You know what, the graphic has grown on me.
The real question about that graphic is why is it reserved for the senior hurlers while a more modern type is used for other teams.
O Flynn is a good sub
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No question but that he’s our most important forward
Derek McGrath: Kilkenny are better but Clare will win because they have to
Sometimes relentless pressure forces us to rise to the challenge
CLARE JUST HAVE TO PRODUCE
“Crave the result so intensely that the work is irrelevant.”
In Tim Grover’s book Relentless he agrees with the commonly observed phenomenon that people perform better under pressure and that being under pressure forces us to find ways to rise to whatever challenge we’re facing. In other words, constant pressure forces you to be constantly relentless—putting in everything you have to improve and succeed. It’s particularly appropriate in one-off short-term situations.
Clare’s third semi-final appearance in a row brings to mind our own meeting with Cork in 2017. Despite dealing extensively with vaunted psychological approaches such as visualisation, self-talk, mindfulness, perspective thinking and self-distraction we decided to flip it completely. Having lost the previous two All-Ireland semis to Kilkenny, the 2016 one after an epic in Thurles, our thematic maxim was “Enough is Enough”. While metrics, following the process, tactical nuances and formation alterations are vital components in any team’s preparation, we decided to heap all the pressure on ourselves. There was a “we have to produce here or else” mantra and though ill-advised psychologically the nature of a team’s journey dictates their approach.
Clare are now in such a place. Having made subtle changes positionally against Wexford, Clare combined the brawn of Shanagher with the guile of Reidy and O’Donnell. The balance with Kelly at midfield looked way better, as did the balance on the line with Ken Ralph a more visible aide de camp to Brian Lohan. Like the players, the Clare management will have likely engaged in a full debrief of their performance in the Munster Championship.
We know the Cats will show up and while much was made of Dublin’s underwhelming Leinster final performance Kilkenny were excellent, demonstrating the basic skills of the game better than anyone else. Limerick are for seven years the market leaders in tackling or flicking the ball off the hurley, but Kilkenny have done it for a lifetime.
Similarly they have been masters of deception when it comes to tactical and psychological evolution. The rightly heralded Caroline Currid, Joe O Connor and Gary Keegan will be central to their teams this weekend. There will be little or no column inches detailed to the role of Waterford’s Gerry Fitzpatrick among Derek Lyng’s charges. A regular with Lyng during his time managing the 20s, Fitzpatrick’s role in ensuring the players are mentally tuned will be crucial if understated. “Sure we don’t do psychology in Kilkenny,” the Cats will muse. Just like they don’t do tactics.
Anyone who closely monitored Lyng’s U20’s path to success in 2022 would have witnessed in the Leinster semi-final victory over Galway and the final against Limerick a shrewd disguising of the sweeper system (plus-one), with Padraic Moylan often sitting unmarked at the edge of the D.
I was reminded of Brian Hogan, who Jackie Tyrrell once described as playing like an “auxiliary full-back, who sat back on the edge of the D”. Or of Pat O’Neill’s brilliant display as a “sitting 6” in the 1992 All-Ireland final.
Pause the Leinster final on 5 mins, 55 secs and Kilkenny’s latest ruse begins. Dublin were vilified for “leaving Richie Reid free”, but Kilkenny set the terms with the depth of their half-forward line and the trade-off based on Mikey Butler tracking Donal Burke. Reid then sweeps for the whole game from the edge of the D. During the same clip, Adrian Mullen takes one of his eight possessions between his own 21 and 45. Mullen wandering the field left the Cats with only five forwards but his regular bursts into offensive areas and Kilkenny’s ability to still hold three inside and fill six spots on the opposition puckout makes the trick more intricate.
With Clare fixated on keeping Conlon at 6, will we see Mullen go to 11 and wander from there? If so the dreaded handover becomes the solution to the problem but not for Clare. They need clarity. Mullen has to be tagged, perhaps by Diarmuid Ryan. Or would Adam Hogan benefit from a late-season move to hunt the Ballyhale man all over the field? His Harty Cup semi-final tracking of our own school’s Patrick Fitzgerald comes to mind.
Lyng might consider giving Mullen sporadic spells in the full-forward line where his aerial prowess in behind, potentially with TJ, gives them a different dimension. With Hogan having won the battle with Cody in the league final sometimes the second time around is different. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kilkenny use the brilliant Donnelly, Mullen and Cody as their half-forwards with Tj supplementing them from behind on long puckouts.
O’Donnell will mix pushing right up on Richie Reid with coming deep to gather possession and Kelly’s likely placing at midfield will test Kilkenny’s flexibility and planning in terms of trade-offs to negotiate a way of freeing Reid.
Both managements will have assessed the least likely forward to hurt the opposition and will most probably leave him free for the mob to hunt.
This may well be underrated players like Cathal Malone or Mikey Carey but there is not much room for manoeuvre. Here’s the thing and the contradiction. I think Kilkenny are the form team in the country. I think they have a potent set of forwards. I think they are better than Clare but I think Clare will win. Why? Because they have to. They have to.
RELENTLESS MESSAGING
The more I hear of Pat Ryan the more the messaging in Andy Farrell’s pre-match interviews comes to mind. The common denominator is of course Gary Keegan. While extremely capable, genuine and adept, Ryan’s inferences midweek are laced with echoes of both Liam Sheedy and the rugby supremo. Talk of “what are we going to do when we don’t have the ball”, rhetorically questioning his team, is a clever invitation to war for Sunday. Limerick’s silence has been deafening.
