And the two games against Clare were gifted to them. The black card one and the one with the goalie handing them three goals. Shocking really.
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On a more serious note though, I think what Joe is trying to say here is Fuck Tipp. I for one agree with his sentiments.
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Six years on, Joe gets his excuses in.
Our header of a goalie throwing the mandatory one in didn’t help either.
Put his body on the line to save one from Flan though.
Joe is not confident
Joe Canning: Galway need to bring savage aggression to beat Limerick
If Galway approach the semi-final the same way they did against Tipp they have very little chance
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Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group A, Pearse Stadium, Galway 26/2/2023 Galway vs Limerick Limerick’s Cian Lynch Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
Fri Jul 7 2023 - 05:00
Think back over the last 20 years and it’s amazing how often the All-Ireland semi-finals have produced one of the games of the year. In my career some of the best games I was involved in were semi-finals: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 – draw and replay. All brilliant games that went down to the wire.
The semi-final always felt different. In my experience, there was more pressure not to lose a quarter-final. We would have been coming into those games as beaten Leinster finalists and that brought its own baggage. In those circumstances, you were never sure what kind of performance you were going to come up with.
If you were eliminated at the quarter-final stage, there were always more questions. We had some terrible results in quarter-finals during my career and there was hell to pay. When you got to the semi-final, though, the mood was different. You had some momentum again. You could throw off the shackles and just go for it.
It seemed to me that the referees were always prepared to let more stuff go than they would have earlier in the championship. The semi-final refs knew they weren’t going to get the final, and maybe they weren’t as worried about the assessor in the stand. The games tended to be more physical and hard-hitting, but the refs were prepared to let it flow, and that made it more of a spectacle.
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Every game involving Limerick is physical and Galway will need to bring savage aggression tomorrow. The way Galway set up will be crucial. If they approach the semi-final the same way they did the quarter-final I think they have very little chance.
Against Tipp, they got a lot of bodies into their own half of the field, and snuffed out Tipp’s goal threat. That worked on that day, against that opposition, but Limerick are a completely different proposition. I’m convinced that the only way to beat the All-Ireland champions is to push up and put massive pressure on the ball in their half of the field. Don’t let them walk it out. Really squeeze them.
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Referee Thomas Walsh speaks to Cathal Mannion of Galway. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
In this situation, positions don’t really matter. Against Limerick, I think you must go with their half forwards. That’s the key line on the field for them: under puck-outs, building the play from deep, hitting the ball inside, taking shots. The players on that line make Limerick tick. My attitude would be, follow them everywhere. If that meant following Gearoid Hegarty into his own full-back line, so be it.
Pushing up on Limerick has been Clare’s approach over the last couple of years, and it worked for a long time in the Munster final. The problem for them in the second half was when David Reidy went deeper for possession and John Conlon was caught in no man’s land. He didn’t feel that he could push up completely on Reidy, but by the same token he didn’t drop off enough to protect the full back line.
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The kind of ball that went into Aaron Gillane in the second half of the Munster final would be impossible for any full back to defend. If it’s a 70/30 ball, in Gillane’s favour, he’s going to turn that into a shot or a score more often than not. There needs to be massive pressure on the ball, out the field, to give the full-back line a fighting chance.
Galway stood off Limerick last year and tried to win the game with shots from distance. If they had converted half of the shots they missed they would have won the match, but shooting from distance all the time is not a percentage play. Galway will need to come up with something better than that.
Limerick’s David Reidy with Johnny Coen of Galway. Photograph: Evan Treacy/Inpho
Declan Hannon is a big loss to Limerick at centre back, but is that going to make a difference to the outcome, one way or another? Limerick lost Sean Finn earlier in the championship, another huge player for them, but they have lost big players over the years and managed to carry on winning without them: Cian Lynch, Peter Casey, Mike Casey and Richie English all come to mind.
