Cody guides Kilkenny to fourteenth All-Ireland Final appearance as Manager.

Brian Cody has guided Kilkenny to a fourteenth All-Ireland Final appearance since 1999 as his side beat Waterford 1-21 to 0-18 in the first of this year’s semi finals at Croke Park and now awaits the winners of the Tipperary and Galway clash next weekend in next weekend’s second semi final at the same venue.

TJ Reid proved to be a thorn in the Waterford side throughout as he finished as the games top scorer with 1-9 behind his name, 1-2 of which came from play.

However, the Kilkenny win was not just down to one man as Richie Hogan also impressed with five points while Ger Aylward who had a relatively quite first half finished with four points.

For Waterford Maurice Shanahan was again top scorer with nine points, seven of which came from placed balls.

At the start of the campaign many were wonder how Waterford would fair without Pauric Mahony who impressed in the league but who missed the championship after he sustained a serious injury while playing with Ballygunner in the club championship, but the towering Lismore man filled his boots and in each of the four games Waterford played he impressed a lot, and was a threat to the opposing sides both from placed balls and from open play and if he was to win an All-Star later in the year I for one would not be surprised.

The Lismore man was ably assisted by Colin Dunford in attack. The Colligan man at times revelled in the space available to him on Croke Park and got four years for his efforts from play while Austin Gleeson finished with three points, one of which was a delightfully struck sideline cut between the 45 and 65 metre lines.

Waterford opened the scoring on two minutes when Maurice Shanahan got inside Kilkenny defence and tapped over the head of Eoin Murphy.

Kilkenny responded with their opening score on four minutes when Eoin Larkin won possession and set up TJ Reid for his first of the game.

Maurice Shanahan got his second of the game and first from a placed ball on six minutes, but Kilkenny hit back straight away when Eoin Murphy put the ball down on the top of Richie Hogan who made no mistake in splitting the posts.

Waterford went back in front when Austin Gleeson put over a sideline from about 50 metres out on eight minutes and five minutes later TJ Reid levelled matters once more.

Just before the quarter of an hour mark Walter Walsh turned the Waterford defence but his effort fell short.

The games only goal came midway through the first half. A long ball into Waterford full forward line saw Shane Bennett out numbered and Paul Murphy was able to clear and the ball was worked down the field. A high ball saw both Barry Coughlan and Tadhg de Búrca go for the one ball resulting it fall to TJ Reid who ran at Stephen O’Keeffe and blasted low and hard past the Ballygunner man.

Kilkenny were now in front and never fell behind afterwards.

Maurice Shanahan and Richie Hogan swapped scores to keep three between the sides with a quarter of an hour still to play in the opening half before Maurice Shanahan and TJ Reid from a free again traded scores keeping the latter’s goal as the difference between the sides with twenty three minutes played.

Another Maurice Shanahan free, following some good work by Austin Gleeson in the build up helped cut Kilkenny’s lead to two with ten minutes of the first half remaining, but another point from a TJ Reid free made life a little more comfortable for Kilkenny.

With six minutes to play and with Waterford again out numbered deep inside the Kilkenny half a ball was sent into the Kilkenny half of the field but Maurice Shanahan was able to win it and once he had it there was only one place it was going to go, leaving just two between the sides once more.

TJ Reid and Maurice Shanahan again traded scores to keep two between the sides with three minutes plus stoppage time to play in the opening half.

A minute later Austin Gleeson put over a brilliant point for Waterford to leave just one between the sides, but Kilkenny would finish the half the stronger of the two sides as TJ Reid again from a free and Shane Bennett from a tight angle swapped scores and the first half scoring came to a close in stoppage time when Man of the Match TJ Reid put over another free to leave two between the sides at the break.

Both sides in their championship games this year had put in better second half performances but Waterford also knew that of the last four games that Kilkenny lost in the championship, they trailed at the break so if history was to repeat itself, Derek McGrath’s charges would have to put in their best second half performance to date.

Kilkenny as often happens came out for the second half all guns blazing and with just seconds played they found themselves presented with a chance to extend their lead but Walter Walsh’s effort went wide of the upright.

Kilkenny did go three up when TJ Reid put over a free two minutes after the restart and they doubled their half time advantage a minute later when Ger Aylward pointed after he was picked out by Colin Fennelly.

Maurice Shanahan and Kevin Moran halved Kilkenny’s advantage with scores on thirty nine and forty minutes, but mistakes from Barry Coughlan and Stephen O’Keeffe in the forty first minute allowed TJ Reid and Cillian Buckley in for Kilkenny and to send them back in front by four.

