That was a brilliant game with every ingredient. The second and third best teams in the country going head to head for the right to play the best in the final. One big three team versus one of âthe restâ. One team playing with their heads, the other playing with emotion, A sunny Croke Park on a Sunday afternoon. These are the best games to watch. So you couldnât really criticise anybody involve today for what they served up.
But at the same time, that goal Kilkenny got against Galway was such a disaster for this yearâs championship, because had it not happened, it would have at least shaken up the pairings.
From the provincial finals on, every game has been a repeat of last year, and that in and of itself leads to dissatisfaction.
Munster final: Limerick beat Clare
Leinster final: Kilkenny beat Galway
Quarter-finals: Unimpressive Galway narrowly beat unimpressive Munster third team
Clare beat hapless Leinster team
Semis: Limerick beat Galway
Kilkenny beat Clare
Final: Limerick v Kilkenny
Clareâs semi-final defeats always seem to be gut wrenching in different ways, either through losing narrowly, as in 2005, 2018 and 2023, or being thrashed, as with last year.
2006 was the last semi-final defeat they had which was bloodless.
Clare FM have the best local commentary team in Ireland. The only bad thing about being at a Clare match or watching it on television is you donât hear Syl and Tommy.
Clare have now taken on the Armagh 2000s/Waterford 2000s/Mayo 2010s mantle of being the most BOX OFFICE team in a championship.
Clare were the team of this yearâs championship, and last yearâs, and 2018âs for that matter. You know that magical Sunday Game promo from 2003, with the sunshine and the sea and the ice creamâŚâitâs about this, that and the otherâŚâ Itâs about Clare. Youâd look forward to Clare playing in a way you wouldnât look forward to any other team playing, thereâs a whiff of magic off a team with later career Tony Kelly, Shane OâDonnell and John Conlon and their ramshackle home ground which is the best hurling venue in Ireland. But you donât ever want to be that team where neutrals look forward to you playing, because that team always loses in the end.
Limerick v Kilkenny is not a box office final. Itâs not like Kilkenny v Tipp in 2010, where everybody was dying for another Kilkenny v Tipp final after 2009. This Kilkenny team has moved into position almost by osmosis, almost silently, like their 1991-92 team did.
Clare have a sixth gear that it seems they can only access for Limerick. They need to go out with that same mentality every day. But it would seem to be an emotion fueled thing and not repeatable.
I do think Kilkenny look better than last year, you could see Tyrrell getting a bit giddy at full-time.
Blanchfield probably should have been starting last year, heâs improved them massively, capable of going toe-to-toe.
I like Tom Phelan too, nice rangy player.
But, more importantly, theyâre feeding better ball into the likes of Cody, TJ stepped up another notch today, their backs generally did very well.
Now, can they beat Limerick? Theyâll surely go toe-to-toe, press us high and see what happens. Will Lawlor be able to handle Gillane even if thereâs space in front? They certainly have firepower of their own, incredible work rate and a goal threat. If there are frailties, itâll be around puckout structures and maybe that backline if they do push all the way.
Clare are a much more compelling watch than Limerick in the same way Mayo were a much more compelling watch than Dublin, Waterford were a much more compelling watch than Kilkenny or Cork, and Armagh were a much more compelling watch than Kerry and more than Tyrone.
Itâs narratives, players and personalities which make teams compelling.
Kk are some team to find a way and they did again today when they looked beat half way through 2nd half. Looking at how dominant Clare were around the middle third though for large stretches of that 2nd half I cant see how Limerick will fail to exert enough dominance in this area to win the final.
Anyone with an ounce of hurling knowledge could see Clare won their All Ireland final against Limerick in the round robin. Deep down the Biddy Earlys knew it too . You could see it too in Lohan in the interview after that game âŚthe silver tongued devil âŚhe nearly strung a full sentence together without going aaaaammmaaa & broke half a smile.
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