John Donnelly is enjoying his best ever season for the Kilkenny hurlers.
By John Harrington
The last two All-Ireland semi-finalists between Kilkenny and Clare have been framed by the threat posed by Kilkenny’s inside forwards and Clare’s fear of it.
In 2022 Kilkenny successfully created an ocean of space in front of their full-forward line which they then exploited with devastating ruthlessness.
Spooked by this experience, Clare put a big emphasis on shutting down that space in last year’s semi-final by playing Seadna Morey as a sweeper in the first half.
Morey hurled a lot of ball, but Clare’s attacking edge was dulled by putting a greater premium on caution than ambition.
They were more dangerous in the second-half when they went man on man, but a five-point half-time deficit ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Focusing too much on the threat posed by inside forwards like Eoin Cody, Billy Ryan, and Martin Keoghan might be an even bigger mistake on Sunday because arguably the biggest weapon in Kilkenny’s arsenal this year is their ability to score from distance.
If Clare’s half-back line drops deep and leaves a lot of space in the middle third, then men like John Donnelly, Adrian Mullen, Cian Kenny, and Paddy Deegan are capable of making hay.
Donnelly, in particular, has been outstanding in this year’s championship for the Cats, scoring 18 points from play so far in the campaign.
The Thomastown clubman has long been an underrated player because his game is more about graft than the flashy stuff, but he’s developed into one of the best all-round half-forwards in hurling.
“He probably doesn't get the credit he deserves but everyone is seeing how good he is this year,” says team captain Paddy Deegan.
“But he's being doing it consistently for the last few years and he does a lot of work for us around the middle that goes unnoticed.
“Now that he's picking off the points in a few games he's probably getting noticed that bit more. The work-rate he produces of the ball is probably more valuable in a way.
“I'm absolutely delighted for him, especially as he had a knock going into the Leinster Final and he still played.”
Paddy Deegan of Kilkenny poses for a portrait with the Liam MacCarthy cup during the national launch of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship at Spanish Point in Clare. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
Limerick duo Tom Morrissey and Gearoid Hegarty have long been the gold standard double-act of wing-forwards, but in Donnelly and Adrian Mullen Kilkenny have two players that on current form are at least as good as them.
Mullen was Kilkenny’s best player in the League but then an injury sustained in the first round of the Leinster championship against Antrim sidelined him until the provincial final against Dublin.
He picked up where he left off by scoring seven points from play in that provicncial final, but his performance was about far more than white flags raised.
The Ballyhale man is one of the most skilful players in the game, but he’s also one of the most hard-working.
In that Leinster final his tackling was ferocious and he roamed all over the pitch to win possession and then used it to great effect.
“Yeah, his work-rate is off the charts,” says Deegan of Mullen. “He's after taking his game to another level this year. He's been one of our best players for the last number of years but he's really after taking off and he's a massive leader for us and its' great to have him back on the pitch.
“That work-rate around that area of the pitch is massive and it allows lads to get that bit of space to pick off scores.”
Adrian Mullen of Kilkenny arrives before the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 2 match between Galway and Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
Another player in a rich vein of form is Kilkenny midfielder, Cian Kenny. He’s scored 13 points from play so far in the championship and at the age of 23 is fast developing into one of the best middle third players in the country.
“Ah he is,” says Deegan. “He's been doing it for the last few years. He was maybe a bit quieter last year but he's really after stepping it up this year and he's after taking on that role of a leader in the team. He's flying it for us at the moment.”
Kenny’s midfield partnership with Deegan is a very encouraging work in progress. The Kilkenny captain has excelled in a half-back role in recent years, but midfield might make even better use of his gifts.
He has the defensive nous to drop back into pockets of space and protect his half-back and full-back line.
But he’s no slouch when it comes to getting forward and helping in attack as a haul of 10 points from play in four championship matches attests to.
“It's a different position for me,” says Deegan. “I started off centre-back at the start of the year and I've been pushed up to midfield since the Dublin match in the round robin.
“It's obviously a news position with Kilkenny after the last few years but I've played there before but I'm enjoying it. It's a bit more freedom out there, you don't have to be sitting too deep like you do when you're in the half-back line.”
Kilkenny players like Donnelly, Mullen, Kenny, and Deegan pose a double-threat from a Clare point of view.
That scoring threat from distance combined with a voracious work-rate in the middle third that has given the Cats an edge in the last two All-Ireland semi-finals.
If the Banner County are to avoid a hat-trick of semi-final defeats, they’ll have to somehow hammer Kilkenny’s hammer.