Kilkenny attempted to extend their lead on forty two minutes by TJ Reid saw his shot for across the face of Stephen O’Keeffe’s goal but they did go five up nine minutes into the second half when Ger Aylward split the posts.

Colin Dunford hit the first of his scores ten minutes into the second half but it was followed with an effort from Eoin Larkin which put Kilkenny five in front for the second time in the game.

A brace of Colin Dunford scores at the end of the third quarter gave Waterford hope as just three separated the sides, but that was as good as it got for Waterford.

Richie Hogan edged Kilkenny four in front on fifty two minutes, before Michael Fennelly and Austin Gleeson traded scores in the next two minutes keeping four between the sides with a quarter of an hour still to play.

Another Colin Dunford point followed for Waterford to leave just TJ Reid’s goal at the end of the first quarter between the sides once more.

Points from Ger Aylward and a brace from the hard working Richie Hogan in the fifty-ninth and sixtieth minutes put Kilkenny 1-20 to 0-17 in front and it was looking now as if it was not going to be Waterford’s day.

Another Ger Aylward point five minutes from time gave Kilkenny a seven point advantage on the score board.

Four minutes from time Waterford won a close in free which Maurice Shanahan put over the cross bar but it was a goal that was needed at this stage if Waterford were going to stage a late fight back.

This concluded the scoring for the afternoon but in added time Waterford did have a chance when another Maurice Shanahan free dropped into the Kilkenny goal mouth but it was batted wide of the target.

A few months back few if any expected anything from Waterford.

A lot has been achieved in the last few months, promotion from Division 1B at the first attempt in the league was achieved. The League was won a few weeks later and Waterford put up good performances against both Tipperary in the Munster Final and Kilkenny in the All-Ireland in the All-Ireland semi final, but would finish second best on both days.

In recent years when Waterford’s interest in the championship ended the focus of attention focused on an aging team and what players would not be available for the following year and who was out there to replace them.

There will be no such talk this year as most if not all of the present team will be back for more again next year.

2015 was a good year for Waterford, but at the end of 2016 we will have a better clue as to how close we are to the likes of Kilkenny and Tipperary who have been setting the standards in recent years.

Waterford has the players to bring success to the county in the coming years. Many of the players that we seen taste action this year will be a year older and more experienced in six to twelve months time.

Right now within the panel there is a number of very versatile players, players who maybe we will have to find out once and for all where there best position is. Some of these players have played their underage and colleges hurling in one position and have excelled there but have played in a different position in the senior team and who have performed well in their new position.

If we can get some extra competition for places for 2016, then it could prove to be a better year than the one just ended for Waterford hurling.

Players like Cormac Curran and DJ Foran will have benefitted from being around the senior panel this year. It would be great next year to see the likes of Patrick Curran and Stephen Bennett get some more game time. So too would it be great if new members could be added to the panel from recent successful underage and colleges panels, players like Micheal Harney, Kevin Daly and the Roche brothers from The Shamrocks club.

The better team won the first of this year’s All-Ireland semi finals. There can be no disputing that. But there is a lot for Waterford to look forward to in the years to come.

Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Paul Murphy, Joey Holden, Shane Prendergast; Padraig Walsh, Kieran Joyce, Cillian Buckley (0-01); Michael Fennelly (0-01), Conor Fogarty; Walter Walsh, Richie Hogan (0-05), Colin Fennelly; Ger Aylward (0-04), TJ Reid (1-09, 0-07f), Eoin Larkin (0-01). Subs: John Power for Walter Walsh.

Scorers: TJ Reid 1-9 (0-7f), Richie Hogan 0-5, Ger Aylward 0-4, Cillian Buckley, Michael Fennelly, Eoin Larkin 0-1 each.

Waterford: Stephen O'Keeffe; Shane Fives, Barry Coughlan, Noel Connors; Darragh Fives, Tadhg de Búrca, Phillip Mahony; Kevin Moran (0-01), Jamie Barron; Shane Bennett (0-01), Michael Walsh, Austin Gleeson (0-03, 0-01 s/l); Colin Dunford (0-04), Maurice Shanahan (0-09, 0-06f, 0-01 65), Jake Dillon Subs: Patrick Curran for Jake Dillon, Stephen Bennett for Shane Bennett.

Scorers: Maurice Shanahan 0-9 (0-6f, 0-1 ’65), Colin Dunford 0-4, Austin Gleeson 0-3 (0-1 sideline), Kevin Moran, Shane Bennett 0-1 each.

Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly)