Sky Sports' Jamesie O'Connor reflects on the weekend's hurling talking points
Wednesday 12 July 2017 12:04, UK
What next for Kilkenny as Waterford continue to blossom - Sky Sports' Jamesie O'Connor reflects on the weekend's hurling talking points as the All Ireland Championship takes shape.
It was a weekend festival of hurling and the game is alive with excitement at the moment - it is one of the most unpredictable championships that we have had in years and people love that.
You saw how the Cork supporters and the Waterford fans reacted to their wins at the weekend, their teams served up serious displays and their supporters warmed to that.
Strength in depth
To our televised game firstly, Waterford and Kilkenny. I think the fact that Waterford lost their composure and their coolness will actually stand to them in the long run.
They were eight points up, surrendered that lead in no time at all, went into the dressing rooms shellshocked and still managed to come back, fight and survive!
That win will do wonders for them, no doubt about it. Their mental resilience has been proven and so too has the strength in depth of their squad.
Brian O'Halloran, Maurice Shanahan, these guys came on and made a difference. They will go into training this week feeling more involved than ever - that will build competition and foster a great environment. They are a force to be reckoned with.
Tadgh De Burca is their sweeper and he got man of the match - he hit some ball.
It might not be a system that is for everyone but it works for Waterford and perhaps that is just who they are. It took them time to get going up front but they burst through for a series of goal chances at times and maybe they're evolving more on that front too.
Their meeting with Wexford will be another attention grabber, but they progress with massive belief now. Austin Gleeson is holding his position, Jamie Barron is eager for work, the subs are rowing in, and their workrate is strong.
Pressure
As for Kilkenny, it took some effort for them to come back and only Kilkenny could have done it, that is who they are.
Their manager has instilled that toughness in them and had that game gone on just a minute more at the end of normal time they would have been in the quarter-final draw.
I don't think any pressure will come on Brian Cody but I do think he might have to give the team a bit more of a facelift than he usually tends to.
Most of the time he has opted to blood lads in over a three to four-year period and then give them a crack. He might need to bring on a wealth of new lads now over the next two years - the likes of Richie Leahy and Adrian Mullen - and rebuild again.
That's if he wants to. But the decision, I imagine, will be his.
Change needed
There is little I can say about Tipp and Dublin except that the Tipp full forward line look frighteningly good again.
They were not tested at the weekend but they will thrive from a display like that. Dublin have gone backwards at a rate of knots and it wasn't pleasant viewing for any of them.
Overall change - and not just of personnel but of structures too - is needed and quickly, I think.
Where were the fans?
Fast forward to the Munster final on Sunday and let's start with something that has troubled me.
Where were the Clare supporters? We were vastly outnumbered by Cork and I don't know what happened. Did people not turn up? Could they not get tickets? It was very poor to see the low turnout. The team deserves better and they need better too. It's time for the Clare public to get behind this team now.
As for Cork they are on a roll. Clare took Conor Lehane out of the puck out strategy, a tactic that I would agree with, but they then allowed Anthony Nash to go short to Damien Cahalane who broke the tackle time and again and that move must have contributed 0-7 from play.
Shane O'Donnell had the thankless task of trying to cover the entire Cork full back line to stop those quick puck outs. Futile exercise. Also, we might have chased the game a little more.
The lads on the line will have learned from this game but I would be heartened as well as being disappointed. With a few minutes left we were just two points down and we missed plenty of chances.
There is massive scope for the lads to get back on the horse in time for the quarter-final against Tipp.
Podge Collins wasn't fully fit and a number of other lads can find more gears to reach as well. It's not over yet.
Nor is it for Cork obviously and they deserved to win. They were impressive all the way through and in Mark Coleman they have the best young hurler in the game this season. Class act.
Pat Horgan is really consistent this championship too, nabbing his few points from play every day. The full forward line got some real quality ball and Alan Cadogan was in great form.
They are good to watch and they have something about them. In just a year they have made huge strides and that has to be admired.
They must wait now and watch the others battle it out to see who gets to an All-Ireland semi-final.
It will be some few weeks for hurling.
The live Sky Sports GAA action continues this weekend with an All-Ireland football qualifiers double-header underway at 4pm with Tipperary against Armagh at 5pm and Carlow against Monaghan at 7pm
