Paul Murphy ended up playing as a free man in the Kilkenny defence as they beat Waterford to claim a place in the All-Ireland hurling final and reckons the teams' goal threats were cancelled out as a result.
Murphy was named to play in the half-back line for Kilkenny but when his marker left the attacking end of the pitch, he ended up as a loose man on the D.
Had Kilkenny strategised to counter Waterford’s tactics? According to the Danesfort man, the Kilkenny defence simply adapted to what was in front of them.
Murphy said: “We didn’t really plan for the way Waterford were going to play today, we just went out and saw whatever way it was going to work out. We had one free man today, I kind of played in it a lot, it worked out for us.”
Kilkenny had no plan to make any particular player into their sweeper. "We said that if your player moves out and you’re the spare man, just go with it. I think Colin Dunford went out for a small bit so I ended up the free man for the first few minutes, and we just left it that way. We had a good system going, the backs were talking, the keeper was talking. We just left it that way through the match."
Waterford’s decision to play with an extra man in defence resulted in the team’s largely cancelling out the goal threat, with Waterford having no notable chances to score a three-pointer.
"When there is one defender playing on the D it makes it harder for the full-forward line to get a goal. Waterford used it very well but it worked for us as well and we cancelled out the goals that way."
Meanwhile, Cats attacker Richie Hogan felt it was important not to let the Déise get in front during the game.
“We were very conscious not to let Waterford get their noses in front because we knew we mightn’t be able to peg it back," he said
"They are a young team with lots of confidence. The goal was a big help to us. It gave us a bit of confidence and we didn’t turn back from there.
Kilkenny are masters of catching the high ball and it's just one of those basic things that can help to drive a team on.
“Catching the ball is something that you learn when you’re twelve years old. It’s the simple things that help the most – catching, striking and a good first touch."
