Howling Cats defy challenge to assert their glorious will
AT the end of an extraordinary evening, the Semple Stadium pitch became a black and amber blur. Pitch invasions are not supposed to be part of the summer when the Championship reaches the latter stages but the only appropriate response to this hypnotic match was for the supporters to clamour on the pitch and hail their heroes.
If Hollywood teaches us anything, it is that a sequel has to be a masterpiece to be more memorable than an original. And these two teams composed a second classic within six days here, a game that had a narrative sweep worthy of The Godfather 2. It hardly seemed plausible that they would surpass the drama of Croke Park last Sunday. But here, these teams battled each other to the limit of their powers on a night that had almost everything, apart from the extra time that had looked increasingly likely as the game entered the dying moments.
For their spirit and courage, Waterford probably deserved 20 more minutes to try and dethrone the champions. But if they had it, one wondered if they had anything else to throw at Kilkenny, this astonishing force of nature who simply refuse to vacate their place at the summit of Irish sport.
This was an act of defiance by the champions, personified by Colin Fennelly’s howl to the supporters at the town end when he sniped his second goal of the match. The sound and fury of the All-Ireland champions are encapsulated in the extraordinary individual that has led them for the past 18 years.
It’s instructive to watch Brian Cody on magical nights such as this. He deliberately paced the technical area for most of the evening, stopping for the occasional consultation with Michael Dempsey, his right-hand man, a stark contrast to the hyperactive Dan Shanahan 40 yards away from him. However, with each injustice he felt that referee Barry Kelly inflicted on his team in the first-half, he reddened the ears of Brian Gavin, who was running the line, and became increasingly more animated and annoyed.
Even though he kept his temper in check and his face remained impassive, Cody resembled a volcano on the brink of eruption. He followed Kelly down the tunnel at half-time, having a few choice words about the free count. And in the 55th minute, the lava finally flowed.
Liam Blanchfield, one of Cody’s selection gambles, had rewarded his faith with three excellent points from play within the opening half-hour — including the first score of the game that ignited this marvellous contest. But it’s the blue-collar stuff that delighted Cody more so when Blanchfield flung Jamie Barron over the sideline with what seemed a fair shoulder charge, the Kilkenny boss celebrated it, arms aloft, as if Blanchfield had raised a green flag.
Except Kelly saw it differently and awarded a free. Cody’s temper, frayed all evening, finally broke and he ran onto the field and remonstrate with the referee, his linesman Colm Lyons and a couple of the Waterford mentors, including Derek McGrath. Cody was clearly worried at that point, but these Cats are used to the hard road. Paul Murphy, Padraig Walsh and Richie Hogan stepped up when they needed leaders.
It was a game that befitted the magical atmosphere that had enveloped the Tipperary town all day. It is something special to have a big Championship game in August in your town, even if it is the spiritual home of hurling. The banter flowed as readily as the beer from early afternoon as the two tribes thronged Liberty Square. They were even able to put their differences aside for a brief spell as they came together to cheer Steven Donnelly in faraway Rio but by the time the crowd were meandering towards Semple Stadium, that latest Olympic disappointment had been forgotten. The evening was fizzling with rumour.
Those in the know never believed the team Cody announced. Most of the rumour centred on Blanchfield — star of the 2014 minor team — who has been talked about for a while in Kilkenny circles. If the 30,358 were able to decipher the muffled tannoy before throw-in, they would have learnt that Cody rolled the dice not once, but thrice. Blanchfield, Eoin Larkin, and out of left-field, Mark Bergin, a stalwart of the panel for years and primed for his first Championship start at the ripe old age of 27.
Within 30 minutes, Blanchfield had justified Cody’s faith in him by nailing three wonderful points from play. His performance was superb but it was almost lost in the overall fabric of this game.
It wasn’t free-flowing, but it was breathless. The hooks and blocks were truly magnificent. Jamie Barron set the tone with an excellent hook in the third minute that roused the first cheer, but not the last, of a magical evening. A mad evening. Maurice Shanahan was called from the bench and with his fistpumping rallied the troops near the end.
Waterford tried everything. They were courageous and superb. Still, it wasn’t enough. These champions are not for moving.