Wexford are mutinying. Trouble ahead.
Kilkenny by 10….
My thoughts exactly, I thought we’d moved on nicely from that
It’ll be low ball into WW. That will get them off the scent. Gorta suggested it in training.
Slagging aside, i’d love to see someone come up with his stats when trying to score. He has to be very close to 7/8+ from every 10 shots he’s ever taken for Kilkenny. Incredible accuracy for a point with that cat-strangling swing.
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Lol. Seriously effective for a crack handed degenerate.
James Bergin one of our best performers in the league and doesn’t even make the bench?
In Cody we trust.
I heard they’ll be changes.
Cody doing a Davy on it. Not like him.
5 Ballyhale on team, 7 overall on panel, imagone trying to beat them.
Colin Fennelly would make it 8 too
I know, nearly unbeatable.
Nearly never won the race 
Who is free man if Wexford go with seven defenders? Paddy Deegan? Has this scenario been war gamed in training?
Pádraig Walsh not a centre back. Fine hurler but leaves middle far too easily a lot of the time. Joey Holden or a fit Conor Delaney would be a better option at 6.
Richie Reid not a midfielder. Swapping him with Darragh Corcoran would improve matters.
Conor Fogarty has not performed effectively since 2015. Scuffs too many key balls on ground, as per Waterford game last year.
The best midfield pairing at the moment would be Richie Leahy and Pádraig Walsh.
Kilkenny recently had an A versus B full game in training. The B side won, leading to a lot of ruaille buaille in camp and some seemingly odd selections in front eight and on bench.
Walter Walsh’s best position has always been right corner forward. That he is good in the air is a myth. Under a puckout, he mostly stands static and scarcely jumps. Outside at half forward, his running patterns are predictable and his decision making in possession is mainly poor (probably because of grip-changing glitch in style). Inside at top of the right, his size and reach is an immediate threat (and there are less decisions to make because of proximity to goal).
Martin Keoghan must have been really poor in A versus B game if he could not make the forwards. He is not a natural attacker but seemed to have done enough to start – probably at centre forward, where he would forage deep, with Kilkenny’s back eight avoiding long deliveries up the centre.
John Donnelly is a tremendously skilful hurler but not a natural athlete. Donnelly is honest out in his efforts at being an ‘up and down’ wing forward but this exertion leads to spells where he fades from action. Putting him to full forward seems to me a no brainer. Donnelly possesses wonderful hands, serious fetching ability, wizard strokeplay and is unselfish in possession. At full forward, he would add at least one green flag per game to Kilkenny’s total.
Best options at wing forward right now are Adrian Mullen and Billy Ryan. Being at 12, coming from outside on his much stronger left side, suits Ryan far more than being at 10. Against Clare, Mullen seemed to be returning to 2019 form.
Following the league campaign, Kilkenny’s most potent front six seemed this arrangement: Mullen, Keoghan, Ryan/Reid, Donnelly, Cody. TJ Reid could hurl on the drift from nominal corner forward, opening up space inside. This role would also allow him to run interference on Kevin Foley’s sweeping activities.
If Walter Walsh starts, best arrangement probably becomes as follows: Mullen, Cody, Ryan/Walsh, Donnelly, Reid. Matthew O’Hanlon has tended to best Reid when marking from half back.
Whatever the placings in attack, much depends on Kilkenny achieving more coherent patterns of delivery and clearance in defence. Hoofing balls up the centre against Wexford, as happened so often in meetings between the two counties since 2017, must stop. Kilkenny need to use the wings and only go up the centre with placed balls to their centre forward. Donnelly at full forward would provide another option, an extra means of attack.
One matter this evening will clarify is whether Paudie Foley’s absence will affect Wexford’s success at stunting the Kilkenny puckout. Is Gavin Bailey an adequate replacement?
The last four seasons, Wexford mainly kept three men in their full forward line on the Kilkenny puckout (a tactic now known as a ‘full press’). Kevin Foley simultaneously pushed up from sweeper into midfield. With Shaun Murphy, Matthew O’Hanlon and Paudie Foley at half back, Wexford were content to see Eoin Murphy drive long. Do Kilkenny possess a finessed plan on this front? With Bailey at half back, will Wexford keep the same macro arrangement when defending puckouts?
Wexford look, overall, to be on the slide but arrive today with a great chance. Kilkenny are vulnerable at midfield, where Liam Óg McGovern and various partners could make hay, and at centre forward, where Lee Chin or Rory O’Connor could run riot.
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12 is left wing forward so he’d be coming inside on his right
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Ah I wouldn’t say that.
Of the 8 only TJ Reid would be guaranteed to start for most other counties. Kilkenny hurling is just in a really bad place now.
Slaughtneil and Borris brought them down the stretch.
An awful pity they never played Na piarsaigh or Cuala in their pomp.
Well, you could look at it either way. But BR is a rhot backhander that operates better at 12 than at 10, which was my (perhaps clouded) point.
They would have beaten the shite out of Cuala and beaten Na Piarsaigh handy enough.
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James Stephens gave them a great game in the semi last year
And lost.
He is according to the official issue
I agree, I’d like to see him get game time today if he doesn’t actually start.