Was actually good defending by Blanchfield and then Hago fouled the ball
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Ya he Hego’d him good and proper
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A huge shoutout to all hungover at work Limericks today. You’re doing god’s work lads.
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Thanks mate.
You might update your important “summer championship wins in 70 mins” table when you get a chance
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I thought in reality Galway were much closer to Limerick than Kilkenny were. Galway really could have beaten Limerick had a bounce or two of the ball gone a different way or had Galway taken a couple of chances they didn’t.
Galway were a largely very seasoned team who dug deep into their reserves of experience and knowhow to pull off a performance that got them in a position where they could have won.
Limerick were probably nine or ten points a better team than Kilkenny yesterday. But it’s to Kilkenny’s immense credit they got so close.
Kilkenny were a young team who found themselves a bit out of their depth but used the tried and trusted principles of Kilkenny hurling, as well as the smattering of experience they had, to hang in there. They will improve a lot for having been in that final and the next time they get there they won’t be wiped out on their own puckouts. The problems they had yesterday are fixable.
Somebody made a comparison to 1991. That’s how I’d see it too. Kilkenny improved a lot just for having reached that final.
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Not unlike Dublin footballers really, but at least Limerick isn’t being bankrolled by Croke Park.
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Limerick were the better team. At no stage did I think Kilkenny would win that one. Any time they got level or came close, Limerick would rattle off 2 or 3 points and get the lead back. They never panicked, they kept their game plan and passed the ball through the lines and got the scores they needed, similar again to how the finished Galway. Kilkenny had one real tactic, lump it high and long and hope for the best. It was a tactic crying out for Wally Walsh and I cant understand if that was Codys tactic, why wasnt he starting? He’s not the best fielder of the ball around, but he’ll more often than not compete and bring it to ground and keep it there. So many times in the first half Kilkenny lumped it long and a Limerick defender would just sweep around the ball as it dropped behind the competing players and then worked it out.
I thought the ref was very much on the Limerick side of things, not that it made any difference. I thought they got their frees much, much easier than Kilkenny and he made a couple of very strange decisions. Again, made no difference, but I dont think he had a good outing. He was lucky there was no major flashpoint or big decision to make.
Hegarty is some player too. His striking from distance is absolutely effortless. He really has it all, super skill, big and physical, and will get goals in close and points out from afar. He is a player that in a weaker team you could play him in any position from midfield up and he’d excel in it. In fairness, he was helped by Cody being a stubborn cunt and leaving Paddy Deegan “marking” him for the full 70 minutes and he no where near him, other than the time he goaded him for missing a shot. Well done Paddy, you got absolutely rinsed and there you are roaring in his face. Clown.
On a similar note, the times Kilkenny players would actively seek to burst through a tackle or go for the physical challenge rather than being clever with ball use just seemed idiotic to me. Kilkenny are always going to stick in there and hang around and work like dogs, but they just arent a great team. Galway are set up better than them, but just need to be clever. Cody always has his team fired up and tearing into things and a great never say die attitude, but there i only so far that will get you. Limerick were full value for their win and to be honest probably should have been more comfortable than they were.
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Yeah, we probably came closer but our shoot on site policy wasn’t accurate enough. That and the fact that we need a stronger bench.
That covers nearly all my own views on yesterday’s game. I’m surprised about this talk of it being one of the best finals ever - though great fighters that was a fairly limited Kilkenny team both in terms of tactics and skill who needed results to go their way elsewhere to just get out of Leinster a few weeks back, and I thought the reasons for this were fairly evident throughout yesterday’s game.
Some incredible long striking in yesterday’s game though, maybe that is going to be even more of a feature with finals now played in July.
That was very funny. Giving it loads after Hego hit it wide and it
- Fuck all to do with anything Deegan had done, think it was Carey had put the pressure on him
- About 25 minutes into the game and he has 1-3 scored off you
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The first half was shocking stuff
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I don’t like to see somebody get a roasting in an AIF, but Deegan has irked me in the past with that carry on. He was assigned to Chin a couple of times in the Davy era and was at that crack during matches. I guess it’s part of the game but he just came across as a bit of a dick. You know when there’s a break in play & somebody’s strolling over to get a drink or to chat to a team mate and he’s up in their face & pacing after them Benny Hill style.
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Doesn’t have to be, Richie Hogan came on and Sean Finn fist bumped him and off they went and hurled. Same when Lynch came on against Galway, instead of the pointless showldering contest himself and his man high fived and away they went
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Walter Walsh shook hands with Dan too
Ya the laying down a marker thing is a bit silly, but it is always great for getting the crowd going.
“Sow it into the cunt”
@Tassotti
PM O Sullivan had a cracking piece in De Paper on Saturday, there was some succinct analysis but also some lovely cuts at a few folk and justifications as to how his points were proven to be correct with lashings of hindsight. There was a lovely cut to the piece and the usage of some elaborate vocabulary to make it a fine piece of writing overall.
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The biggest take away from this year is that Limerick won without their best player. Would kilkenny win without TJ, Galway without JC. Scary when you think about it. Will take a serious serious team to beat them.
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I still think its a lot better position for the other counties to be in than this time last year when they looked unbeatable. A fully fit Casey for Mulcahy would be a massive upgrade as well
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It would and Hayes back half back.
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I think what Kiely has done though is create a team that plays to the sum of its parts rather than needing a focal point or main player to carry them. Not that Lynch is replaceable, but if any of the Limerick players go, I dont think its as big a loss to them as it would be to what another county would feel. In that a player will come in and fulfil the role to a decent standard and the overall net effect of the team wont diminish hugely. You see it in games where one or 2 of the forwards have a down day, that they have other players who will pick up the baton and keep it ticking over. I thought Kyle Hayes was really quiet yesterday, but Hegarty was immense. Whereas Hegarty barely pucked a ball in the semi final. They dont need their best players to be firing to have a chance, the team ethos and the tactics ensure that they can compete or win regardless. Most other counties need their start players to perform to have a chance, so again, its huge credit to Kiely to create a team like this.
So Lynch coming back in will be a big boost for them, but overall I dont think it raises the level of their performance as say a player coming back into another team might. And thats a good thing, because it works the other way too, they dont feel the effects as much when they are out.
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