A week to
circle the wagons. After the narrow miss in the Munster final and the Ennis landslide, it
was time for everyone to get back on the straight and narrow for knockout
hurling. For the under 21s, who experienced two defeats in five days, it
offered a welcome release.
Apart from
Stephen O’Keeffe’s excellence putting his mind at ease, Michael Ryan learned
little else from his trip to Cusack
Park especially in terms
of clearing up any thorny selection issues. Only the double digit jerseys
offered any room for debate and in the end Thomas Ryan put forward a stronger
case than Gavin O’Brien, Martin O’Neill and Eoin Kelly to pin down the last
name on the team sheet. With only 34 championship minutes under his belt up to
this point, it marks a big break for the Tallow forward. Another decision for
management to make surrounds those wasted frees. Six missed placed balls in two
championship games raises an issue about whether to move Maurice Shanahan off
the free taking duties.
In truth,
both teams have creases to iron out. Where do these two teams stand in the
greater scheme of things anyway? Will Jimmy Barry Murphy’s men continue on
their steady upward curve or can Waterford
reach a seventh successive semi final? This cloudy picture will become an awful
lot clearer by half past three on Sunday. Back to those niggly issues that need
to be remedied. For one, the spine of the Cork
defence has taken on an uneasy appearance recently. They settled on Stephen
McDonnell at full back during the league but scrapped that trial after Eoin
Larkin made hay on final day. And after unsuccessfully handing out chances to
Brian Murphy, Shane O’Neill and Damien Cahalane, that decision now seems
puzzling. None of those three put their stamp on the position which puts
McDonnell back into the mix this weekend. In this version of musical chairs,
has his confidence been dealt a blow? The return of Sean Óg at the expense of
William Egan gives the half back line an experienced feel but it is untested as
a unit. After three championship games, Cork’s
defensive combinations have still not bedded down.
At the
other end, goals have been in short supply most noticeably against Tipperary. Worryingly
from a Waterford
perspective, they seemed to recover their touch against Wexford as Luke
O’Farrell, Paudie O’Sullivan and Patrick Horgan scored 2-6 from play between
them. That came against Division 1B opposition however in a game that won’t be as
open as the one on Sunday. Horgan can cut loose if he starts well and boasts
2-29 in three games to date. Lehane, as he displayed so vividly in February,
can chalk up a hefty total in a flash and only needs a fraction of space.
O’Farrell meanwhile, doesn’t shy away from going for the jugular but his
colleagues all too often settle for the point.
The same
accusation around the lack of a killer instinct could be levelled at the Waterford attack given the
evidence presented a fortnight ago. Cracks appeared in the second half when a
number of hurried goal and point attempts went awry. In the aftermath of Shane
Bourke’s green flag, a couple of scores were needed to steady the ship and chip
away at the lead. John Mullane and Shane Walsh put Michael Cahill and Paul
Curran back on their heels in the opening twenty minutes but struggled to even
get the sliotar in their hands thereafter. Two of the six starting forwards
were also held scoreless which didn’t help matters. The introduction of Thomas
Ryan for his first championship start, after spending three years on the
fringes, brings added zip to the inside line given quality ball. Along with
intelligent deliveries into the full forward division, a greater conversion
rate and composure in front of goal will be required to improve upon a
disappointing return of 16 points.
Unlike
their opponents however, they hold a steadier hand in defence. They showed
plenty of grit and aggression to get to grips with a much vaunted Tipperary attack after a
shaky start. Four members of that back six can also reflect on an effective
shut out of the Cork
forward line two years ago. Noel Connors, for example, held Horgan scoreless in
both the drawn game and replay. The half back line will look to get on top
against the likes of Niall McCarthy and Patrick Cronin from puck outs to cut
down on the supply inside. Cork tend to struggle in this area so they may try
to unsettle Tony Browne like Tipperary managed with Lar Corbett and also use
Conor Lehane’s blistering pace on the other wing.
Another key
battle will develop around the middle. Stephen Molumphy and Philip Mahony have
grown into an unlikely pairing. They worked up and down the field throughout
the Munster
final and while they ran out of petrol late on, they edged out Brendan Maher
and Shane McGrath. The man in the white helmet is enjoying his best campaign in
a couple of years and his second half point summed up his renewed appetite. Jimmy
Barry Murphy sprung a surprise by going with Daniel Kearney and Pa Cronin. The
combination of Lorcan McLoughlin and Darren Sweetnam thrived during the league
with the latter earmarked as one who could light up the championship. The Newtown flyer Cathal Naughton also settles for a spot on
the sideline but Kearney
brings plenty of pace and scoring ability.
Waterford’s laboured finish to games is also
growing into a common theme. A couple of guilt edged misses and quality
goalkeeping left them off the hook against Clare while they could only rustle
up five points in the second half at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. In light of
these difficulties, the use of the bench will play a significant role. The
switches paid off the first time out but none of the changes in the Munster final really
boosted their comeback efforts. Cork
appear to hold the aces in this regard. Old reliables
like Gardiner and Naughton along with fresh faces like McLoughlin, Sweetnam,
Coughlan and Moylan are all held in reserve.
The path is
laid out in front of either team to target a spot in the All Ireland final. The nine
spine tingling battles of the last decade will be recalled but remember that the
2010 edition was a more sedate affair that turned into a marathon arm wrestle
over 160 minutes. Expect maybe something in between this time around from two
sides finding their feet. The last time that Waterford exited at the quarter final stage,
Brian Corcoran’s drop-shot separated the sides and a moment like that could
define this latest clash. Waterford
will produce another determined performance but can they add that bit of polish
up front? Cork’s
curious team selection opens the door and Michael Ryan can bank on a more
settled fifteen. Jimmy Barry Murphy will want to prove that this latest project
is on the right path however and that motivation along with a slight edge in
attack and a better bench can get them over the line by a couple of points.
Munster SHC Semi Final
Waterford
v Cork
Throw in 2.00 at Semple Stadium
MoReferee: Barry Kelly
(Westmeath)
Betting: Waterford 13/8 Draw 9/1 Cork 8/13
No comments:
Post a Comment