The Cork coaching team must feel they are in dream land with the players and pace at their disposal. Thankfully those looking for the heads of Hoggy and Harnedy have retracted their mob-style pursuit and realised that these are still two of the best in the game.
The form of Shane Barrett and his placing at 11 has transformed the Rebels. Many will anticipate his pace causing angst for Limerick but my gut and my brain tells me that Kinnerk will have simulated his positioning on long puckouts, the depth of his movement and more specifically his ability to attack, with a beautiful inward sidestep and deceleration, the left shoulder of direct opponents. Watching a replay of the 2013 All-Ireland final Wednesday night he reminded me of the brilliantly elusive Conor McGrath.
The likely return of Rob Downey will see Joyce and Fitzgibbon form a powerfully quick midfield pairing. Lynch may then go to 11 to provide Downey with less of a trade-off option, with O Neill facing off with Joyce and O’Donoghue locking horns with the quicker Fitzgibbon. However O’Donoghue will never be on his own. Fitzgibbon will be targeted by the “pack” which will most likely include all three half-forwards and David Reidy.
Shane O Brien’s unique skillset may see him hold off Seamie Flanagan. Gillane, if held by Sean O’Donoghue may interchange with in-form Gearóid Hegarty.
The benches will also be vital. Another four weeks training into Darragh O’Donovan will remind us of his overall significance to this team. Similarly, Kingston can impact if unlikely to be allowed slalom through the Treaty defence again. Lessons will be learned from the first day in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the best team at learning and challenging are Limerick. The relentless drive for five and beyond to continue.
RELENTLESS LOVE
All of us lucky to experience inter-county management or playing have known the importance of creating a familial bond, a togetherness, an intangible ability to recognise the vicissitudes of life, to know the importance of journey and of making memories. These journeys are littered with love, trust, success and disappointment, pride in where we come from and what we try to do.
When I resigned as Waterford hurling manager after five years I wrote to the players and backroom team telling them that I loved them for what they gave as a group together. One of those backroom members, our physio Michael Grant, went to his eternal rest this week. On a Christmas night out some years ago, I met his dad Sam in the “Tap Room” bar in Waterford. He thanked me profusely for having Michael involved within the set-up. I could see and feel beaming pride from not just his words but his very being. This was a father recognising what type of son he had: loving, caring, loyal and hard-working.
Michael was even more than this. He recognised what we were trying to do and was all-in, completely immersed in the whole project. The players simply loved him with all their hearts. Only last year one of my LCA students was completing his practical achievement task and “Granter” obliged by taking him under his wing, tutoring and guiding him and showing him the ropes with his beloved St Joseph’s soccer club.
During the winter of '17 post All-Ireland final defeat, we travelled as a team, a family to New York and Cancun. Himself and Leanne were brilliant company and a mid-morning swim and chat with Michael in the Caribbean was a far remove from our Morrisons Road and Ballybeg upbringings. He knew this and spoke of his childhood memories and family every morning with a relentless love.
Since his passing I went back to his last text to me: “Wow what a journey we all made together. Them words mean as much now as they did then. Relentless love mate.”
He simply never stopped loving. His father may have thanked us that Christmas night but it is us that should be thankful for giving us Michael. Thoughts and prayers with his loving wife Leanne, his parents, family and friends.
“I gconai inar gcroi go dti go gcasfar le cheile muid aris.”
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The fucking headline is such scutter to even begin with
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Yet Conlon played wing back in the Munster final and the first half v Wexford while it was 15 v 15.
Lazy enough analysis, he spent most of the league at wing back too so they could react to the exact situation that McGrath is on about.
Derek is the best of us.
Limerick will have strong subs to unleash in last 20. Imagine the following will see game time
Adam English
Darragh O Donovan
The Bull O Brien
Cork graphic is the best. Well done lads.
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I was up there for the all ireland one of the years and there was no such thing as half price by the fuckers.
TBF it was a grand view where I was. A bit more into the corner would have been a nuisance alright
Fuck sake. Like fucking clock work every week
Result of the Kilkenny Clare game almost feels inconsequential. Given there is close to 80,000 expected Sunday it has all the feel of the defacto All Ireland albeit without the usual pagentry. Clare have bombed out now twice in their last 2 meetings with Limerick. Even were they to win tomorrow do the players truly believe they can turn the tables on Limerick. Same pretty much can be said for Kilkenny where they were annihilated in the 2nd half of last years All Ireland and fell the year before too. 1 point split Cork and Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds last year. 2 below in Cork this year. You’d have to think if Limerick can negotiate Cork on Sunday and its a big if, then the AI final is a formality.
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If they can get over KK they would definitely get a boost from finally clearing that hurdle. I wouldn’t think they’ll have any greater fear of Limerick when they’ve gotten as close as anyone to them else
Cork in Croke Park are a different animal. that could be the game changer.
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Be like a home match for Cork
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Fixed for you.
Hmmm
It’ll be the highest ever attendance for an All-Ireland SHC semi-final since the 2017 encounter between the same two teams (71,073)
2018
and also eclipses the previous record attendance for a last four match in the hurling championship, the 2007 meeting of Limerick and Waterford (80,546).
Was a double header with a Kerry vs Monaghan football quarter final.