'We weren't dominating the game by a long shot'

ANTHONY DALY’S stock has just risen. It has been said that Daly’s teams are honest and always give it their all.

Yesterday, the Clare man’s Dublin hurlers stayed with a great Kilkenny side that occasionally sprang to life – claiming a ninth provincial title this decade thanks mainly to Martin Comerford.

Dublin needed a goal to really push Brian Cody’s men, but when Daly arrived in the media room he immediately spoke with the same infectious enthusiasm that has clearly washed over this young team.

“We might not have needed a goal. If we kept it to three points like we did after half-time and kept plugging maybe a goal would have come then. But when the second goal went in then you definitely need a goal.

“I would like to see the first goal again on TV. It was a great hand-pass from where he (Richie Power) was and it was some hand-pass because it opened up the whole defence. I would just like to see it again.

“All the week I would have said that we needed a goal, maybe two. But we scored 18 points and we would have taken that.”

Simplifying matters, we asked if he was happy or sad?

“Sad. We felt that we had a great chance, but we didn’t drive it home. We felt that we had a great chance at half-time when we were six points down. Six points is a lot against them.

“But they certainly looked to me like they were not putting us away. We sensed that after half-time and drove on, but a sloppy second goal really murdered us. I am proud of how every man stuck to his task.

“We asked them to front-up and be men about that. We are disappointed with the couple of mistakes that we made.”

A couple of mistakes can lead to a heavy defeat against Kilkenny. That, at least, was avoided by using Johnny McCaffrey as a seventh defender and flooding the midfield.

“We have seen them in the last two All-Ireland finals and it was nearly over after 10 minutes and you would be so conscious of that.

“We played Johnny (McCaffrey) back and it shores it up a bit and it gives the backs that freedom to attack and allows them to really go at their man.”

Moments earlier, Cody spoke of the genuine workout his men had just been put through.

“It was a great game really. I expected it to be. I’ve been saying it the whole time about the quality in Dublin. They’ve been showing it in the league and they showed it again today. They showed it against Wexford. And it was just a really, really hard-earned win.

“A lead or a deficit means very little in hurling. We weren’t dominating the game by a long shot. We got scores at different times that gave us a bit of a cushion. But, at all times, they were dangerous. They got great scores and they were very competitive.

“It was exactly as we expected it be. It wasn’t by any terms an outstanding performance by us. It was a workmanlike performance. If we were any less than committed, we wouldn’t be Leinster champions.

“I’m always saying the Leinster championship is difficult to win. Dublin are there for the last few years as well. Now you see the quality of them. It’s always great to win the Leinster championship. Every time you win it, it’s important.

“It’s going to be very interesting now to see the draw and who’s drawn against Dublin because everyone is going to sit up and take notice that they’re a very, very serious opposition. It’s going to be a massive game for them the next day.”