Limerick’s system is so strong that players can step in and out. It’s not about individuals so much as the collective. Looking at Galway or Clare, for example, I think they would find it harder to replace Daithi Burke or Conlon. Limerick might not have somebody who can play centre back as well as Hannon, but the overall structure of how Limerick play will absorb the impact.
Who’s going to play at number six? There’s talk that Will O’Donoghue could slot in there, or Barry Nash. There’s also big talk around Limerick that Cian Lynch has been tried at centre back in training and has been going well.
Galway’s Joseph Cooney with Aaron Gillane of Limerick. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
That would be a big move for everyone concerned, and it’s not Limerick’s style to do something risky, out of the blue – especially when they have more obvious options. Dan Morrissey could come out from the full-back line, or Kyle Hayes could slide across from wing back.
In either of those scenarios, English could start in the full-back line or Colin Coughlan could come in at wing back – like he did in the League final, when Hannon was also missing. I expect Limerick will keep it simple.
As we discovered with the Gearoid Hegarty rumour earlier in the summer, you can’t believe everything you hear.
The scary thing about Limerick is that people don’t think they’ve reached their peak this season yet. In spite of that, they still won a savagely competitive Munster championship, as well as the league – for what it was worth. They’ve won 12 finals under John Kiely now, and they couldn’t have reached those finals unless they knew how to win high pressure games.
They’ve had four weeks without a match and they’ve had time to freshen up. Would it surprise anyone if they produced their best performance of the year in Croke Park tomorrow? Galway will have to expect that.
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Bland enough auld fare from Joe this week. Much less cutting than he used to be last year. But he does accept his Limerick overlords.
Joe Canning: Baffling changes cost Galway and Clare dearly in semi-finals
Limerick show the value of upholding a clear identity - I refuse to believe that the Nickie Quaid stoppage had any effect on the game
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Galway found out how costly it is to give Limerick space. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Fri Jul 14 2023 - 05:00
When big games turn against you, Croke Park can be a lonely place. In my career, I experienced it many times. At half-time in the 2015 All-Ireland final against Kilkenny we went in three points clear, having been the better team in the first half. By stoppage time, we were losing by seven. A late goal for us changed nothing. Kilkenny took over and you were left with this feeling of helplessness.
I imagine that’s how the Galway players were feeling in the second half on Saturday night. They had done most of the hurling for the first half an hour, they had put themselves in a commanding position, and then it all fell apart.
There’s been a lot of talk about what Limerick did to change the game, and Nickie Quaid stopping the play to give Limerick a chance to re-set, but I don’t buy all of that. In the few minutes after Quaid got his treatment Galway were still creating chances. The stoppage for Quaid had no bearing on the outcome in my opinion.
The game started to change when Galway altered their approach. For half an hour they had pushed up on Limerick and really attacked them, just like Clare have done in the last couple of years, and just like Kilkenny did in the 2019 semi-final and in last year’s final. It is the only way to play against Limerick that will give you any chance of winning.
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Just before half-time, though, Galway changed tack. Sitting in the RTÉ studio, I could see the signals from the sideline. Henry Shefflin indicated that he wanted one inside, and for everyone else to pull out. The Galway centrefielders and half forwards dropped off their men, and Limerick suddenly had a bit of space to work with.
Limerick’s system of play and the structure of the team are so strong that players can step in without any major disruption. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Darragh O’Donovan scored a point before half-time, and played two diagonal balls for Aaron Gillane and Séamus Flanagan to pick off points. O’Donovan didn’t have that kind of space for the first half an hour. That’s the difference.
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Once Galway went six points clear it was as if they were thinking, “Let’s hold this now until half-time”. Against Limerick, you can’t afford to sit off them for a minute. Once the momentum of the game changed in Limerick’s favour, Galway couldn’t switch it back.
They sat off them a bit again in the second half, and that meant everything was just that bit easier for Limerick. They were able to move the ball and pick off their scores. Once Limerick start dictating the game, they suck the life out of teams.
