Irish Daily Star - Inside Sport
Cody and Shefflin won’t think they’re no hopers
BUT KILKENNY HAVE THE STRONGER HAND
we’ll have to endure plenty of the usual hype about Brian Cody v Henry Shefflin — The Master v The Apprentice — this weekend. It’s harmless, of course, but the truth is that neither will have given a second’s thought to each other, as of far greater importance is the form of their respective teams.
For both Galway and Kilkenny, this is their first big test of 2022.
Up to now, Kilkenny have had two games which were not even of challenge match standard — against Westmeath and Laois. Galway have also played two games — a r out a gainst Westmeath and t hat draw against Wexford. This is on an entirely different level, however, a Leinster version of Limerick v Waterford a week ago. Indeed, both managers, but especially Cody, must be privately seething that their teams are being dismissed as no hopers.
After all, Kilkenny easily beat Waterford in the League just last month.
The Deise had the excuse of missing four or five of their best 15 but so were Kilkenny.
Sectors
They were without two regulars in each of three sectors — defence, midfield and up front.
It’s only in the last two weeks that Cody has been putting the final pieces of his Championship jigsaw together, and that team will put it up to anyone — including Limerick.
Right now, there’s no guarantee that Waterford will even qualify in Munster, never mind win it, whereas Kilkenny are guaranteed to be in the knockout stages.
Unusually for the legendary manager, there are very few changes from last year’s team that lost to Cork in extra-time in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Corner-back Mikey Butler is the only new face.
However, the areas where they struggled in that game — the half-back line and midfield — have been totally revamped.
Two of the half-backs that day — Padraig Walsh and James Maher — have been repositioned, with Maher going to midfield and Walsh to centre-forward. So far, Walsh has been a revelation in his new position but tomorrow is the real test against the power of Gearoid McInerney. It will be interesting if Cody sticks with Paddy Deegan at centre-back, as his lack of speed is a concern but that central axis of Kilkenny — Huw Lawlor at full-back, Deegan at number six, Maher in midfield, Walsh at number 11 and TJ Reid at fullforward — is a very powerful one indeed.
It’s a good move to put Adrian Mullen in midfield to partner Maher as he seems to play much better when he’s constantly involved, and his class is well proven.
Consider them all round and Cody can put out a very formidable team, which has an ideal balance of physicality and skill.
As well as that, Cody will have plenty of alternatives on the bench.
Those that consider that he is not up to the tactical approach necessary to counteract the likes of Limerick and Waterford should remember that the same was said of Cody after the losses of 2004 and 2005.
But Cody showed in 2006 who was the real tactical genius, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he silenced his critics one last time.
Challenge
Shefflin’s challenge is totally different. Trying to come to terms with a totally different hurling culture and mentality to Kilkenny is one thing, but dismantling an ageing team and rebuilding with a mixture of the old and new — deciding who to keep and who to let go — is a formidable task. He just couldn’t let all of the older players go as Galway don’t have sufficient numbers in that experienced middle age group that all teams need to lead on the next generation.
So rightly, he has retained a central spine of players who have given outstanding service — Daithi Burke, McInerney, Joseph Cooney, Conor Cooney and, last Sunday, David Burke — due to the absence of Conor Whelan.
Physical
All five look in remarkably good physical shape, but can they be effective in the modern game which is so demanding athletically, as well as tactically?
The big problem is that, with Whelan absent, the pool of proven middle age players is very shallow, just the Mannion brothers, Brian Concannon and Fintan Burke. So Shefflin had no choice but to go with the younger generation.
Tomorrow, he will go with two new corner-backs.
Tom Monaghan, an All-Ireland winner in 2017 but then discarded, is now back in midfield.
And Cianan Fahy and Evan Niland are in the forwards. But Shefflin’s biggest problem, by far, is that nearly all of the subs are rookies, leaving very little experience to call on if things get ropey. There will be no claims from Shefflin that he has the best panel in the Championship.
I was in Pearse Stadium in 2018 for another much hyped Championship between these two, as Galway were the reigning AllIreland champions. It turned out to be a damp squib, with Galway winning at their ease.
Interest
The big interest for outsiders now is seeing if either of these two are realistic All-Ireland contenders. I just don’t see Galway having a strong enough panel to challenge, even when Whelan returns. If Kilkenny cannot win here, they won’t be real contenders either.
Kilkenny to win.