Run em all over a weekend like the Kilmacud 7s 10 minutes a side and penalty shoot outs. Everyone has too much celebrating to doš
Clare who I believe were the first team ever to reach an All Ireland semi final having lost two matches and where they duly lost for a third time in the semi final claiming an asterisk after the greatest All Ireland ever won.
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Tiger is on board
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In what sense?
The football will be up to the last round by this time next week. The last round then is to played the weekend of the 16th September
Apparently JK had a meeting with the top brass and said he dosent want thehurlers playing consecutive weeks. The solution they came up with was to give the weekends allocated to the football matches over to hurling. The football clubs are to be circulated with the fixtures for a blitz weekend with all matches in Rathkeale.
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Tiger will be hoping to win a few pound in a few weeks!
Is there any reason the junior football couldnāt have been played this weekend too?
Huge break for our footballers now, and then the next run of matches are slap bang in the middle of weeks where weāre also playing hurling. Playing this weekend would have given us a vital extra week.
Ah stop sure heās only a young fella. Agree on MOTM, would have picked Hannon, with Lynch ahead of him too. Casey was MOTM up til his injury and even at that probably should have been nominated.
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From the latest fixtures thereās a good few clubs have three championship games over 5/6 days, two hurling with a football in between.
Why are you repeating a joke whatsapp message that I circulated last week?
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Pats look to have football saturday, football wednesday, hurling the following weekend at some stage
Delores O Riordain is in the running for hurler of the year at this rate? I keep hearing how she won Limerick the all Ireland.
I dont know. Maybe it was too good to forget?
Looking back at the game itself, I actually thought we played some lovely hurling. The work rate, the movement was superb; our use of the ball was generally pretty good. We played a decent, high-tempo attacking style. The one real downside was the wides, obviously, but I think we play a nice style of hurling. Galway were poor for long periods, they looked lethargic. But you do have to credit us for making them look poor; the intensity of our defending in the forwards was just class and Galway didnāt seem ready.
Bar Joseph Cooney and Joe towards the end, the Galway forwards were poor. Most of our forwards were on top too. We totally dominated on our puckouts as well as putting serious pressure on theirās. That looks like total domination; how did we only win by 1? It really does come down to the wides.
Some of them were bad wides, others were poor use of the ball. I think it did slip a little in the final, just people taking the wrong option more than usual. All year, and even after the match, they seem happy enough to be hitting wides as long as they are creating chances. Itās best that the ball goes dead and they get to reset and put pressure on another puckout, rather than conceding a turnover. When you look at the amount Galway did concede from turnovers, maybe that did work in our favour to some extent. At the same time, the full-forward line didnāt get enough ball in the first half in my view and towards the end, we did rush a few shots.
There were possibly a couple of times as well where we went for goals when we just needed to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Flanagan tried an outrageous pass to Mulcahy, he could have just stuck it over the bar. Even Casey before Whelanās goal, could he just have popped it over before being taken down? Itās a hard balance, because obviously the goals won it in the end. Even when things were going against us, I did really like how we continued to dominate our own puckout- Kyle & Gillane both made outrageous catches; the possession was wasted but if you are losing your puckouts at that stage, itās a great platform for Galway to go and get an equaliser. Eventually Mulcahy got the point, and what a point it was.
The injuries in our backs did hurt us too. English was on one leg when the ball went into Whelan, and he stuck it in the back of the net. Having to bring Richie & Condon on meant we couldnāt unleash Pat Simon who I think would have caused havoc against the Galway backs on show. But it was good that they did keep a sub as they usually do, because if there was no replacement for English, weād have been rightly fucked.
I thought Owens was shocking. I donāt mind as long as refs are consistent on the day, but he was all over the fucking place. I thought he gave some very soft frees at times, while ignoring some blatant foul play at other times.
You couldnāt say anyone had a bad game really, everyone offered something. Flanagan was just immense at full-forward, he caused mayhem inside. Kyle was top class. Darragh OāDonovan was unreal in the middle of the field. The full-back line all beat their men, Whelan didnāt get a sniff; Casey bullied Glynn. Quaid was superb. Peter Casey off the bench was unbelievable aswell; himself & Mulcahy have some ability to break ball and just make themselves a nuisance even though they are only little fellas.
It was too close for comfort in the end, but we did it. In some ways, maybe that will be a better thing going forward, this team can definitely improve further. But for now, weāll enjoy it.
Keeping up traditions, a good old fashioned team review, itās kind of an end of year job, I havenāt rated them as they are all tens;
So where do you start? Well I suppose you start in goals like everything did on Sunday.
