Kiltale can complete the job this time around

Kiltale get the vote to edge out Kildalkey in Sunday's eagerly-awaited SHC final replay at Pairc Tailteann according to JIMMY GEOGHEGAN. 

The big, stand-out question is: did Kildalkey blow their chance the last day? 

After all the Village side were five points up going into the four minutes of time that remained in the first episode.

Victory looked as certain as Christmas in December. The reigning champions appeared shell-shocked - and out of ideas.

We thought their time had finally come to hand over the Jubilee Cup. Their day was done. 

We should have known better.

With the help of a Jack Regan goal, Kiltale drew level before pushing a point ahead.

In the end a Patrick Conneely pointed free earned a last-gasp draw for the Village. It was a madcap end to a game that for spells lacked the quality you might expect from these two sides.  

Kiltale won the five previous senior titles because they have the hunger, the desire and the ability to overcome challenges - and they have been presented with all kinds of tests since 2014.

Each time they found an answer. Each time they have discovered the winning combination  - and they are likely to do so again on Sunday. 

It's an unwritten law in Gaelic games that and underdog who fails to unseat the favourites the first day out will be put away the second time around.

Put in their place.

We've seen it so often before and the consensus among the local hurling fraternity seems to be that victory for the champions will, once more, be the outcome.

It's hard to disagree with that logic. 

Kildalkey, of course, will return to headquarters for Sunday's game with solid reasons to be optimistic.

They were the better side in what was a scrappy opening half of the drawn match.

They brought an intensity, a structure, an in-your-face way of playing that Kiltale found difficult to deal with.

Their striking and first-touch was, for the most part, exemplary. 

They got their match ups right with Kevin McKeon restricting the influence of Regan - until those closing minutes. 

Not many teams have found themselves in such a position of strength against Kiltale as Kildalkey did in the closing stages of that drawn game and yet they just couldn't complete the task. 

Who knows what effect that reality will have on Kildalkey's collective mentality.

Will it embolden them to do better next time around knowing they have the measure of the champions?

Will the fact that they ended up 'only' drawing underline their confidence?

Only time will tell.

An encouraging statistic for the team managed by O'Halloran and Daire Lahart is that in the first match seven players got on the scoresheet - Conneely,

Nicky Potterton, Kevin McKeon, Sean Heavey, Luke Rickard, Patrick Potterton and James McNally. It's a decent spread of scorers, indicating they can strike from various angles.  

The young players in the Kildalkey side will greatly benefit from having played that drawn game - players like Nicky Potterton, Mark Healy, Luke Rickard and Kevin McKeown.

They can greatly benefit from the experience.  

Kildalkey wasted some good scoring chances in that first game, hitting nine wides. If they can be more clinical next Sunday then they have a chance. 

O'Halloran talked after the drawn game about how his players will have to pick themselves.

The management will, no doubt, do what they can in that regard, but ultimately the players themselves must believe themselves that they can go out again and do the business. 

Kiltale were disappointed with the way they played.

That was clear from what members in their camp were saying afterwards.

They felt they didn't do themselves justice - and they were right.

They can be much better next time and that's a powerful motiviation.

They will WANT to show they can be better. That they are deserving champions. 

 

As shown in the way he dragged his team back into the first game, Regan has now become a powerful force for his side.

His almost unerring free-taking is matched by a insatiable hunger for success - and the belief to match.

Ross Ryan, Fearghal McCabe and Mark O'Sullivan are part of a powerful forward unit that that didn't spark first time out.

You can expect more from them next time out.  

Kiltale, unusually for them, weren't able to impose themselves in the midfield sector.

Expect too for that to change also.

At the time of writing the champions will be without goalkeeper Shane McGann who is set to embark on some travels. He’ll be a big loss. 

However, Kiltale have an able deputy in Ollie Regan.  

Somewhat fortunate to be given a second chance the champions should prevail this time - and complete the cherished six-in-a-row.