HENRY’S UPPER HAND
Apprentice gets one over master Cody in late win for Galway
THE handshake when it was over at Salthill made the cold, awkwardness of the Roy KeaneMick McCarthy moment at Lansdowne Road look almost friendly.
At the final whistle, Kilkenny’s 10-time All-Ireland winner Henry Shefflin sought his old mentor out. Made a point of graciously offering his hand as Galway manager to Brian Cody, who was in charge for each and every one of those 10. If there was respect in the gesture, it was greeted with a hard stare and clenched handshake from the Kilkenny manager, who seemed to pull Shefflin back in towards him.
Maybe it was the whole master v apprentice sub-plot and the whirling talk of the Kilkenny succession states that had Cody in a state of animation and agitation throughout the match, particularly when a loose handpass by goalkeeper Eoin Murphy in the first half sparked a turnover, and a Galway goal that saw the home side shoot 1-5 without reply to take a six-point lead into half-time.
That lead had been wiped out though with 15 minutes to go, as Kilkenny whittled away at the deficit, led by the brilliance of Eoin Cody up front, the galloping energy of Walter Walsh and the free-taking of Alan Murphy.
Rather than powering to the finish, it was Galway who showed immense character to win out. Pádraic Mannion was immense in being moved back to shackle Cody, and won a couple of vital balls in a frantic climax.
It was a game that was packed with collisions and scores and bone-rattling intensity.
Even when John Donnelly skidded a goal past Galway goalkeeper Éanna Murphy in the third minute of added time, there was still time for a puck-out and for a free to be awarded to Galway for a challenge by Paddy Deegan on the livewire Tom Monaghan.
Up stepped Conor Cooney – and in another version of the freetaking drama against Wexford in the opening round, he split the posts from just outside the 65 for the winner.
If Cody’s mood wasn’t helped by that final act, it’s hard to begrudge Galway this one.
The manner in which they weathered the storm answered a lot of questions about leadership. Conor Whelan got game-time too and played an important role.
The tone was set from the start when Galway rattled off three quick points, backed by a strong wind, before Kilkenny replied with 1-2. Eoin Cody showed why he has become a go-to figure up front, winning the ball despite the close attentions of Jack Grealish. Fouled in the tackle, referee Colm Lyons allowed a good advantage.
Cody then used his strength to break the tackle and bounce a low shot off the turf to the net.
Two Fintan Burke sidelines, beautifully judged from the left on the wind, were among the highlights of the half from Galway, who stretched two ahead again before Kilkenny found the net for a second time in the 16th minute.
Grealish tried to get out in front of Cody but slipped, and the forward’s pass found Billy Ryan free on the back post. He took a touch to control the fizzed pass and fired it low to the net.
Galway had a goal chance soon after when Paddy Deegan miscued a stick pass across his own goal straight to Joseph Cooney, who saw his goal chance blocked.
Kilkenny were 2-7 to 0-12 in front when goalkeeper Eoin Murphy gave a long, loopy handpass that Cianan Fahy got a hurl to and intercepted. The ball was worked inside then and buried by Johnny Coen. It was the start of 1-5 without reply – nearly all from turnovers. It was all very Kilkenny. Very Cody. Shefflin’s stamp on the team was very much in the image of his old manager.
Galway’s dander was very much up and the crowd were responding to it all.
When Cathal Mannion floated a quality score on the breeze, it came with a fist-pump and you could nearly see the confidence rippling through the team.
Cooney then hit a cracker off his back foot before Kilkenny sneaked the last point of the half via Adrian Mullen to leave it at Galway 1-17, Kilkenny 2-8 at the interval.
By that stage, Cody had already replaced midfielder James Maher with Alan Murphy. At the break, he replaced attacking talisman TJ Reid with Tom Phelan – Reid not 100 per cent since a groin injury picked up on club duty.
A Conor Cooney free on the restart was all Galway had to show in the third quarter as Kilkenny took over, shooting seven points in a row.
Eoin Murphy did have to make one brilliant save from a stinging shot by Tom Monaghan and, at that point, they looked poised to kick on.
Instead, Galway rallied, with Brian Concannon hitting the third of four quality points, and Cooney and David Burke opening up a vital three-point gap.
Tensions were rising on the line and on the field. Pádraic Mannion made a couple of huge plays as Kilkenny came in search of an equalising goal in added time.
And when they got it – substitute John Donnelly’s shot eluding Éanna Murphy – Galway still had time to earn the free for Cooney to hold his nerve and shoot the match-winner.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Pádraic Mannion was inspirational for Galway, particularly in the hectic endgame after being moved on to Kilkenny’s dangerman Eoin Cody. Cody himself was superb, while Tom Monaghan and Joseph Cooney shone for Galway. MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Conor Cooney showed such nerve to stick the matchwinning free with the last outfield puck of the game.
KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; M Carey, P Deegan, C Browne (D Blanchfield 44); J Maher (A Murphy 31), A Mullen; C Buckley (J Donnelly 55), P Walsh, TJ Reid (T Phelan h-t); W Walsh, B Ryan (M Keoghan 66), E Cody. SCORERS: E Cody 1-2, A Murphy 0-5 (4fs), TJ Reid 0-3 (2fs), W Walsh 0-3, B Ryan, J Donnelly 1-0 each, P Walsh 0-2, A Mullen, M Carey 0-1 each. Yellow card: P Deegan 50, E Cody 72. Wides: 5 (4). GALWAY: E Murphy; J Grealish (T Killen 4143, G Lee 53), D Burke, D Morrissey; P Mannion, G McInerney, F Burke; J Coen (TJ Brennan 73), D Burke; T Monaghan, C Cooney, J Cooney; C Mannion, B Concannon, C Fahy (C Whelan 45). SCORERS: C Cooney 0-6 (6fs), B Concannon, J Cooney 0-4 each, T Monaghan 0-3, J Coen 1-0, C Mannion 0-2, F Burke 0-2 (2 s-l), P Mannion, C Fahy, D Burke 0-1 each. WIDES: 6 (9). REFEREE: C Lyons (Cork).