Paul Murphy- “Lack of a performance the big issue for Kilkenny going forward“
The Danesfort man looks back on Offaly and the task at hand this weekend
At the start of the campaign, the Offaly game is definitely one that Kilkenny would have penned off to go and get full points and especially with them having a number of injuries this year.
Even for this game Adam Screeney was missing, so Kilkenny defiinitley would have expected to take full points from Tullamore. But as we saw with Dublin a few weeks to go, it’s not an easy place to go to.
Offaly have put in a number of big displays now and Kilkenny even looked a little nervous at times and they didn’t take their chances with a couple of frees missed that could have pushed the lead out and made it a two score game.
Kilkenny let Offaly in the game during the first half as a result, and when they came out for the second half, they started really well and went into a two or three-point lead.
You still thought when Kilkenny got in front they would kick on near the end of the game, and people will go on about the 65 and whether it was or wasn’t, but realistically the Cats should never have been in a position where that moment decided the game.
The performance should have been of the standard where you come out of the game as six or seven-point winners, so that’s what will disappoint Kilkenny. Obviously the Wexford game was great, but this display does leave a question mark.
Kilkenny are absolutley searching for form at the moment and while beating Wexford was a good bounce back from the heavy opening loss in Salthill, this draw now means there are no definites going forward.
We saw Kildare go 12 points ahead of Galway there at the weekend in Newbridge, so there’s no guarantee that Kilkenny will get the win. While you’d expect them to do just that, we would have expected them to beat Offaly aswell, so there’s no easy game at this level.
Brian Dowling will have the Kildare lads revved up too as it will be a big match for them and obviously Kilkenny have to go to Parnell Park for the last game. Dublin are looking strong so far, even if they also drew with Offaly.
Dangerous
Dublin are a very dangerous team so Kilkenny will have to be at the peak of their powers over the next two weekends to ensure they get maximum points but again it’s the performance levels where they will look for the improvement as the players and skill levels are already there, it’s just the performances aren’t backing up the quality that is on the field.
Collectively as a group they probably haven’t got to the highs that they expect, and while there’s individuals like Cian Kenny who are playing well, KIlkenny need their players to stand up when it counts as there’s plenty of lads waiting in the wings who would love the opportunity
On the weekend firstly, it will interesting to see how Brian Dowling gets on as it’s going to be strange for him taking on Kilkenny in Nowlan Park.
Even when he was over the Kilkenny camogie team a couple of years ago, Brian has forged his own career and he’s a great O’Loughlin Gaels man who is involved with Danesfort too. He’s well used to the black and amber!
He’s done a fantastic job with Kildare and I think one of the first things he would have realised when they won the Joe McDonagh Cup last year was that he’d be playing Kilkenny at some stage this year.
It will be strange for him but in his respects he should look at it as a reward for the fantastic job he’s done with the team to get to this level as Kildare haven’t played Kilkenny in the championship in quite a long time and it shows the quality at their disposal.
No doubt his wife and kids will be in the stand. What colour jerseys they will be wearing, who knows – but that’s up to them and fair play to him.
He could be a fella a couple of years down the road that I’m sure would be looking to manage a team in black and amber colours but at the moment he’s over Kildare and everyone in Kilkenny wishes him the best – just maybe not this weekend.
He’s another man that down the road could very well be a Kilkenny manager in a few years time.
On a whole, I think this is the best Leinster Championship we’ve had in a while both from a competition point of view and upsets or perceived upsets happening.
It is one of the most competitive Leinster Championships we’ve seen in a long time and if you even look at the first round with Dublin and Offaly drawing and that was a sign of things to come as nobody really saw that result beforehand.
You look then aswell at Offaly playing in Salthill on the back of Galway putting in a huge performance against Kilkenny and they didn’t have it all their own way either.
Galway and Kildare again last week was another game that went against the grain with Kildare going 12 points clear which is just remarkable and the Galway comeback was nearly twice as notable and a game like that, nobody had that on the cards really.
Wexford are the only team you could probably say who haven’t performed on a given day but they still have a chance to advance and the Leinster Championship has been very entertaining as a result.
It’s also encouraging for teams coming up from the Joe McDonagh Cup that there is a possibility to perform against the top teams and in Kildare and Offaly, they’ve maybe paved the way for that and the competition is definitley there.
At this stage a couple of years ago – and even seasons before that – we knew who was going to be in the final, and we knew who was going to be relegated, so it’s great to have that bity of uncertainty from a supporters and spectators point of view. When you look at the Munster Championship, you just crave that Leinster can have a similar bit of competition, and it’s definitely getting there.
From a hurling point of view, it’s a great benefit having more teams competing against each other.