Jamesie O'Connor
GAA Expert & Columnist
Jamesie O'Connor: Strength in depth a concern for Kilkenny
Last Updated: 12/08/15 7:46pm
How do you contain Richie Hogan and TJ Reid? Where will Jonathan Glynn play against Tipperary? We asked Jamesie O'Connor...
What was the main reason behind Kilkenny's dominant final quarter against Waterford?
It was ultimately a case of Kilkenny wearing Waterford down. The game went along the lines that many of us expected, that Waterford would set out their stall to try and contain Kilkenny.
Derek McGrath would have had to be happy at being just two points down at half time. They rode their luck a little bit but they were where they wanted to be.
However, you felt if Kilkenny got the lead out to four points or beyond, Waterford were always going to struggle to peg them back, and that's exactly what happened.
Waterford didn't play Kilkenny in the National League this year and nothing prepares you for the relentless intensity that they bring. Waterford struggled to cope with that constant pressure and physicality.
I thought Waterford might roll the dice a bit earlier, throw Patrick Curran on and push up a little bit, but TJ Reid had a chance that he flashed wide and Ger Aylward also should have found the net.
Kilkenny have so much quality, in particular Reid and Richie Hogan. Neither of them hurled out of their skins but they were Kilkenny's only two scorers in the first half. Richie finished with five from play and he probably left another couple behind him. If you give them a fraction of space, they'll punish you.
Cillian Buckley played really well, Paul Murphy hoovered up a lot of ball and Kilkenny were relentless around midfield. Their performance levels never seem to drop below a particular standard.
With Waterford, Kevin Moran and Michael 'Brick' Walsh were far less influential than they had been in previous matches. They struggled to get on the ball and not enough Waterford players had the games they needed to have in order to win the match.
How do you contain Richie Hogan and TJ Reid?
It requires ferocious concentration and discipline to mark the likes of Reid and Hogan. They're constantly on the move. If you get caught ball-watching for five seconds, suddenly they've drifted 15 yards away from you.
You have to move to try and lose defenders, and they're just doing what they constantly do in training. They ask questions of defenders and make themselves incredibly difficult to mark.
They probably do it better than anyone else.
Do Kilkenny lack strength in depth?
It's a fair assessment to make. Richie Power isn't supposed to be that far away but even if he's available for the All-Ireland final, it's very hard to see him starting. He is a potential match-winner off the bench though and would be a massive ace for Brian Cody to have up his sleeve.
John Power was the only player brought on against Waterford and while the likes of Mark Kelly and Matthew Ruth are solid players, they're not going to put the fear of God into opposition defenders. You don't feel they could turn a match compared to what Cody had in the past, like Henry Shefflin and Power in last year's semi-final.
I think Cody will be breathing a sigh of relief after this weekend's club games were called off due to the minor replay. It means he has a clear run and Kilkenny should be relatively injury free going into the final.
Where will Galway deploy Jonathan Glynn against Tipperary?
The inside line of Cathal Mannion, Jason Flynn and Joe Canning did all the damage against Dublin but they were relatively well contained by Kilkenny in the Leinster final, and against Cork they decided to bring the shooters out the field and all the damage was done from long range.
Mannion got five alone in the first half from the half-forward line, Flynn was out the field and Canning played chunks of the game at centre-forward. Credit to Galway for finding a way to get players like that on the ball and in space, and it made Mark Ellis much less influential than he had been.
Glynn has played most of the game in the half-forward line. Cork couldn't handle him at all; he won five clean puckouts. There were times when he was back inside his own full-back line clearing the ball, and his goal set the tone. He was aggressive, hard-working, he tore into tackles and was a deserving man of the match.
Tipperary will try to make sure Jonathan Glynn doesn't catch the ball. If they can manage that, he's far less likely to hurt them.
Jamesie O'Connor
But that little moment where he was on the edge of the square for Conor Whelan’s goal shows that he gives Galway something different in there. While I expect him to start in the half-forward line, given the havoc he wreaked last year, I’d imagine he’ll move to the end of the square and ask some questions.
Tipp will have put some thought into how to keep the ball out of this guy's hand. James Barry learnt from where Padraic Maher went wrong against Glynn. Maher twice tried to outcatch him and paid the price for it, whereas Barry prioritised getting the ball to ground and worrying about it from there.
Tipp will try to make sure Glynn doesn't catch the ball. If they can manage that, he's far less likely to hurt them.
What will Tipperary's tactical approach be?
Padraic Maher was sweeping against Limerick and they took the same tactic into the Munster final. Given the potency that the Galway full-forward line have shown, they're unlikely to go away from it. Maher is good in the air, he read the game well and has good distribution skills.
Tipperary won the Munster final by backing themselves that their forwards would score more than Waterford, but it's a bit riskier given the attacking talent Galway have.
I really think Galway's problems are going to be down the field, because if their forward line gets enough ball, they're capable of hurting anybody.
Andy Smith will again put in a big shift around midfield but Tipperary won that battle last year. Whether the Galway half-back line and midfield is good enough is really where I have question marks about them. Galway might still be a player or two short in that sector to really trouble Tipp.
Tipperary have shown an ability to figure other teams out, and although it didn't happen in the Munster final, find a way to get goals.
I still think that when it comes down to it, there is still unfinished business for this Tipperary team. They're obviously conscious that Eamon O'Shea will walk away, regardless of what happens. There was a desire there to make sure he got his hands on silverware in the Munster final.
When it comes down to it, there are fewer question marks about Tipp getting to the required levels of intensity needed to win, and I've a sneaking feeling they'll get over the line.
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