THE YOUNG ONES
Kilkenny’s U21s set the trend
IT IS hard to know what impact, if any, this will have on the senior game on Sunday week but both camps got sufficient fodder from this cracking All- Ireland Under 21 semi- final for the mind games that will frame the build-up to the big one.
Another defeat to Galway might have proved unsettling for the Cats, while the Tribesmen will point to the number of seniors they had available on Saturday, and still came up short, as further proof that the mantle of favourites should be on Brian Cody’s men.
The Galway senior management also look after their U21s and 17 of the senior squad were available for this joust in Semple Stadium.
However, just three of them — Johnny Coen, Niall Burke and Conor Cooney — are regular starters with the seniors.
It seems remarkable that three players — Donie Fox, Paul Huban and Shane Moloney — can be on a senior squad in an All-Ireland final and yet not make their county U21 team, but that is testimony to the extent of the youth policy adopted by Anthony Cunningham.
All three were drafted in during Saturday’s contest in a bid by the champions to hold on to their crown but by then Kilkenny had delivered the killer blows in the form of three first-half goals against the wind.
Galway coach Mattie Kenny said that these strikes were decisive as Kilkenny continued t heir dominance over the Tribesmen in this grade, carving out their 12th win in 16 Championship meetings.
‘That is a good Kilkenny team, they are very sharp. The teams had a very good clash three years ago in the minor and Galway just got over the line in that one,’ said Kenny.
‘The first half I thought we were hurling well, but they got three goals where they opened us up a bit against the run of play and I think that was the big difference in the game,’ added the Galway coach.
Only three or four of this Kilkenny squad have so far pushed through into the senior set-up but with 11 of their starting 15 underage again next year, it is obvious the conveyor belt is not slowing down.
Cats manager Richie Mulrooney believes the final against Clare will be a thrilling contest.
‘We had a cracking match with them in the minor final of 2010 and now, maybe a year early, we are both back in the U21 final.
‘We’ll have 11 who started who are U21 next year and Clare have something similar,’ said Mulrooney. ‘It is just going to be a cracker of a match.’
Mulrooney believes that his charges need to be patient and their opportunity will come at senior level.
‘A lot of our lads aren’t in on the Kilkenny senior panel yet and how could they be? Kilkenny seniors have been on top for so long,’ said the manager.
‘Our lads are going to take a little longer [than Galway] to get into the senior set-up. But then you look at the Kilkenny senior squad and you can say time is not just right yet.
‘But the willingness to work for each other was incredible and we caught them on the hop in the first half with the three goals,’ he added.
Galway were leading by 0-6 to 0-3 when Ollie Walsh soloed through for a goal which ignited a great six-minute spell where Kilkenny out- scored Galway by 2-3 to 0-1, with John Power racing through for his side’s second goal.
Galway struggled to cope with Kilkenny’s two-man full-forward line and man of the match Ger Aylward punished the young Tribesmen with a third goal after 23 minutes which pushed the Cats 10 points in front.
Galway rallied before the break with three frees to leave it 3-9 to 0- 11 at the interval but three minutes after the restart Power blasted a penalty to the net after Aylward was fouled. Davy Glennon set a Galway revival in progress with a kicked goal and a smashing finish from the in-form Joe Cooney helped Galway reduce the margin to a goal with seven minutes left. But Kilkenny powered away with four unanswered points to seal the win.