GAELIC GAMES: It was hard to tell last Sunday in Croke Park if there wasn't a slight trace of the purist's disdain in Brian Cody's voice when he pointed out that Kilkenny don't bother much with tactics; preferring to just go out and hurl. If other people wanted to use tactics, well Kilkenny had no problem with that.
Whether Kilkenny have developed an interest in the slightly murky world of hurling tactics this week remains to be seen. Certainly there was much to be learned from last week's encounter and, while Kilkenny will certainly start as favourites this afternoon, much of that which was learned last week contributes to a lengthening of their odds.
First, and most urgently, there is the surprising problem of the forward line. That's the forward line which beat Galway by 19 points by the way. Eddie Brennan is having such a quiet year he might well be asserting his right to silence.
DJ's fuse gets lit less often, although in the quarter after half-time last week he was found working when others were found wanting. Martin Comerford looks uncomfortable on the wings and so on till you arrive at the conclusion which Clare surely arrived at. With Henry Shefflin shackled Kilkenny struggle.
So it was that Clare alerted the hurling world to a window of opportunity. The window is unlikely to remain open for long. Pleasant though it was to see Tommy Walsh fight so gamely with Niall Gilligan, there must have been Kilkenny people sitting in the stands recalling Walsh's points at the beginning of last year's All-Ireland final and reflecting that, with Michael Kavanagh on the bench, Kilkenny surely had better uses for the wonderkid. And the door to the Kilkenny forward line has always been a revolving one anyway. Soon Cha Fitzpatrick and Richie Power and Richie Hogan will come through it and the moment will be lost. Till then, however . . .
Clare's trouble is that which always besets ambushing forces. It's not so easy the second time around. Shefflin, for instance, profited well from his first quarter of an hour in company with Frank Lohan before Lohan got on top. Perhaps quicker changes this afternoon will free Shefflin up more. And if Clare retain Alan Markham as a sweeper in front of the full-back line, will the Kilkenny defence still insist on launching so many balls right down the central corridor and on to the bas of Markham's hurl? Surely Kilkenny will decentralise? Kilkenny have become so accustomed in recent years to playing big men all round the field that perhaps they might surprise themselves with a return to low balls angling out towards the wings and the corners.
All of which contributes to a delicious sense of balance about today's game and the conclusion that the Banner will opt for the same tactics again. Clare will have been surprised at the dividend they got from Tony Griffin when Walsh went off and it was one-on-one in the Kilkenny full-back line.
So what's the right approach? Persist with Markham and hope that Griffin pays out even if James Ryall is patrolling in front of him? Or abandon the extra defender routine and go for a shoot-out? Clare know themselves well enough to conclude that they might finish that game filled with holes.
Today Clare will play to their strengths and hope that Kilkenny repeat the pattern of last week. They'll introduce James O'Connor early again because scoring forwards are still the thing they most crave and they'll hope that the big key scores come their way.
They have it in them to win but last week they had it in them in more abundance and could only draw.
HOW THEY LINED OUT LAST SUNDAY
CLARE: D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, F Lohan, G O'Grady; D Hoey, S McMahon, A Markham; D McMahon, C Lynch; G Quinn, A Quinn, D Forde; N Gilligan, T Griffin, T Carmody. Subs: J O'Connor for A Forde (21 mins), O Baker for A Quinn (52 mins), D O'Connell for D McMahon (64 mins).
KILKENNY: J McGarry; J Ryall, N Hickey, T Walsh; R Mullally, P Barry, JJ Delaney; D Lyng, K Coogan; M Comerford, H Shefflin, P Tennyson; E Brennan, DJ Carey, J Coogan. Subs: J Hoyne for E Brennan (half-time), S Dowling for P Tennyson (59 mins), P Mullally for R Mullally (64 mins).
Sunday's draw - how it works
The draw for the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland football championship will take place tomorrow night and will be shown live on the Sunday Game directly after the match between Tyrone and Laois.
The provincial champions (Kerry, Westmeath, Mayo and Armagh) will be in one bowl and will be drawn to play the fourth-round qualifier winners (Fermanagh, Derry, Roscommon or Dublin, Tyrone or Laois).
Teams who have already met in their provincial championships will not be drawn to play each other in the quarter-finals.
It is intended that the quarter-final games involving Mayo and Armagh and whoever they are drawn to play will take place on Saturday week, August 7th, and the games involving Kerry and Westmeath and whoever they are drawn against will take place on August 14th.
