2016 All Ireland Hurling Semi Final - Waterford v Kilkenny - in the melting pot

KK have a relatively small squad with a lot more mileage on the clock… I agree they will come on but if … IF…Waterford bring the same intensity they’ve a great chance

It’s a big IF though pal, that was the best I’ve seen Waterford play in years whereas KK were below par and one would assume that they’ll improve the next day.

It’s a huge ask for McGrath and Co in 6 days. They’ll know themselves it’s one that got away. Physically they’ll be fine but mentally I wouldn’t be so sure.

Would love if I was wrong saying that.

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Agree with your post. But a two week turn around would probably suit Kilkenny better given the mileage they’ve clocked up. The fact that Waterford played to their full potential for 67 minutes is encouraging for them. The biggest mistake they made was going into defensive mode for the last 6/7 minutes.
I think Kilkenny will try to really blow Waterford away in the first half next week because if it’s tight going into the last ten, Waterford may well have the fresher legs. I was really impressed with them today. Their work rate and closing down was as good as anything I’ve seen from Kilkenny. As long as they still believe mentally they have a chance. But Cody is a fox and this result will give him a chance to lay down the law again

Enjoyable day in Croke Park. Waterford left it behind them but should win the replay if they keep their chins up. Great to see Waterford go orthodox from the start and pretty much out hurl Kilkenny for 65 minutes. Once they gradually started to retreat into Derek’s system around the hour mark, things started to go wrong.

Joyce was destroyed at centre back. Good under a dropping ball, but serious lack of mobility. Paul Murphy had to do a lot of fire fighting for the rest of the full back line. Last time Kilkenny were in a drawn game against Tipperary in 2014, the mistakes of the drawn game were rectified for replay. They’re two years on now though and not sure whether they have the personnel to rectify those problems in a week. The drawn Leinster semi final against Dublin in 2013 when the consensus was that Dublin missed the boat the first day might be a more relevant precedent.

Kilkenny have a very bad record against Waterford in championship replays as well.

Whatever about James Owens performance, his umpires didn’t have a great day. Thank God for Hawk Eye.

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when was kilkennys last drawn semi final?

Tipp will hammer the fucking pick of em.
Cunts, and the ref rode Waterford sideways, backways and forwards all day long and not one cunt here will say it. Old red nose cunt knows he’s been found out too re the cheating. He’ll be gone be next Nov. Regardless of results the next day.

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They have a lot of mileage up pal, but it’s winning mileage…imo that’s not such a bad thing…they’ll be delighted that they got out of jail today and I’d expect a big lift in their performance next week.

It’s a shame Waterford didn’t have the belief to go for the throat at the end when the game was there for them.

Then there’s the Cody factor…McGrath even mentioned KK’s record in replays in his post match interview…you never get a second chance against a team managed by that man.

He’s too cute.

To the best of my knowledge they’ve never drawn one.

Big factor alright. They learn very fast. Individually they have the experience to absorb the lessons. The only thing you might say is that they’ve known what Waterford are about for 12 months and they didn’t look that ready for them today. Hogan dropping off into the middle of the field was about the only ploy that seemed to work. Other than that it was just dog eat dog stuff and for once their legs seemed to give first.

My point is that they are no longer the balanced side they were previously which had two or three leaders and dominant hurlers in every line of the field. They are carrying a number of players and have no depth but it is their five big players who are pretty much winning games for them. All five are extremely tough to stop but if a few of them can be curbed they don’t have others who can consistently stand up and deliver.

Aylward is a big loss this year as he had a bit of guile and class about him and while Walsh, Colin Fennelly and Fogarty will give it their all in every game and set a tone in terms of workrate and physicality none of them really have the class to really turn a game when things are going against Kilkenny. I’d be surprised if they managed to win the A/I, i don’t think Waterford, Galway or Tipp fear them in the way they used to and they are there to be beaten. Previously Cody able to re-energise the team after a draw or unconvincing performance by making 2 or 3 changes and positional switches but I don’t see what he can do now. Larkin will start the next day, he did well when he came on but his legs look gone. Mick Fennelly has had his injuries and looked well off the pace today, now it may well have been just an offday and he could absolutely dominate the next day but if he is as flat again this season then they will come a cropper.

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i get your point but those five have been carrying them for a few years, the others arent terrible, walter gets a few scores, as does colin fennelly but mostly when they are in the ascendancy. the six day turnaround won’t suit them, especially not ml fennelly but i doubt reid will be as quiet again. aylward is a big loss as farrell never threatened to do anything there. im saying its not easy to curb them. we only have one truly class defender, daithi burke, he curbed hogan in the leinster final last year until insanely moved off him, reid this year, but the other one made hay in each game. you need a few top defenders to stop them, tipp might have them, no one else does.

I would like to see the stats but I would not be one bit surprised if JohnJoe Farrell did not touch the ball in the 50 odd minutes he was on the pitch.

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id be shocked if he starts again for them for the foreseeable future, if he does the cupboard is really threadbare

Farrell isn’t a top class player by any means, but he is a worker. He’s good to win ball generally, although was very quiet today. That said, Kilkenny didn’t put very many balls into the full-forward line.

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You’d start to wonder is the lack of underage success going to start becoming more apparent going forward.

Wishful thinking in fairness it’s KK, but he must have been one of the oldest ever KK hurlers to make his senior debut.

I expect them to improve and win, by 5 or 6 in the end.

As long as its not Owens or some similar weak cunt reffing it.

Every line in kks team is weaker than two years ago. Joyce and Holden are pretty useless in the grand scheme of things. You’ve decent players like Walsh and farrell replacing some of the greatest players ever to play the game. Tipp could actually dismantle them by 15 points or so if they get over Waterford.

Larkin coming on today saved the game for Kilkenny. The pace of the game had slowed down considerably at that stage & he used all his guile and experience to good effect. Doubt he’ll start, there were signs last year legs were going and that looked the case in the Galway game.

When’s the last time Kilkenny had a truly outstanding underage team? Buckley, Padraig Walsh, Walter, John Power, Aylward, all those lads were on the team that Clare beat in the U21 final four years ago. Walsh and Buckley are now 2/3s of a half-backline either side of a relatively ordinary centre-back.

The culture these guys are being integrated with in the senior squad is what has kept Kilkenny at the top. They improve beyond all reason once Cody gets a hold of them. The standards in the squad are incredible, but as the fundamental quality of the players decreases then surely those standards have to gradually slip as well. Delaney and Tommy Walsh were once in a generation type players, but Buckley and Padraig Walsh are not.

I mean it has to end eventually, doesn’t it? Maybe it won’t happen just yet but their number has to come up some day.

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What’s the story with Kevin Kelly? Is he injured?

Maybe he isn’t quite ready by KK standards, work-rate wise, but he is a better player than John Power imo. Losing young Maher was another big blow, as he looked handy enough during the league.

Didn’t think Lester Ryan was great when he came on either. And how about Blanchfield & Bolger; not seen a huge amount of them at senior level but they are very talented younger players. Sometimes just a pair of fresh legs is what is needed.