A POOR PERFORMANCE in an All-Ireland final can be the defining moment of a player’s life as they wonder whether or not they may ever get a chance to return to the title decider to redeem themselves.
JJ Delaney and the rest of the Kilkenny defence weren’t happy with how they acquitted themselves in the drawn game this year, but fortunately for the Cats rearguard, they only had to wait a few weeks for an opportunity to put that right.
Delaney says they used the time in between to learn from their mistakes in the first game.
“We had a point to prove after the first day,” Delaney said.
“We were lucky enough to get the draw. Usually if you play badly in an All-Ireland final you have to wait 12 months or two or three years.
“We were lucky that we only had to wait three weeks and we learned from the first day.”
A feature of the game was how tigerishly both defences hooked and blocked opposition attackers. Delaney picked up a dislocated finger for his trouble, but the stalwart defender says that lifting the Liam MacCarthy cup is sufficient medicine for the moment.
“It [the finger] doesn’t feel as bad now that you’ve won,” Delaney said.
“These bumps and bruises feel a lot better now.”
This replay was the fifth time in six seasons that Kilkenny have clashed with Tipperary in an All-Ireland final, with Kilkenny winning three titles out of the meetings. Delaney enjoyed beating his close rivals, but the payoff after a long year of preparation was even more satisfying for him.
“It makes it a bit sweeter because it was against our neighbours,” Delaney said.
“Any All-Ireland is tough to win and when you are doing all of that tough pre-season training, that is what you have in your mind.”
