Frank flannery
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Frank. Gas man, did an extension for us years ago. We talked hurling for 90% of our conversations.
But does that make Limerick’s current generation even better than Cody’s long queue of legends?
It’s a marginal call but maybe not so. Not yet at least, but time is definitely on their side …
1 PJ RYAN v NICKIE QUAID
James McGarry’s long-time understudy took over as No 1 in 2007, and 2008 was his second final as a starter. His crowning glory, though, would come a year later when his superb shot-stopping made him an All-Ireland ‘Man of the Match’ and All-Star. Yet you can’t ignore the compelling claims here of Limerick’s unflappable custodian. Quaid makes the problematic seem routine. He may not win a second consecutive All-Star this year, but he’s already a Limerick legend.
Advantage: Limerick
2 MICHAEL KAVANAGH v SEÁN FINN
This is anything but straight-forward. For most of his career, Kavanagh was the prince of corner-backs: tidy and tenacious and hyper-alert to danger. He won his fourth (and final) All-Star in 2008, and his sixth of eight Celtic Crosses. Finn has yet to win as much but that’s an accident of birth: at 25 he has three All-Irelands banked and looks a solid bet to land a fourth consecutive All-Star. Shane Kingston’s goal was but a momentary lapse. The consummate defender.
Advantage: Limerick
3 NOEL HICKEY v DAN MORRISSEY
Two legends. Hickey had battled back from illness (in 2005) and injury to embellish his reputation in 2008, when he won his sixth All-Ireland and third All Star. He was just 27 – a year younger than Morrissey today – but as the injuries mounted his influence lessened. There is a more obvious parallel between fellow Cat JJ Delaney and Morrissey, who have both won All-Stars at No 7 and No 3. The Limerick man finished his latest campaign superbly but, as an out-and-out full-back, Hickey shades it.
Advantage: Kilkenny
4 JACKIE TYRRELL v BARRY NASH
It took Tyrrell a few years to firmly establish his place under Brian Cody – ditto Nash under John Kiely. By 2008, however, he was one of the primary enforcers in that unbreakable Kilkenny defence: that year he won the second of his four consecutive All-Stars. Nash, an erstwhile forward, is more of a
ball-player and is just as likely to be seen heading out towards midfield. He has looked a lot surer of his starting status this season.
Advantage: Kilkenny
5 TOMMY WALSH v DIARMAID BYRNES
Fair to say they are not cosmic twins: standing 6’4”, the current Limerick No 5 is eight inches taller than Walsh. Yet the latter was just as liable to dominate the skies above his patch, such was the mastery of his timing. In a nutshell, Byrnes excels as a zonal defender and ball-striker, and is a more reliable conduit of long-distance scores. But he’s a one-time All-Star (for now); Walsh is a swashbuckling all-time legend who won a record nine-in-a-row.
Advantage: Kilkenny
6 BRIAN HOGAN v DECLAN HANNON
Hogan’s rise to fame came in increments, but he was the established centre-back for the last three legs of Kilkenny’s four-in-a-row before arguably hitting his peak with All-Stars in 2011 and ’12. A more traditional No 6 than Hannon, a one-time forward prodigy turned hurling quarter-back, whose job-spec is to sweep and then initiate moves via his precision passing. As a three-time All-Ireland-winning captain, his leadership is self-explanatory. His finest hour was last Sunday.
Advantage: Limerick
7 JJ DELANEY v KYLE HAYES
Heir to JJ’s throne? Perhaps, although it’s worth stressing that Delaney was a pure defender – superlative in the air and adept at pickpocketing the best forwards. Hayes is part ball-magnet, part counter-attacking phenomenon, who is liable to pop up anywhere with devastating consequences. A little more scattergun than usual on Sunday, but he’s destined for greatness. Delaney, in winning his fifth of nine All-Irelands and fourth of seven All-Stars in 2008, was already there.
Advantage: Kilkenny
8 JAMES ‘CHA’ FITZPATRICK v DARRAGH O’DONOVAN
We’ve tweaked the numbers to leave Fitzpatrick in direct opposition to Limerick’s No 9, as they’re a more like-for-like match. ‘Cha’ found his home once switched from attack to midfield, where his cleverness illuminated the first three legs of the four-in-a-row. Still only 23, he captained the team in ’08 and won his third successive All-Star … cue a surprisingly early fall from favour. O’Donovan is an unheralded Limerick hero, but a selfless worker and sharp distributor who has started all three victorious finals.
Advantage: Kilkenny
9 DEREK LYNG v WILL O’DONOGHUE
Lyng was a midfield trojan and a firm Cody favourite for most of the noughties, starting on six All-Ireland-winning teams between ’02 and ’09. Back-to-back All-Stars in ’02-’03 suggest his peak years may have been earlier in the decade, but he still chipped in with 0-3 from play in the ’08 demolition of the Déise. Lyng was hard as nails but O’Donoghue’s physicality is on another level above that, be it in forcing turnovers or steamrolling through tackles.
Advantage: Limerick
10 MARTIN COMERFORD v GEARÓID HEGARTY
Comerford was a key cog in Cody’s attack. Adept at winning his own ball, linking play, taking a point – or rifling a goal, none more crucial that his
supersub strike to help seal the four-in-a-row. Strangely held scoreless before injury struck against Waterford in ’08. At 6’5”, Hegarty is an inch taller, more athletic, has Hurler of the Year on his CV, will never shirk a shot at the posts … and as for going for the green flag jugular, ask Cork. Twice.
