Murphy’s catch of the day keeps Cats on course as Déise fall short
IF Kilkenny go on to create another footnote in hurling history with a three-in-a-row and the 12th All-Ireland title on Brian Cody’s watch, then the jump and catch by goalkeeper Eoin Murphy in the most dramatic of endgames will feature on the highlights reel.
Just when it looked like Pauric Mahony’s 75th minute free from all of 70 metres was going to drop over and force extra-time, it just dropped to within catching distance. There was just time left for Richie Hogan to twist the knife between the shoulder blades of Waterford’s season and fist-pump the insurance score.
Another thunderous, full-blooded encounter that went down to the very last ball.
Those who wondered whether Waterford had lost their best chance in the drawn game know now. Kilkenny’s iron will and unbreakable spirit was just about the only thing separating them at the finish in a game that rained goals from the off.
Continuing his Boy Wonder exploits from the drawn game, Austin Gleeson had the ball in the net inside five minutes. Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh picked out a carefully measured handpass to play in the roving centre-forward who had somehow ghosted in unnoticed. The Mount Sion man took it in his stride, beat the last man, and tucked a shot away into the far corner from a tight angle.
The very next minute, he lofted one over from 50 metres in front of the posts. Roll over in the replay? Not quite.
Kilkenny responded with, not one, but two Colin Fennelly goals. For the first, from a diagonal ball in, Barry Coughlan slipped momentarily, allowing Colin Fennelly to freewheel away and flash the ball to the net past Stephen O’Keeffe.
The second came from a hopeful, high delivery from Cillian Buckley, broken down by Michael Fennelly who had been positioned at wing-forward. Walter Walsh ran on to the break, popped a handpass to Colin Fennelly just as he did for the matchsaving goal in the drawn game, and the finish was just as emphatic.
And still the goals came, Waterford responding in kind 20 minutes in. Kevin Moran played an intelligent low ball off his stick on the run to Stephen Bennett inside who in turn spotted Jake Dillon barrelling through off his shoulder. He picked out the perfect pass and Dillon crashed the fourth goal of the game to the net. And just under 20 minutes gone.
Each score was nearly a picture postcard effort. Liam Blanchfield scored from a position down the Old Stand sideline that looked like it might require a mathematical equation to decipher how the ball split the posts from that angle. Richie Hogan lofted over another, finishing on his knees as ball split the posts.
Four in a row brought Kilkenny from 2-5 to 2-2 behind to lead and a three point blitz in injury-time gave them that exact cushion at the break, 2-10 to 2-7.
Infuriated with a free count heavily weighted in Waterford’s favour (7-2), Brian Cody made a beeline for referee James McGrath at the half-time whistle, unloading in his ear as they disappeared down the tunnel.
From a point where Richie Hogan and TJ Reid made for a most unlikely midfield partnership in the first half to counteract Waterford’s set-up, Hogan pushed up on Tadhg de Burca on the restart and almost immediately played in Liam Blanchfield for a goal, the corner-forward just not getting enough to a looping handpass.
Another three-point blitz in successive minutes left Waterford five down and hanging on. Padraig Walsh lofted over an inspirational point from out near the sideline, Richie Hogan dropped off De Burca to hit another and TJ Reid added a free.
Waterford answered yet another test of their character with three of their own. One of those came when substitute Maurice Shanahan was pulled down by Joey Holden, enough to earn the Kilkenny full-back a yellow card.
Shanahan then raised his fist in delight when he closed the gap to just two as Gleeson tried his best to bend the match to his iron will, making yet another soaring catch and flicking a ball over after Padraig Walsh and Richie Hogan had opened the gap out to four with another brace of top quality points.
Pauric Mahony nailed a crucial free to leave it 2-16 to 2-14 entering the final five minutes with the players making every ball a monumental battle.
Brick Walsh, immense all night, won another free that Mahony converted to ratchet up the tension even further only for the defence to concede a free down the other end. From 50 metres out, Reid missed, drawing gasps from the crowd. When Waterford went down the other end and Jamie Barron hit the equaliser, the place erupted.
The next score was critical and it came from a big play by Liam Blanchfield who made the high catch that lead to the free that Reid converted. And yet there was still time to pack a world of incident into the closing moments. Another Reid free, replied to by a Shanahan point.
Then the 70-metre free that dropped agonisingly short for Mahony, Richie Hogan bombing over the insurance score to keep the threein-a-row bid on course.
KIlKenny: E Murphy; P Murphy, J Holden, S Prendergast; P Walsh, C Fogarty, C Buckley; R Hogan, TJ Reid; W Walsh, M Fennelly (L Ryan 60), M Bergin (J Farrell 61); E Larkin, C Fennelly, L Blanchfield. Scorers: TJ Reid 0-7 (6f), C Fennelly 2-0, R Hogan 0-4, L Blanchfield 0-3, P Walsh 0-2, W Walsh, E Larkin, M Fennelly 0-1. frees: 2 (8). wides: 3 (3). yellow card: M Fennelly 9, J Holden 49, W Walsh 61. waterford: S O’Keeffe; S Fives, B Coughlan, N Connors; P Mahony, T de Burca, C Gleeson; J Barron, K Moran; M Walsh, A Gleeson, P Mahony; Stephen Bennett (M Shanahan 48), Shane Bennett (P Curran 55), J Dillon (T Devine 62). Scorers: P Mahony 0-9 (7f), A Gleeson 1-2, J Dillon 1-0, Shane Bennett 0-2, J Barron 0-2, M Shanahan 0-2. frees: 7 (8). wides: 2 (5). yellow card: S Bennett 8, T de Burca 45. referee: J McGrath (Westmeath). attendance: 30,358