It’s the hope that kills you. For sixty eight exhilarating minutes on Sunday Waterford’s hurlers had given their fans a reason to believe that finally they could get past their neighbours Kilkenny.
A fairy tale victory fifty plus years in the making. Except Kilkenny don’t do fairy tales. Indeed, if this was a Disney movie, Kilkenny would be the dark army that comes in and tears down the enchanted forest and slays all the magical creatures that reside in it.
Dreaming is what other teams do, winning is what Kilkenny do.
Kilkenny were totally outplayed and outfought for the entire game and yet they kept themselves within touching distance of Waterford.
When Walter Walsh popped up and scored the late equalising goal with the deadly precision of the TV character with the same initials, the only surprising thing about it is it didn’t come earlier.
At that stage the match became something bigger than a sporting occasion. It became a life experience for Waterford supporters. From the brink of a unlikely victory to staring the possibility of a kick to balls loss right in the face. The kind of loss that stays with you as a fan. The one that got away.
Every time a team thinks they have the answers, Kilkenny change the questions.
When it comes to Sports most people when their teams are not involved are socialist. Let me explain that statement, I mean it in the sense that neutrals root for the underdog because in most cases they deem the favourite to have won too much. Most times we like to see the success spread around in sports.
Kilkenny’s biggest offence is that they keep winning. They are not a particularly hateable team, they do not posses any pantomime villains like Diarmuid Connolly that gets the backs of others up.
Yet, on Sunday and this coming weekend everyone that does not hail from Kilkenny will be rooting for Waterford. Myself included I mean how could you not? Cheering on Kilkenny is a bit like supporting Godzilla as he tramples on another city.
The conesus is that Waterford blew their chance last Sunday. They played almost a perfect game and still didn’t win the game. That theory is backed up by the fact that under Brian Cody Kilkenny have only lost 9 Championship games.
“Come at the King, you best not miss”.