I mean it depends on if Limerick have everyone fit. Kelly obviously, for Mulcahy or whoever we ar playing corner forward. Possibly McInerney for Dan Morrissey but obviously if we had everyone fit and Hayes at wing back you wouldn’t take any of Clare’s back seven. Malone has been great but I don’t think he’d force breaking up WOD and DOD. And then on this year’s form maybe Duggan or maybe even Fitzgerald for Tom Morrissey. Again that’s presuming we have Lynch, Gillane and Flanagan fully fit. So really I’d say two of the Clare team would start for Limerick.
Dan Morrissey has been far more consistent than David McInerney for the last number of years.
Be it full back or at 7. That’s a non-runner, mate.
1 Like
Surely you would add O’Donnell to that.
If you were to be a cynical bollocks you could add Aaron Fitzgerald as an impact sub in order to get a player sent off via simulation or theatrics.
I wouldn’t do that though personally. Absolutely no need for it.
1 Like
By god.
I suppose the biggest question is what improvement would they bring. Limerick play to a gameplan a process. Not disputing their hurling talents but if it doesn’t improve the performance of the team as a whole then no matter how good they are, they won’t fit in. While I don’t think anyone will disagree that Limerick aren’t as strong without Lynch and Casey, they are still getting results without changing their approach
Dan Morrissey was brutal the last day. Diarmuid Ryan far superior to him on form whatever about McInerney. Gillane and Hergarty are the only two Limerick forwards with any real class. The rest of them are mules. Hayes is only a mule as a forward as well. That said - Tom Morrissey is a gem. Limerick’s Timmy McCarthy.
1 Like
Seamus Flanagan, Peter Casey and Cian Lynch - you’re forgetting there, mate.
I would pick them ahead of their Clare counterparts all day as things stand.
Tony Kelly for me at the moment is the only Clare hurler that would make the Limerick starting 15 in my opinion.
He is worth the ticket price alone to be fair him. Joy to watch.
Kelly wouldn’t get near the starting Limerick 15. Limerick value work rate and putting the team ahead of the individual. Kelly, as good as he is, is not a team player, he’s all about the glory.
1 Like
Stay on topic FFS, it’s not the Madeline McCann thread!
I think you’re a bit harsh on Clare. They’ve been excellent in this championship. Destroyed Waterford and an admittedly poor Tipp. Full value for the win against Cork and really ought to have won by more. Held their own against Limerick in Ennis. Lohan is doing a very good job there. They’re a bit short of properly challenging Limerick for the AI this year I’d imagine but the likes of Tony Kelly, Duggan and SOD are still awesome hurlers. They’re basically where Waterford expected to be in 2022.
1 Like
I’d say there would be far more anticipation from neutral observers if Limerick & Clare were coming into this game having knocked other out of Munster in knockout games.
Tbf, both teams are unbeaten but the fact KK lost 2 games & still reach a Provincial final isn’t good for the competition.
You shouldn’t be in a Provincial final losing a game previously imo.
The Backdoor was a better format by far.
6 Likes
You can win the champions League losing a couple of games. You can win the Superbowl after losing a good few games… This isn’t a second rate cup competition like the FA Cup, it’s the marquee competition. You want as many games spread out around the country as possible with all the top teams meeting regularly. Hiding teams away from each other for years in what is a limited pool of teams in the first place is silly. The round robin is king. Long live the king.
6 Likes
Wexford are being hidden away from Cork. We haven’t played them in championship in 6 years by my reckoning. A long time in what is essentially a 9 team championship.
When did Galway last play Cork in championship? 2015 or am I forgetting a meeting since?
You wouldn’t make prisoners watch the round robin phase this year bar maybe a Clare and Limerick game. So that’s what 1 of 20 games or so and clubs don’t get their county players for 7 or so months because of it.
It is a load of rubbish.
These auld arguments are always a bit academic and subjective.
Would limerick for argument sake be weakened with Cleary at full back and Hayes at corner back and Clare strengthened with Mike Casey and Nash in their places. Honestly I wouldn’t think so. Nash to his credit is a fine hurler and Limerick utilise him very well but would he be the same player on a different team if he had to play as an orthodox corner back or without the structure in front of him? I’d assume he would be operating further out the field if in another county.
You could probably make the same argument about Hannon, Limerick play to his strengths and he is an excellent hurler in a technical sense but would he be the same outside the structure? He would still be a standout hurler but I think plenty would standout at 6 in his absence too under the same circumstances.
I do think Finn and Byrnes are the best around in their positions and are greats of the game. The other 4 I don’t think there would be a huge difference in quality between the limerick 4 and their Clare equivalents. Quaid is a very steady operator too to his credit and a good bit better than the ever improving Quilligan who still has the odd brain fart.
WOD and DOD are the standout midfield partnership in fairness to them but Malone and Taylor have both become very industrious and consistent hurlers and both wouldn’t look out of place if slotted into the Limerick middle third in terms of mobility and ability to harry and swarm.
Forwards is an interesting one. I’d have Duggan over Flanagan myself and I’d take O’Donnell over a Mulcahy/Casey. Casey is a lovely finisher but O’Donnells first touch and vision are as good any forward out there but I can understand why Limerick folks would go the other way. I think that Kelly would obviously grace any side in the country but after that the Limerick lads in Gillane, Hayes, Morrissey, Lynch, Hegarty are all standout powerful hurlers, albeit I think Hayes very much looks misplaced in the full forward line.
2 Likes
Thats exactly my point. Hurling has changed. It doesn’t really matter how hood a player is. Its whether or not hes capable of improving the team as a whole while still adhering to the game plan. Both Limerick and Clare have decided to play the game in a particular style. Just because a player on either side might be more talented doesn’t necessarily mean it will have the desired effect result wise. Hate to bring in the soccer analogy but how much money have united wasted in the last 5 or six years and where has it got them
I’d argue that Clare have 10 or so lads who wouldn’t weaken Limerick one bit and may even improve them if you swapped them in for their Limerick counterpart. But Limerick have 5 lads in Finn, Byrnes, Lynch, Gillane and Hegarty who are outstanding at the roles they play and that in essence is the difference and why they are top dogs. Limerick have 10 really good solid I/C players and 5 difference makers. Everyone else is carrying at least 2 or 3 lads and has at best 2 consistent difference makers
3 Likes
The fact that you could reach a provincial final by only playing one game as was previously the case was much worse imo.