsustained threat to derail Kilkenny and the superior spread of scores available to Brian Cody. As Paul Flynn described on the Sunday Game however this was an opportunity missed but Waterford didn’t prove capable of pouncing on Kilkenny’s vulnerability.
In the analysis that followed the game much of the talk surrounded the overly cautious approach taken to ruffle the opposition. Nothing was wrong with the set-up in the first half however when only two points separated the sides within minutes of the whistle. After the nightmare start unfolded, Waterford bossed the possession stakes by winning almost twice as many puck outs. Seamus Prendergast put in tremendous toil all afternoon by winning puck outs, scrapping for breaking ball, shifting tackles and setting up scores for colleagues. Kevin Moran and Stephen Molumphy also made outstanding clean catches in this period. Mullane’s cracking goal and stunning point from under the Hogan Stand provided the spark and Waterford appeared set to mount a legitimate challenge. Small breaks define big championship games however as the well documented second Kilkenny goal after Mullane’s miss proves.
As well as this turning point another obvious conclusion lies in the contrast of the two attacking forces. Kilkenny’s ability to win their own ball up front, seize goal opportunities and consistently convert placed balls keeps them ticking over. By comparison Waterford’s full forward line were blown away in the second half by the Cats rearguard, Stephen Molumphy spurned a gilt edged goal chance and Pauric Mahony missed two scoreable first half frees. Four Kilkenny forwards struck two points or more from play while only John Mullane attained this distinction at the other end. Also in Waterford’s two big games this year they have hit 19 points which at this level rarely if ever emerges as a winning total. Unearthing two more consistent scorers from open play is a must for next year’s management.
To compound the concession of a second goal, the team failed to emerge with same ferocity that unsettled Kilkenny in the opening half. The game was still in the fire but within minutes of the restart a resignation seeped in amongst players and supporters. One point in the first seventeen minutes after the break speaks volumes. Three wides from Kevin Moran and two courtesy of Eoin Kelly also chipped away at morale. It must be stated however that all six Kilkenny backs stepped up a notch to improve on a shaky opening half. Paul Murphy and JJ Delaney in particular had points to prove while Tommy Walsh and Jackie Tyrell remained consistent all the way through. A rally of six points in nine minutes came all too late and the gap didn’t move closer than five.
Another element of that second half that may have raised eyebrows was the substitutions. Jamie Nagle’s introduction at the break almost immediately resulted in a Kilkenny point after being blocked down by Michael Rice. Richie Foley appears to have slipped down the pecking order during the season behind the likes of David O’Sullivan and Nagle after a lightening start to the year. By taking off Shane Walsh and Eoin Kelly two goal threats were removed from the field. The Passage man made some questionable shot selections but at least he created some openings to trouble the stout Kilkenny defence. Maurice Shanahan made an immediate impact but Thomas Ryan didn’t appear comfortable in this company. Stephen Molumphy didn’t feature prominently at any stage appearing all at sea with his roving corner forward task and can consider himself fortunate to have lasted the seventy minutes.
Exiting at the semi final stage creates all of these what if scenarios. It brings a measure of optimism that you have reached and competed at the concluding stages but frustration that taking the extra step becomes the stumbling block every time. Five points is as close as Waterford got in 2009 and haven’t looked convincing enough to bridge it in the last two semi finals. The undercurrent of displeasure with the playing style and the lack of visible progress in closing this gap to the top two remain the principle reasons that Davy’s position comes under scrutiny. Officially he says he will take time out to consider what lies ahead but from outside looking in he seems to have completed his duties.
In the next week or so however the race for the next bainsteoir will become clearer as Davy and his management team ponder their options. Falling at the semi final obstacle brings an empty sort of feeling like the third place Waterford now fill on an annual basis. We are somewhere but when the September fireworks kick into action we are nowhere to be seen. An all too familiar routine.
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