Advantage: Limerick
11 RICHIE POWER v CIAN LYNCH
Power won his third All-Ireland (and second as a final starter) in ’08, but he was still only 22 with his best years ahead of him, albeit they were ultimately curtailed by injury. As a forward, Power almost had it all … but then you measure his credentials against Lynch, who already ranked as arguably the most balletic hurler in the game before he brought his game to even more celestial heights on Sunday. A third All-Star, and quite likely a second Hurler of the Year award, beckon.
Advantage: Limerick
12 EOIN LARKIN v TOM MORRISSEY
This is a fascinating tie-break between two heroes who we simply can’t separate. Larkin was Hurler of the Year in ’08 after hitting Waterford for 1-4 in the final – ergo, he was top Cat in the very year that Cody’s immortals hit their peak. So why must he share the spoils here? Because the younger Morrissey has been outrageously consistent, as point-taker and creator and selfless beaver, through the past two championship, especially once he gets to Croke Park.
Advantage: No advantage
13 EDDIE BRENNAN v AARON GILLANE
When it comes to this mesmerising Limerick attack, Gillane is the most talented predator of them all, a point thrillingly underlined against Cork. Yet he couldn’t face stiffer competition here. Leaving aside his eight Celtic Crosses, Fast Eddie was in his prolific pomp as he claimed three All-Stars on the spin (2006-’08) while winning Man of the Match in the 2007 final and blitzing Waterford with 2-4 in ’08. By career’s end, Gillane might well have eclipsed Brennan. Not yet.
Advantage: Kilkenny
14 HENRY SHEFFLIN v SÉAMUS FLANAGAN
This really is unfair on Flanagan, one of the most influential moving targets in today’s game. And utterly selfless too: check out his 1-5 in assists on Sunday. But here’s the thing: how can compare his invaluable contribution to that of a ten-time All-Ireland winner and 11-time All-Star, a player widely touted as the greatest hurler of the modern era? Short answer: you don’t, even if King Henry ‘only’ scored 0-8 and just two from play in the ’08 turkey shoot.
Advantage: Kilkenny
15 AIDAN FOGARTY v PETER CASEY
Fogarty was an unorthodox yet highly effective hurler, which may explain why Cody started him in all four victorious finals from ’06 to ’09. ‘Taggy’ was Man of the Match in the ’06 decider and tallied 0-3 against Waterford in ’08 … but Casey, such an elusive and clever mover, also qualifies as a smoother finisher of chances. But for injury, God knows how many points he would have added to his latest 0-5 blitzkrieg.
Advantage: Limerick
BENCH
Even with victory in the bag, Brian Cody only made two switches against Waterford: a young TJ Reid hit 0-4 while James McGarry made an emotional appearance late on. By the same token, John Kiely hasn’t needed any Plan B heroics this season – or on Sunday, when his forward subs shared 0-3. However, there’s one reason to marginally favour the 2008 Cats: they had future legends such as Reid, Richie Hogan and Michael Fennelly pushing the first 15 … whereas, through no fault of their own, the jury is still out on Kiely’s wannabe starters.
Advantage: Kilkenny
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I’m glad someone took the time to do a comparison of each player, thank you @Bod95.
You’re analysis is fair in the main, I wouldn’t have too much to add. This particular Limerick team still have a bit to go in order to acclaim greatness even though they are a great team.
Edit: Actually Larkin is better than Morrissey. If you put Larkin up against any Limerick forward he’s better, especially back in ‘08.
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That’s a great piece, is that your own? You could be a sports writer. Too generous to Morrissey, yet anyway, Larkin is a hall of famer. Otherwise I’d say you have it spot on.
I’m assuming that’s the Indo article is it?
Larkin is the only one I’d strongly disagree with. Kavanagh and Finn is a toss up.
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Eoin Larkin was better than Tom Morrissey
I’d add that the positions kk win, they win by a lot lot more.
Very little talk about the players and Kiely here, all about the s&c and the coaching and the systems
Those core lads in the spine of that Limerick team are absolutely unbelievable. The work rate and tackling and intensity is just more than anyone else is bringing to the table right now.
Kiely doesn’t seem to ever get much credit, even though he is the man ultimately responsible for it, driving the motivation, keeping them on their toes, getting the right people around.
He allows Currid and Kinnerk and Mikey Kiely JOC all the credit and is all about the group.
A great, great man.
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I dunno is he better than Cian Lynch? Cian lynch scored 6 points and set up 2-5 directly in an all Ireland final and is about to be named HOTY for a second time
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The few positional changes made a massive difference to Limerick in the last few years. Nash and Morrissey to the full back line, Hayes wing back, Cian Lynch to centre forward all made them even more formidable. The bench isn’t as strong because Casey and Flanagan are guaranteed starters now but they’re generally so far ahead it doesn’t matter
Those were out of necessity, English and Mike Casey suffered long term injury and he didn’t trust the fellas on the bench to do a job so he used fellas and took risks, Dan dropping back meant Hayes had to, Hayes out of 11 left a hole. He tried really hard to make David Reidy work at 11 but ultimately Lynch had to go in there. Risks taken and huge reward.
Dan Morrissey for Richie English was the big change they made this year in the Munster Final. Richie English didn’t come back the same player by the looks of it and Dan Morrissey is as good a man marker as is in the country
To be fair here Mike not 1 of the current Cork team wearing jerseys 1 to 7 would get within an asses roar of the Cork team of 2003 to 2006
Very few of the remaining team would either come to think of it
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Yeah that’s true.
The Cork fall off in 2007 and 2008 was unusual given the age profile wasn’t bad. Really most of them should have been in their prime at that stage. They gave Kilkenny a great rattle for around 25 mins in 2008. I suppose the players didn’t really take to Gerald McCarthy.
Yeah. Hopefully Richie can get a bit more game time under his belt. Still cant see him dislodgin Dan though
The players couldn’t handle they were in decline and Kk were a force.