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For reasons that were neither clear nor logical, Kilkenny was 5 / 2 underdogs for yesterday's game, chances that seemed seriously unbalanced before the throw-in and even more like a fierce battle in the sun at Croke Park.
Even when Galway opened a three-point lead in the 67th minute, it did not make any sense that it was decisive against the opposition that inherited the losing streak that has always made it hard to beat.
He came to their rescue again as a sub, a defender and the quintessence of reliability scored points to level him in what was Leinster's first final since 1993.
John Donnelly In the 57th minute replacing Richie Leahy, winger Enda Morrissey and TJ Reid all pointed out that both teams would tie for the tenth time.
Saving the day in such dramatic circumstances gave Kilkenny the psychological advantage of replaying. This will be a matter of concern for Galway, who would have liked to score a point against his long-time executioners.
They won the Leinster and All-Ireland titles last year without playing in Kilkenny and that did not detract from merit.
Determination
Thus, when Galway beat Kilkenny by eight points in Pearse Stadium at the end of May, it denoted an important power shift in the rivalry. In hindsight, too much has been done in this game. Kilkenny was making his third outing in 14 days, a workload that probably contributed to their lethargy and general lack of sharpness.
It was totally different yesterday. From the beginning, it was more like the Kilkenny of the past, leading to all the challenges and attacking with immense determination, making it clear that they would not lose the physical war.
Galway's strength has always been seen as an advantage The biggest opposition, but it was certainly not a factor yesterday.
Kilkenny gave the best of themselves after Padraig Walsh gave the example by placing high balls on the heads of the biggest opponents
. and it quickly became clear that Galway was facing something completely different from what they had encountered in the four round robin matches of Leinster.
But the Bob O 'Keefe Cup glittered at Stand Hogan and nothing annoyed Kilkenny more than the
They would have collected if Galway was not well prepared for the mighty challenge. Still, they had to survive scary moments in the first period, when Kilkenny created only goal chances to be dropped by a pbad or a bad decision.
Galway was dangerous on the other end, with Conor Whelan's rhythm causing problems. They opened a two-point lead in the 27th minute, but Kilkenny finished strong, scoring three points to lead by 0-8 to 0-7 at halftime.
Given that the total was 8-4 in Kilkenny's favorable at this point, Galway would have been very happy with the situation, believing that there was much more to come.
And there was, but just as Galway raised their game in the second half, did Kilkenny. Eoin Murphy made an excellent rescue of Whelan just after the restart, deflecting the ball for a "65". Joe Canning pointed
He was level (0-11) after 50 minutes before Galway went up another gear. They led by three points after 57 minutes, raising hope among their fans that, having survived Kilkenny's best shots, they could have taken advantage of their new advantage.
They could have against any other opposition. Kilkenny, however, are different, as they once again showed in the tense closing minutes – when they not only held up their courage, but remained sufficiently composed to create and convert three scoring chances
with Croke Park booked for a concert next weekend, which means that the replay is heading to Semple Stadium (Sunday, 3.0) in what will be a very unusual situation, with a stadium in Munster hosting a Leinster final between the counties of Leinster and Connacht.
Galway and Kilkenny will win as the losers will be back in action a week later against Limerick or Westmeath in the quarterfinals of Ireland.
The teams found it very difficult to play three or four successive weekends in the provincial rounds. So, next Sunday's losers will be at a distinct disadvantage in the quarter-finals
This will make the replay even more intense, if that's possible in this particular rivalry.
Brian Cody
James Maher was excellent midfielder, Richie Leahy did a lot before retiring in the 57th minute, while Billy Ryan scored two points and "
Hands more Seniors like Padraig Walsh, Cillian Buckley, Joey Holden, TJ Reid and Walter Walsh were strong anchors in a decisive performance that hinted that the Kilkenny transition period was well and truly over. 19659005] Galway will feel that there are many more things in them than yesterday. They fought in midfield, where nothing happened to Captain David Burke, and Kilkenny in front of them in the physical stakes on the field, they look a lot less impressive than last year.
Even Joe Canning, whose accuracy supported them so often, had difficulty with his shot, leading no less than five wide – open play, free and a line ball.
Kilkenny did not engage Gearoid McInerney to a great extent in the air, opting instead to test Padraig and Cathal Mannion, Adrian Tuohy and Niall Burke did their best during one day where Galway really discovered the enormity of the task at hand to keep the title All-Ireland. [
] 19659005] They will feel deeply frustrated early in the failure to protect a three-point lead in the final minutes, but further badysis will show that Kilkenny certainly deserved a second chance.
They obviously learned a lot from the defeat at Pearse Stadium and now it's a question of who gleans the most from the match of yesterday. Brian Cody and Micheál Donoghue will be filling up with midnight oil this week
Top scorers – Kilkenny: TJ Reid 0-10 (8f), Ryan B 0-2, E Murphy (f) , G Aylward, W Walsh, J Maher, J Donnelly, E Morrissey 0-1 each
Galway: J Canning 0-6 (4f, 1 & 65; 65 & nbsp;), N Burke 0-4, C Mannion 0-3, J Cooney, C Whelan 0-2 each, C Cooney 0-1
Kilkenny – E Murphy 8; P Murphy 7, P Walsh 9, P Deegan 7; J Holden 7, C Buckley 8, E Morrissey 7; C Fogarty 7, J Maher 8; M Keoghan 6, TJ Reid 8, R Leahy 7; B Ryan 7, W Walsh 7, G Aylward 6 Followers: L Blanchfield 6 for Keoghan (48), J Donnelly 7 for Leahy (57), R Hogan 6 for Aylward (58), C Fennelly for Ryan (64)
Galway – J Skehill 7; At Tuohy 8, Daithi Burke 7, J Hanbury 7; P Mannion 8, G McInerney 6, A Harte 7; J Coen 6, David Burke 5; J Cooney 6, J Canning 6, C Mannion 8; C Whelan 7, N Burke 8, C Cooney 5 Followers: J Glynn 7 for C Cooney (58), B Concannon for C Mannion (65), J Flynn for Whelan (70)
] Ref – F Horgan (Tipperary)
Irish Independent
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