'Kilkenny broke Dublin's spirit': JJ Delaney and Ollie Canning reflect on the Cats' statement victory
Following Kilkenny's dominant 3-25 to 0-17 win over Dublin at Parnell Park, JJ Delaney and Ollie Canning give their thoughts on the Cats' response, and ponder if the Dubs can regroup for next week's trip to Galway.
Monday 16 May 2022 11:52, UK
Kilkenny's response following their defeat to Galway was an emphatic one.
The Cats came to Parnell Park and made a statement, hammering Dublin by 17 points.
Although it was a three-point game at the break, Brian Cody's charges moved through the gears in the second half and ran riot.
"They upped their work rate, they broke Dublin's spirit in that second half," reflected Sky Sports pundit and former Kilkenny star JJ Delaney.
"In fairness, special mention to the Dublin backs, I thought they were very good.
"I think the midfield and the forwards have to have a proper hard look at themselves. Look at the way the Kilkenny forwards worked. Even in the last 10 minutes. They were up by 10-15 in the last few minutes, but there were still three or four Kilkenny guys hounding every Dublin guy. Now that wasn't going to affect the result, but it was in them and they wanted to do it.
"The Dublin forwards weren't doing that in the second half. In the first half, they were getting a bit of ball, they were working very well, their game-plan was working down to a tee. But when that broke down, when Kilkenny upped the work rate, the Dublin forwards just didn't have an answer.
"It just wasn't sticking inside. The hard work was done to get the ball into a good position for Ronan Hayes. But the ball wasn't sticking. I'd say Mattie Kenny was pulling his hair out, saying 'our tactics are working' but the fundamentals and first touch were letting them down.
"But it's all to play for next weekend. They need to forget about this result. This is gone. They need to learn from it, move on and prepare for the Galway match because it's going to be huge for them."
'Brian Cody has found a few players'
Ollie Canning was particularly impressed by how it wasn't the big names like TJ Reid and Eoin Cody who led Kilkenny's charge when the game was in the melting pot.
Cian Kenny stepped up with 0-4 from play, Alan Murphy hit 0-3, while Martin Keoghan struck 2-1.
"Dublin stuck with Kilkenny in that first half. Cian Kenny and Alan Murphy really stood up in that first-half, when Eoin Cody and TJ weren't getting on that much ball," Canning reflected.
"It's very pleasing for Brian Cody that he has found a few players. When the pressure was on - maybe it wasn't going that well for the higher [profile] players - a few of the guys stepped up for Kilkenny in the first half. And they broke Dublin spirit.
"I felt Dublin played really well in that first half, but Kilkenny went in that goal up, and we've seen that over the years when you feel that maybe the opposition are maybe getting on top of Kilkenny. And when you look at the score-line, Kilkenny are miraculously still a couple of points up.
"In the second half, they just took over...Kilkenny just ran Dublin out of Parnell Park.
"It's going to be hard to lift this Dublin team going down to Galway.
"But it was very comfortable in that second half for Kilkenny, especially in defence. They were just able to deal with the ball that came in.
"Do Dublin have the players? That's the question you have to ask. Mattie Kenny has a tough task."
Our live coverage continues next Saturday with Kilkenny vs Wexford live on Sky Sports Arena from 5:50pm. The Sky Sports cameras will also be in Pearse Stadium for Galway vs Dublin, with live updates from Salthill.
