Kilkenny 1-12 Waterford 0-12:Clifton Wrottesley ain't the only guy that can slide for Ireland. In Nowlan Park yesterday, some of the land's finest hurlers found themselves doing the same.
The famous Kilkenny swathe was actually in splendid shape given the wretched misery of the day, but you couldn't help feel that a local derby that always shimmers with the promise of incident deserved better. It was hurling, but not as these players would prefer it.
Still, 5,000 people turned up at a revamped Nowlan Park to watch these neighbouring counties try to unravel the mysteries of the season past. Those beyond the inner sanctum in Kilkenny can but guess at the disappointment that they have been nursing since last summer's ambush by Galway.
At this stage, Brian Cody's squad has nothing to prove other than to themselves and that quest began here. Absent were many of the Broadway names, but this was the Cats: the quality still ran deep.
Justin McCarthy becomes the second Cork man in succession to ponder the unfathomable complexities of Waterford hurling. Here he discovered, as his predecessor learned before him, that managing the Decies is to know many emotions over one afternoon but never boredom.
In many ways, the story here, from a Waterford perspective, was wrapped up in the performance of the ever-tantalising Paul Flynn. Busy and eager in the skirmishes around the 40, he cracked eight points from frees over the hour. He also had a first-half penalty saved.
It was his series of frees that dragged Waterford back into the game in the second half and his rash miss from a 21-yard free, when he decided to blaze for goal, that provided the defining moment.
Still, he was also inventor-in-chief in Waterford's last-gasp drive for salvation, when Seamus Prendergast provoked a sublime save from James McGarry in what was the last stroke of the match. Flynn seems to embody all the rights and wrongs of Waterford hurling.
Kilkenny's argument was evenly spread, even if the wristy genius of Henry Shefflin stood apart. The home team took a significant leap ahead in the sticky first half when John Hoyne, with a goal-taker's stealth, used his stick to interrupt Kevin Power's low-flying drive and nimbly tucked a shot past Stephen Brenner to leave Kilkenny up, 1-2 to 0-2, after 23 minutes.
It was a comfortable half for the home side, with JJ Delaney excelling at centre-back, Paul Cahill relishing life as a late replacement for corner back Michael Kavanagh and a new-look half-forward line mixing nicely.
Several times the attacking unit stretched Waterford and Brenner, the visiting goalkeeper, did well to negotiate two typically out-of-the-blue Shefflin strikes.
Down 0-4 to 1-7 at half-time, Justin McCarthy shuffled his sodden charges, moving Tony Browne into a more prominent midfield role and sending Michael White into the forwards.
"In that second half, we came back well," he said afterwards. "In fairness, the lads stuck to their task, maybe missed a few opportunities, but in those slippery conditions it is hard not to make a mistake.
"We were unlucky not to get the draw, but Kilkenny are a competent team and we weren't going to get anything easy. But I thought it the second half, we were the better team," he added.
They certainly made most of the running. Brian Flannery and Fergal Hartley were noticeable in an improved defensive effort and, up front, Ken McGrath's industry was spoiled by one of those days when the ball didn't run for him. With Dan Shanahan more involved, however and, Eoin Murphy willing to chase down everything, Waterford got a foothold. Flynn tapped three on the trot before Browne lobbed a fine free from his own half. That sally was broken by a fine Shefflin point, but another score from Browne, this time a 65, set us up for a final 10 minutes that made the appalling weather worth enduring. Derek Lyng missed for Kilkenny before Flynn's precocious and stray assault on goal from that 21-yard free.
A minute later, Kilkenny broke away with a Godly strike from Shefflin from out on the wing, and then Eddie Brennan took a deft pass from Keiran Rafter to leave the home side four points up.
Flynn gunned two more frees, Eddie Brennan restored Kilkenny's goal advantage, and finally the visitors worked a brilliant move down field, with Flynn one-handing a ground stroke for Shanahan, who found Prendergast. The big forward did well to turn into space and connected perfectly, but McGarry's vision was enough.
So, this was a perplexing start to the McCarthy era and Sunday business as usual for the black and amber.
KILKENNY: J McGarry; P Cahill, N Hickey, D Grogan; A Cummins (0-1, free), JJ Delaney, P Barry: K Barry (0-1), R Mullally (0-1); E Brennan (0-2), D Lyng (0-1), M Comerford (0-1); B Dowling (0-1), J Hoyne (1-0), H Shefflin (0-4, 2 frees). Subs: K Rafter for for K Power (58 mins).
WATERFORD: S Brenner: T Feeney, J O'Connor, B Flannery; T Browne (0-2, free, 65), F Hartley, J Murray; P Queally, P Fitzgerald; D Shanahan (0-1), K McGrath, P Flynn (0-8, frees); E Murphy (0-1), S Prendergast, D Bennett. Subs: M White for D Bennett (34 mins), C Watt for P Fitzgerald (60 mins), J Mullane for E Murphy (68 mins).
Referee: G Harrington (Cork).
Kilkenny ... 1-12
Waterford ... 0-12
