CATS DEFENCE WON’T REJOYCE AFTER DUB WIN
KIERAN JOYCE expects Kilkenny to be in lockdown against Offaly after Dublin wreaked havoc last Sunday.
Pat Gilroy’s side became the first in four years to score three goals over a 70-minute Championship match against Kilkenny (Waterford hit four after extra time last year), and former Cats defender Joyce anticipates they’ll adopt a no-goals policy at Nowlan Park tomorrow.
Padraig Walsh, recognised as a more natural wing-back, has been entrusted with the full-back role though he struggled last Sunday on Liam Rushe, who was in involved in all four goals.
Joyce said: “Padraig is great at attacking ball but Dublin went traditional, they put Liam Rushe in at full-forward and they put in route one ball, going back to days of old.
“I suppose we did struggle to a certain extent. Brian will probably want Cillian [Buckley] to stay back a bit more and tighten it up a bit, Rushe was probably running onto ball a little bit easier than he probably should.
“Offaly will probably look at doing that at the weekend, being big and physical, but I’d say tighten up the backs to a certain extent.
“There were a couple of times we got isolated and when you concede three goals your natural instinct as a team of backs is that, ‘the next day we have to tighten it up completely’.
“But look that’s the way teams play now, they try to pull the strongest men KILKENNY OFFALY TV TIMES: Highlights on The Sunday Game, RTE2 9.30pm
out of the centre and rotate it around.
“That obviously is a concern but I’m sure Padraig is chomping at the bit to come back and prove himself again.”
Asked about Walsh’s full-back credentials, Joyce added: “It’s like everything, even when JJ [Delaney] went in fullback at the start it took him a couple of games to get used to it.
“Obviously he made it his own then in the long run. If you looking at it, is there a natural full-back to fall in there?
“Maybe Conor Delaney is a player that’s played full-back a good bit but it’s probably a big step for him to go in straight off in a Championship match.
“For the foreseeable future Padraig will probably be left there. “You’d love to see him further out the pitch because he is an exciting player to watch.”