Wexford and Tipperary have right balance to book their places in final
Cody and Kiely will have Kilkenny and Limerick well primed but home advantage could prove crucial
IF new evidence were required to show how crowded it is at the top of the hurling tree at present, the league semi-final pairings have provided it.
No sign of Galway, last year’s league and All-Ireland champions, Waterford, All-Ireland runners-up, or Cork, the Munster champions.
Tipperary are the only 2017 All-Ireland semi-finalists to reach the league semi-finals and, understandably, they are now favourites to win it out.
Their clash with Limerick this evening will certainly be interesting, although it doesn’t carry the same intrigue as tomorrow’s Wexford-Kilkenny game. It’s not so long ago that the only chance Wexford had of beating Kilkenny was to get lucky and hope Brian Cody’s boys ate something dodgy the night before. All has changed in the space of a year and now it’s very much an even contest. That’s a huge advance for Wexford but it’s not enough.
They need to press on and win a title, a target that’s within their capabilities if they maintain their recent progress. Their game has improved considerably this year. They are more comfortable with the Davy Fitzgerald game-plan and that, in turn, has benefited the rest of their game.
Mistakes come more often when players are trying to adapt to something new. But once it becomes second nature, other facets improve too.
For instance, it’s noticeable that Wexford’s first touch is better this year; so too is their decision-making and general game-awareness.
The results have been good, which has brought the supporters onside. That’s important for players as they know that even when mistakes are made, they will be given some leeway.
Kilkenny supporters are an example to all in that regard. By the county’s high standards, last season was disappointing and when the first two league matches were lost this year, some commentators were even daft enough to suggest that Cody’s time was up.
They obviously don’t know the Nowlan Park crowd very well. There were no complaints from them because they understood what was happening. Kilkenny were in transition so it called for patience. I guarantee you there would have been no complaints if Kilkenny were relegated because, as is shown almost every year, the line between qualifying and battling against the drop can be down to a pointed sideline cut or a missed ’65.
Cody has given several new faces – plus some who were on the fringes for the past year or two – their chance to prove themselves and while it’s still a work-inprogress, Kilkenny are in the league semi-finals and improving steadily.
New lads coming into the Kilkenny set-up have an advantage that doesn’t exist elsewhere. The legacy of the long glory period not only makes them feel good about themselves, but also impacts on opposition. Teams have to be a fair bit better than Kilkenny to win. That won’t last unless, of course, Kilkenny build a new empire but, for now, it’s helpful in the redevelopment work.
Meanwhile, back in Wexford the next phase of the challenge awaits. They have come a long way but there’s more to do.
Just as executing the game plan is coming easier to them, opposition are homing on it too, looking for f laws. Derek McGrath has done a lot of great work with Waterford, but he would be the first to admit that taking any system to the next level is really difficult.
It will be the same for Wexford but, for now at least the graph is moving upwards. Enough, I think, to take them past Kilkenny in Wexford Park tomorrow.
Michael Ryan admitted after Tipperary’s win in Croke Park last Sunday that if Dublin had got a goal when they were eight points up early on, it might have been enough to tip his lads over the edge. Of course Dublin didn’t and when Tipp regrouped and got their game working, they quickly took control and ran out easy winners.
It has been a good league for Tipp. Ryan has used it wisely, giving newcomers a chance, but also maintaining a sufficiently strong base to ensure they stayed in line to win the title.
After what happened in the final against Galway last year, Tipperary will be very determined to win the league title this year and put down a marker for the Munster championship.
And since they play Limerick in the first round, they won’t want to give them a psychological edge by winning in Thurles this evening.
Just as Davy Fitz adapted Wexford to a new style, John Kiely has done something similar in Limerick.
They are not as direct as was the norm for Limerick, instead playing a more controlled, passing game.
It has achieved the first target for the year, but might not be enough against Tipp just yet.