Clare are some team to puncture us when we are pumped up with confidence. Like in 2013.
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Great post.
2008
Clare had nothing to do with that it was all Joe McKenna.
Lucey had a mare against Clare
that was 2006
You’re right, I just realised that and was just about to chime back in to correct myself.
Or 1995. I smell 95 all over again. We’ve a better team now though and less mentally fragile.
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I think that’s all fair.
Limerick, over the past few years, have been simply a good bit better than the pack. The best games this year have come from challengers having a right crack off Limerick, even Waterford in the Gaelic Grounds and particularly Clare the last day. Like Dublin or Kilkenny at their peak, it’s just up to other teams to get better to challenge Limerick and I do think that is happening.
The game is still developing tactically, in my opinion. Coaches are obviously trying to develop the system that will give them the most likely route to victory but I think there are still some traditional preconceptions to be broken.
But the Mayo vs Dublin analogy is good, the reason those games were so good was Mayo went toe-to-toe with Dublin; they were phenomenally good in the tackle and at winning turnovers against a Dublin side that were ridiculously patient. The teams that just sat back against Dublin were ultimately picked off in very boring affairs.
People bemoaning the high-scoring hurling games with little contests for possession; those games don’t happen between two very good teams. Really good teams don’t allow that kind of space, they force contests because that’s where they can turn the ball over. Certain teams have tried to play contactless hurling, where you move the ball quickly around the opposition with handpasses, clever off-the-ball movement and overlaps. But that has not worked yet in terms of winning an All-Ireland; the best teams cut that off at source.
Clare vs Limerick in Ennis was a serious contest, and if you were a neutral, you’d be hoping for something similar. As a Limerick supporter, I don’t care if it’s boring as long as we win.
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I think there is a bit of a shift happening in I/C hurling away from very structured/system based hurling. A lot more teams in the championship looking to be pragmatic and mixing it up game to game rather than one overarching style or template. Team concentrating more on fundamental skills rather than tactical templates and sweepers can only be good for the game IMHO.
Very few with the skill level of the Joe Canning’s or Patrick Horgan’s or Noel McGrath’s or Tony Kelly’s or Austin Gleeson’s coming through anymore though.
The Liam Cahill’s of the world have a lot to answer for. Picking hard runners over stickmen, no wonder Tipp got nothing from his underage teams
If Limerick are beaten in the near future it will likely be with a score of 4-17 or something, and restricting them to probably 18-20 points and scoring one or two goals max. Like Tipp did to Kilkenny.
You aren’t going to beat Limerick physically, you can only live with them and get to a physical level somewhere near them that enables you to move the ball better and hopefully you might get the breaks to win narrowly.
Too many times Limerick just pummel teams physically. Like when Hegarty scored that goal early in the All-Ireland final, you just knew Cork couldn’t live with them. It was like Jonah Lomu trampling over Mike Catt.
Dublin pummel teams physically as well, they instill in most of their opponents that they are on a different level, playing essentially a different sport.
Mayo lived with Dublin physically and tactically, and their first 15 was probably as good, but Dublin’s subs had more, and that enabled Dublin to usually be calmer at the business end of matches, to muddle through at least without losing, and to always find a way to win at the end of the day.
If Cork got to a physical level where they could live with Limerick, where they were willing to invite contact, not to win that way in itself but to be able to survive contact, to not be afraid of it in a way they were so clearly afraid of it the last couple of times they have met Limerick, and develop a supreme speed of movement game around that, they might be as good a bet as any to challenge Limerick. I think structurally, in a sense of the county having the structural advantages, ie, the numbers, the economic strength, the availability of expertise in a way which is somewhat reminiscent of Dublin in football, they are best placed.
It’s hard to see them do that this year but it’s possible in 2023 or '24.
I’ll be interested to see how Clare get on on Sunday. Lohan seems to have done a magnificent job but I think if they get within six or seven points by the end they’ll have done well.
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To my mind, this game will boil down to whether Clare can stay with Limerick, who will I’d expect have improved from the Round Robin game (by how much who knows).
At their best I feel Limerick are a team that can efficiently hit nearly 40 points a game (this is reflective of a the vastly different game today…imagine talking 40 points in 2002).
At our best I feel we can hit 30-35 points. So on any given day you’d have to fancy Limerick to outscore us if they perform well.
But I’m not sure where Limerick might be Sunday. Probably not at their very best assuming Lynch and Casey are both out. It is also hard to judge whether we will have found alternative approaches to break down Limerick and create chances - we wont get puckouts as handy but can we break tackles and create overlaps more regularly.
It is also hard to know how the ref and weather might impact the game. Any rain will make free taking more difficult…If Keenan lets it flow you’d assume it would suit Limerick more but then both teams got frees in Ennis and some were missed?
I think it’ll be a serious battle if we bring a performance. I think we’re an unknown to everyone bar those who know Clare hurling truly and we are going well. In my view, our honesty is making up for some weaknesses and I do believe we’re right up there in ability to challenge the Treaty. We’re also led by an absolute legend. Whether a very good performance is enough, I really dont know; whether Limerick will be at their best I’m not sure but I would absolutely expect it’ll be 100 miles an hour stuff, at least early on.
Edit: what I should have added was our bench is good. Maybe a few weeks for 1 or 2 to be truly back but we’ve one or two who’d make a huge difference if it opens up.
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That’s a fair and reasonable assessment.
Are Kyle Hayes, Cian Lynch et all back to full fitness? It’s conceivable enough that Tom Morrissey could have a quiet enough day and be held to 0-2. Would Davy Fitzgerald be marking him or Hego? Hego with 0-1. Conor Cleary prevents Seamus Flanagan from scoring at all. Graeme Mulcahy isn’t the same player he was a few years ago, let’s say he only scores 0-1. There’s four forwards without a major scoring contribution on Sunday in a relatively realistic series of events. Limerick will probably win but it certainly won’t be by the cricket score predicted on here during the week.
That Limerick forward line isn’t quite as potent as one would expect. A couple of major advantages they have is the spread of scores with great long range shooters in the half-back line. Gillane is the marquee score getter too but again you wouldn’t be completely surprised if he overstepped the line on Sunday and saw red. It’s not a forgone conclusion this one.
Limerick by ten. Hego will run riot on Sunday. Gillane back is a 5 point swing in our favour and Sham Flan back and fit will free up Hayes to come out from the inside two where he will be much more comfortable.
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Yeah ultimately I’d go Limerick by 5-7 points. Who’ll take Tony Kelly for Limerick? I’d assume Sean Finn will keep Peter Duggan relatively quiet.
We will leave him off again I’d say. It’s more the sloppy frees we need to cut out than Tony Kelly. He only got 5 from play and he was on fire, he’d probably score that regardless of what you do with him. Following him around would destroy the shape at the back
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The current Tipp forward and half back line as well as the the regrading underage is what is eating you. It will pass.
There were more marquee forwards 7 or 8 years ago, but they were an exceptional crop of players that came along together. That will probably never happen again.
Bubbles and Forde have been serious let downs for their talent.