Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

Have Waterford any chance of beating Kilkenny this Sunday? Of course they have, writes Emmet Moloney…

Hurling karma does happen. But you usually have to wait at least twelve months. Last September, the Déise suffered a defeat that will live with the squad forever. Unless. Yes, unless they correct it. And the hurling Gods of the hot and cold balls have given Waterford the ideal opportunity. Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final, the only time to catch them, and Waterford coming in on the back of a dramatic quarter-final win. They have momentum; the Cats have been waiting for a month. It’s now or never for Port Láirge.

They will rightly believe they can win and if you don’t believe deep down that you can beat Kilkenny, then you won’t. Of course they can. It’s a tall order but no team is unbeatable and some seventy minutes, some time, Brian Cody’s team will be beaten. So why not this Sunday?

Well, here’s the formula. Waterford must hit them so hard, so often and then so hard again, that Kilkenny start spilling ball, hitting aimless clearances and miss shots at goal under severe pressure. At the other end, the Déise can miss nothing that comes their way. They’ll need at least two goals and about twenty points and even then it will be tight.

Looks easy enough written down and, let’s face it, this is the formula to win any championship hurling match. Can it be done on Sunday? Yes.

Hitting Kilkenny hard doesn’t mean the alleged tactic used last September of swipes off the ball before it was even thrown in. No, it means every time a Cat gets the ball in his hand he is hit. And while he tries to steady himself, he is met again with another challenge. And it is the Waterford forwards who have the burden to bear here because this is where the Kilkenny supply line comes from. Their backs are experts at using the sliotar and the only way to stop Brennan, Shefflin and co is at source. Stop Tommy Walsh getting clear and arrowing a ball in front of Eddie Brennan and you have a chance.

The other area where Kilkenny can kill teams off is their goal-scoring prowess. Watch the videos. A number of their goals come from the centre, players running straight from fifty yards out. They always draw the man, slip the hand-pass and the next thing you know, the green flag is waving. Teams have tried to play an extra player in front of the full-back line to stop this threat but it rarely works.

As soon at the Cats beat the first man, they are thinking goal. Watch Martin Comerford and Eoin Larkin. After winning primary possession, they have a quick look at what’s on. If there’s a chance of a goal they plough on, if not, it’s over the bar. Waterford have to meet the man with the ball. He has to be hit early before he looks up to see what’s on.

Fair and hard hits will always threaten the law of legality, but there is a way of being hugely physical and hard and staying within the rules of the game. Waterford must find that way. Sure, they’ll give up some frees – that’s to be expected – but they can’t back off for a second. Not off the ball or on the ball. They have big men. They have small men with big hearts. All are needed this Sunday.
Confidence comes from winning and the Kilkenny lads haven’t panicked in about five years of hurling. No matter what Galway threw at them earlier on this year, they played through the storm, dropped Henry around midfield, away from the cordon in operation closer to goal. What happened? Henry landed a couple of long-range points, the Cats came back into it and Galway started to wobble. Kilkenny won by five points.

But Galway was the blueprint. They came at Kilkenny and hit them first, looked for the ball second. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t stop the soft goal. They couldn’t keep their effort up for seventy minutes. During a ten minute lull in the second half, the Cats went and won the game.
This Waterford team have the tools to put it up to Kilkenny. They have the hurler of the year in John Mullane. He’ll score and win frees and Eoin Kelly will convert them. He is due a big game from open play.

And then they have Big Dan. I wouldn’t start him. At some stage, Waterford will need a lift and the sight of Dan the Man ambling towards the square will provide it. He’ll lift supporters and players alike. The risk of starting him is great. Based on two catches against Galway? No, hold him in reserve. The bench will be crucial because the physical effort involved in containing Kilkenny is immense. Subs will be needed.

Last week in Dungarvan we had a bit of hurling karma on show. A Clare team cruelly deprived of an U-21 championship the year before finally made the breakthrough. (Remember the goalie stepping outside the square, allegedly? His name is Donal Tuohy and that young man was outstanding in victory in Fraher Field. A bit of karma for him.)

It was a thrilling contest and Waterford played their part. Gracious in defeat as well, they are comforted by the quality coming through their underage ranks. They have a forward by the name of Thomas Ryan from Tallow – look out for this young man. If I was Davy I’d be tempted to throw him in beside JJ Delaney at some stage this weekend. He might be a little young and green, but I have seen no-one faster this year. He could be something special.

Karma. You must believe and Waterford will. If they are the men we know they can be, then they will stand up and be counted. They will tear into Kilkenny. This is their final of finals. Win this game and it will be the one they will forever be remembered for.

Having said all that, I’d still have to go for Kilkenny, although it’ll be a hell of a lot closer than twelve months ago. It’s the only logical call to make. The Déise are capable – there’s no doubting that – and the 6/1 the bookies are offering for them is an insult. But do they have eighteen hurlers who can put all the indifferent performances of this championship behind them?

Galway should have been out of sight before that epic comeback last weekend. They can’t afford to give the Cats such a lead. Much as we’d like to see it, I suspect that the Déise will come up just a little bit short this time.

There will come a day when the Cats are beaten. I just don’t think it will be Sunday. Karma might have to take a back seat for a little while yet.



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