Quaid. He is, IMO, our most improved player under Kiely. When we were completely unable to win a puckout I always said he deserved a portion of the blame. Well now that we are winning a phenomenal amount of our puck outs he definitely deserves the credit. He has revolutionized himself this year. The single biggest change in Limerick this year was our ability to win ball from our puck outs, and not just on short ones. The ball is in the keepers hand so often now that itās probably the most important position on the pitch. Others too deserve huge credit for the improvement obviously but it starts with him. Still not the Worlds greatest shot stopper but then again pulled off one of the greatest saves of all time in the semi. Delighted for him, he has soldiered a long time
Finn. He is the most underrated player in the game at the moment, he has destroyed absolutely everyone that went in on him this year. You donāt really notice it because itās not big blocks or last minute hooks, he has it all done before the ball is even hit towards him. Man bottled up so itās never even hit his way or gone out in front like a shot so it looks a bad ball. Along with the other two he was absolutely unraleable Sunday. His early loss against Clare was a major factor in the poor second half performance.
Casey. Him coming in at full back really shored up the defence. Nothing flashy, just a hard to beat full back and he generally does the right thing on the ball. Absolutely destroyed Glynn, the couple of times he beat him in the air he just took it off him on the ground, but generally he was out in front or breaking it away. Played on the line and gave a masterclass of fullbackery. Him beating Glynn was the pivotal battle of the game, Galway had setup their entire plan to rain ball on Glynns head (more on that later) and when that didnāt work they were pretty clueless. Only black mark of the year was against Clare, but they all struggled that day. Hard to know if it would have happened anyway, and Richie did well when he came on, but the whole thing went a bit ropey in his absence.
English. Previously my concerns on English would have been that he was a very visible corner back unlike Finn. He was doing his defending when the ball arrived in and while generally getting away with it he was prone to be caught the odd time. Improved as the year went on and was imperious Sunday. He has a great cut about him as well 
English was one of the oneās from that 21ās team we were really looking forward to making the step up at the time. While heās done okay generally since, he really delivered this year.
Dan Morrissey. Iāll be honest, I didnāt see what Kiely saw in him at the start of the year. But he improved in every game and was possibly our most consistent player in the championship. Brilliant in the air, but also distributes well. A colossus against KK. Vulnerable to a speed merchant, but rarely found himself exposed this year. Like many others Clare game the only blip. Kilkenny and Galway games suited him to the ground.
Hannon. A tale of redemption. The lad literally fell apart in front of our eyes against Clare in 2013 and really he only recovered the last couple of years. If it was not an inescapable fact that he was one of the most natural hurlers that ever played in green he would have been dropped from the panel a few years ago and we might never have seen him again. While it had been mooted that he was a natural centre back (we debated that to death here) the reality is he was tried there only because he had lost all confidence in his shooting and we hadnāt really any better options at the time. The rest as they say is history. Natural centre back, great in the air and generally excellent distribution. Holds the centre well and can take a score too. His two points at the end of the first half was when I knew this time it was different. Weād dominated to that point but hadnāt really stretched out to a lead. Interesting to see whatāll happen next for him, centre back for another year anyway Iād imagine, but (and itās easy to forget now) he was one of the greatest free scoring forwards we ever produced and if heās got his confidence back 
Kyle Hayes is also a natural centre back and will probably end up there in time. Anyway if the chap never hurls again Iām delighted for him. Played a real captains role
Byrnes. It took Kiely & Co. a long time to get through to the chap that itās not the best option to try to shoot every time you get the ball on your own 45. But once they did it was worth it. Strong in the air and a great striker of the ball. Probably the weakest of the three over the course of the year for me, but still excellent.
OāDonovan. Another who improved as the year went on. His sidelines are another weapon in the arsenal and his work rate and distribution are excellent. Himself and Lynch destroyed Galway. Hopefully the two play with each other for years to come and continue to build their understanding.
Lynch. What can you say the mans a wizard. Has completely sacrificed his own game for the betterment of the team. The tricks and flicks are all but gone but heās just savagely effective now. Unbelievable in a ruck and pin point passer from midfield. Heās the teams playmaker. If anything youād love to see him take it on more often as heās shown this year heās still lethal when he does. I wouldnāt have to look too hard for a slew of posts on here calling him a show pony, with no end product. Well the man only deals in end product now. The most skillful hurler Iāve ever seen. A legend already and with a whole lot more to come hopefully.
Hegarty. The man has worked massively on improving his game. Fast, strong, good in the air and a savage work rate. He is the typification of Kielyās system. Not his finest game in the final, but still ran himself into the ground. His shooting improved no end over the season.
Hayes. He scores more than his share and is a savage option on puckouts, but it is his work rate that is most impressive. He just never stops, how many times has he popped up out of nowhere to disposes an opposition forward this year. Hard to believe heās still only a young lad. The maturity and leadership he shows is unreal. Thatās whatās so exciting for me, not even at his full potential yet.
Tom Morrissey. Last few years heās seemed overly bulked and slow as a result. Really trimmed down this year and itās showed in his play. Beautiful striker of the ball and a brilliant puckout option always. Stepped up when needed a number of times this year. A leader.
Mulcahy. Itād make you weep when you think how weāve wasted Graham Mul all these years. First year we started hitting the ball into him in any sort of a way that suited him and he absolutely tears it up. Delighted for him, heās been in and out of the team for years but he never gave up. Phenomenal work rate as well, pressure on the short puckouts constantly.