The second goal killed the game stone dead. After what happened with his booted clearance in the last minute of the Leinster final, I’d say Pádraic Mannion can’t believe that something like that happened again. Gillane was nearly looking away in disgust when his first effort hit the crossbar, and then Pádraic flicked the ball into his path again – just an instinctive reaction. Gillane wasn’t going to miss twice.
Once the momentum of the game changed in the All-Ireland semi-final, Galway couldn’t get the initiative back from Limerick. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
I’m not saying Galway would have won if they had stuck with the approach they had adopted in the first 30 minutes, but that was their best chance of winning. Other teams have tried to beat Limerick by sitting off them and it has never worked. Judging by the way they were set up at the start, Galway obviously knew this. So, why did they change? That’s what baffles me.
I also can’t work out why Clare changed their approach. They had gone toe-to-toe with the All-Ireland champions twice this year, without playing a sweeper. Why did they suddenly think it was necessary against Kilkenny?
If I was a player in that set-up, making that change on the week of the All-Ireland semi-final would have put a doubt in my mind. I’ve played on teams that set up with a sweeper, and it can have its uses, but I always thought it reflected a lack of confidence in the six backs. I also believe that any team with serious designs on winning the All-Ireland can’t set up like that.
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Clare have made some big calls in the last couple of years that haven’t worked out: starting Páidi Fitzpatrick in last year’s semi-final, out of the blue; throwing Eamonn Foudy into goal for the first round against Tipperary, with very little experience, and having to drop him for the next match; starting Cian Nolan on Gillane in the Munster final and leaving him there for 50 minutes. You stand or fall on big calls like that.
Last Sunday, Clare went away from their normal shape and their usual way of playing, and that was a serious error of judgment. Every team has to be adaptable but you do that within certain limits. To be successful you must have a clear identity. At the weekend, Limerick and Kilkenny were set-up exactly as everybody expected and played the game on their terms.
The All-Ireland semi-final ended in disappointment for Clare and Brian Lohan, but the manager should stay in charge. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
It’s a big part of the reason why Limerick are so successful. Their system of play and the structure of the team are so strong that players can step in without any major disruption. Declan Hannon was a big loss last Saturday, but they managed without him. Everybody coming in is clear about what needs to be done. Nothing fundamental changes.
It’s always a long way back after losing an All-Ireland semi-final. Clare and Galway lost provincial finals too, and they’re ending another season with nothing to show for their efforts. People always wonder about managers in these situations. I think Brian Lohan and Shefflin should both stay.
Where do Galway go from here? We’ve lost three All-Ireland semi-finals to Limerick in the last four years, and we haven’t won a Leinster final for five years. In my opinion, winning a Leinster title must be the priority now and build from there. There’ll be plenty of time to think about that now.
[ Croke Park toddler a reminder of how sport can be magical and beguiling ]
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Cheers I just tried to read that and got paywalled on the phone
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Seems to be universal agreement that Henry should stay in the job. I don’t get it at all.
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No I don’t see any improvement there.
Can’t understand why so many counties are pissing down there own leg with managers tbh. Look at Cork, they finally got someone with half a clue and were a decent outfit in no time.
Waterford, Galway, Clare all wafflers on the line.
What are alternatives?
Joe spot on. Be interesting to see him manage in the future.
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Cork failed to get out on Munster.
Why Galway go outside for one I’ll never know, no need for it. But their conditioning was muck for the semi final. How alarm bells weren’t ringing all year for Henry I don’t know. The Leinster final was the only game they played the full game.
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That is the only argument I’ve heard.
I’m not sure he could realistically do much worse with the panel he has. Anyone even half decent could do the same. And someone good could kick them on a level.
Leinster final and all Ireland semi is pretty much the absolute minimum for KK and Galway given how poor Leinster is at the minute
There you go. Joe is the alternative.
Be class
You want alternatives, anyone you fancy that has kept up with the clubs in those counties would do a better job with a handy coach or two. Pat Ryan seemed to bring Cork on to me anyway, bit of stamina and grit, set a standard.
Who was the Galway coach? The coaching role or importance thereof, is very underrated at intercounty set up.