Cats get the cream - Firstly as a Corkman, let me congratulate Kilkenny on their fine win and point out that the Rebel army have no complaints or grudges to bear as they were not the better team on the day. The desire and hunger shown by the Cats was evident for everyone to see as they tore into Cork from the throw in and never gave them the opportunity to settle on the ball - as someone said later Kilkenny were more like tigers than cats. I will look at the game in more detail further down but let me first take issue with a few items that were major topics of conversation before and after the game. The first was the state of the pitch and how long the grass had been left to grow. It was clear that this was done to compensate for the amount of slipping done in previous weeks which left a lot of players very annoyed. I walked the pitch prior to the final and it was a disgrace and by the way, this is not sour grapes by me as the grass was the same for Kilkenny. All-Ireland final day is something special and with eighty two thousand spectators in the ground, it is our opportunity to show the world what a great game hurling is and what a great spectacle a game at Croke Park can be. Instead we let ourselves down by not having the most basic ingredient right and that is the pitch. How many times did we see the ball being throw in among players and how many times did players fail to rise the ball from sideline pucks -a sand wedge was needed! The two best hurling teams qualified for the final and it is a great pity we did not witness the best of hurling skill because of the conditions. The second big talking point was the man handling of Kilkenny supporters by stewards as they tried to gain access onto the field after the game to salute and honour their heroes. I never saw anything like it, young kids, male and female been pulled to the ground or tripped as they went across to the Hogan Stand for the presentation. There was a big crowd pushing and shoving at the corner of Hill 16 because it was the only gate open until the so called Plan B was put into operation and all gates were opened. I understand the GAA President's comments and fears in relation to health and safety but what is worse - one gate open and thousands trying to get through it or all gates open and a more safe approach to let people enter the field. It is now part of GAA tradition that when the winning teams are on the steps of the Hogan Stand after receiving the McCarthy Cup they can look down on a field full of their adoring supporters. It leaves cherished memories of thousands singing and cheering for their native county. Let's not change it. If the hierarchy are so worried about the pitch after the match, why not show as much concern prior to the game. It is also worth noting that there has never been a mention of the concerts which take place and the crowds, not to mention the stage, on the field for them. Yet we are told that it is the people who come on to the field after matches who are doing the most damage to the pitch - that is nonsense in my book. It has been a long few days and now I have that out of my system let's have a look back at the main event. Tactics Kilkenny were the clear winners here - they had their homework done on the Cork game plan of using short puck outs, running with ball through the middle and the utilising the handpass. How did they counteract this? Obviously put a lot of thought went into stopping Cork's method of play. For the puckouts, the forwards dropped back in a line to create a sort of blanket defence similar to the way northern teams do in football. This left no space for the attack to manoeuvre or midfield to pick up the breaking ball - instead it was Kilkenny who gained all the possession, particularly Tommy Walsh and James Ryall in their half back line. Anytime that Gerry O'Connor or Tom Kenny made a break through the centre they were crowded out and more often lost possession. How many times did we see Sean Og, Ronan Curran and John Gardiner surrounded by four and five players and not able to get the short stroke or handpass away? To do this obviously a team has to be very fit and disciplined but also work on it for long periods in training over the last few weeks. The sheer intensity of the Cats won the game for them as they were in Cork's faces from the word go and did not allow them to play. Defining moments Aidan Fogarty's goal as it gave Kilkenny a cushion going in at half time - up until then it was point for point and Cork would have been happy with a tight game. But more importantly it gave the Cats the confidence to know that the pressure game was working, fouls were been committed and scores were coming as a result. Cork were struggling in a lot of areas and I am sure Brian Cody was demanding more of the same from his players during the half time interval. He must have known that his team had Cork rattled at that stage. Also the rotation system employed by the Kilkenny forwards - moving Henry Shefflin out to centre forward on Ronan Curran, who had started the game very well. Placing Martin Comerford on Sean Og meant the Cats could compete for the high ball from puck outs and if not catch cleanly, halt the Cork half backs from driving forward. The so called weakness in their team was supposed to be the full back line but there were no signs of this as each one of them had a point to prove. Noel Hickey defended very strongly and both players on either side of him raised their game considerably. Holding Brian Corcoran was a fair achievement and for Michael Kavanagh, appearing in his seventh final, it was a dream come true. The captain Jackie Tyrell took a lot of criticism before the game but lead the line very well. The Rebel Army I cannot let this article pass without paying tribute to the players involved who have given Cork so much success and enjoyment over the last number of years. There is no shame in losing an All-Ireland final to Kilkenny and I know the disappointment they must now feel as they may never get the opportunity to win a three-in-a-row again. Things did not go according to plan on the day but I am sure the Rebel army will not give up on them now and they will be back. There will be a few retirements no doubt and maybe a change of management but there is still a good team there and maybe a call to Australia for Setanta would not go astray. And finally congrats also to the Tipperary minors who produced a great performance - rumour has it that they are on the way back! Tweet

Most Read Stories