When you get a chance, you have to go for it.
One of Brian Cody’s all conquering Kilkenny side’s most famous traits was their cold-blooded ruthlessness when it came to goal chances.
If you gave them lads a sniff at goal, if they smelled blood, they jumped at the chance to bury it.
Goals have been way too few and far between for the Tribesmen so far in this year’s championship, they haven’t netted in their last three Championship games, against Wexford and Tipperary.
A Conor Cooney chance in the early stages of the first half against Tipperary told us exactly why.
His namesake was happy to take the point.
Cooney’s lack of ruthlessness, his lack of that killer-instinct at the crucial moment could have been costly for Galway in a game of such fine margins – they got away with it this time, but would they in a final?
Kilkenny legend JJ Delaney was speaking on The GAA Hour on Monday and he feels that it’s a problem that many players have, especially in the opening stages of games, where they are eager to settle themselves into the game.
If they can strike the vital blow of a goal, it can be game changing.
Definitely, in the first ten/fifteen minutes, if an opportunity comes like that, you should definitely go for it,” claimed Delaney.
“If Bubbles or John McGrath got it in that situation, they would have definitely have went for a goal. You’ve nothing to lose in the first few minutes of the game, I know it’s all well and good to get a point for yourself to start off but if there’s half a goal chance on, you want to put your team in a better situation,” added the Kilkenny man.
Show host Colm Parkinson was in agreement with Delaney.
“I don’t know if that killer instinct is there, I could not imagine Kilkenny not going for a goal in that instance. He flicked it over, but there was a goal gaping there, and in games like that, goal chances are few and far between. I know what he wanted to do – it’s early in the game here, I’ll get off the mark and get settled. You nearly have to rise above that and just go for that.”
Something for the Tribesmen to work on.
You can listen to this discussion, and much more from The GAA Hour Hurling Show here.