Flanagan. Again, his work rate is incredible. He makes himself a puckout option with some very clever runs and is generally a nightmare to mark. Good man to setup a score. He could improve his striking and option choices at times but heās still a young lad with loads to learn. Those hits though 
Youāll win nothing without a real West Limerick man in the side. Incredible to think he couldnāt make the 21ās team.
Gillane. Quiet enough final, but still caused trouble in the air. Shooting can be a bit wayward at times. Tends to go for it whether itās on or not when he could maybe look up a bit. Again only a young fella with a phenomenal career ahead. Not afraid to be the one to take on the pressure. Had an unbelievable season overall. Again still plenty to improve on. A stalwart for a generation to come hopefully.
The Dow. What can you say, a lesser man would have sulked if given the role. He is our best forward undoubtedly, but Kielyās system is about forwards running themselves to death which doesnāt suit. What a fucking impact sub though. Literally a game changer. Almost single handedly hauled us over the line against Cork and a huge goal in the final as well. A great man. A fucking fantastic man really.
Peter Casey. Another man who changed games from the bench. What a sub to have. If fully fit next year heāll be a hard man to keep out of the team.
Pat Ryan. Another man with a difficult role. Injected serious pace off the bench. Hopefully heās chomping at the bit to get his place next year to keep the others under pressure. Made a major impact in a couple of games.
Richie Mac. Delighted he got on the field Sunday and held his own. Written off every year for the last 3 or 4 but still going. A fantastic servant to us. Provides depth that is still lacking in the full back line but youād understand if he decided to go now. Oh Richie McCarthy
Condon. Delighted for him that he wonāt be remembered for his brain fart against Clare. Another long serving soldier and always gave his all in good times and bad. Again might be his last year, but at least he has that medal in his paw. Great that he won the last ball as well. Gave a nice symmetry to it all.
Hickey. Unlucky that he was called on to fill the fullback role early on this season which didnāt work. If he hadnāt been he probably would have started the year as the man in possession at half back before Morrissey. Kiely seemed to see him only as a hb after that and with the 3 lads there playing out of their skin his time was limited. Another man who deserves his medal though.
OāDongohue. Another man who was unlucky to be behind the two lads in midfield, didnāt do anything wrong all year and kept things ticking over when Donovan tired.
Browne. Youād feel sorry for Browne, was the only one performing some years, very unlucky to miss out this year although I think it would have been a bench role for him regardless. Another well deserved medalist.
Reidy, Dempsey, Nash etc all played their part. Hopefully they can step up next year. I still have high hopes for Nash in particular.
Kiely is a genius. Worked out a game plan that suited us, fixed our puck out problems and integrated a load of young lads while keeping the older crew onside. Put a phenomenal work rate into them and reduced the amount of mistakes they made dramatically. Iām sure Kinnerk, OāConnor and others had a huge role to play but he managed the whole thing fantastically. Looked at what Galway were doing, and emphasized size in the half lines in particular to compete and then tweaked it to suit our players.
If he learned from Galway last year, he needs to learn from Galway this year too. Galway started the same 14 outfielders as last year and they were stale. He needs to be ruthless now, no one above the team. A hero this year can be a zero next year. Thatās what made Cody. Hard to do though. The panel is there to win a lot more than one, he needs to make sure they keep their hunger.
On the final itself I thought we got our tactics spot on. Let Galway play it short and then squeezed the life out of them. A ridiculous amount of our scores came from us turning over Galway on the way out. They were playing it short in the hopes of landing it on Glynn (and out of fear of our hb line) but Casey had him beat up and down a stick inside there and when it wasnāt working they seemed lost.
Our movement for puckouts in the first twenty was fantastic, though we reverted to short puckouts afterwards as Galway dropped deeper and deeper to defend them. The spell either side of half time we were simply untouchable, Hannon at the end of the first half and Hayes at the start of the second led the charge.
For 65 minutes we actually destroyed Galway at their own game, turned them over out muscled them and out thought and out fought them. We started to wobble with the finish line in sight and started to crumble when the 8 minutes were announced. To be fair Canning really stepped up here and tried to haul them over the line. We just about got away with it.
I was celebrating like a psycho after Dowlings goal. We couldnāt lose after that, but the life slowly drained out of me afterwards and by time the final whistle was blown all I could do was slump over in the seat and breath a sigh of relief. The bastards couldnāt even let us enjoy a win 
Sunday for me was just general relief that we won one but a great night in Limerick Monday where I really celebrated.
Bizarre feeling to actually be all Ireland champs after so many false dawns. Will it be the same now the longing is gone?
Loads to look forward to next year, should be another cracker. Tipp, Cork, Clare will all be back with a vengeance. Waterford surely canāt be as bad again, theyāll be looking at Limerick thinking if we can they can. KK are KK, Galway will have a point to prove and weāll have a title to defend. Itās anyoneās really.
Limerick AbĆŗ
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I agree with this
And going by what they admitted as tactics, brilliant if true, the wild shooting was a ploy and they were told to do it
Now that doesnāt excuse all the poor decisions, but it makes more sense now
We turned over so much ball on the Galway puckout it made sense to let them have it as much as we could