Save your tears for the semi final
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We all know what’s coming
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I know he did the same the last day and maybe he was fucked, but I thought this was a strange move. Thought he was playing well.
I could understand wanting to get the pacy lads on but at the expense of Bennett?
Waterford had us in a little bit of mother for about 10 minutes. They cut the gap to 2, had the strong wind and all the momentum behind them. For the first time, we weren’t winning the breaks, think Waterford won 3 or 4 in a row and got a couple of scores easily.
But they never got closer than 2, hit a couple of wides in a row and Limerick just upped the work rate again and Cathal particularly started winning us a few puckouts.
What was the official attendance in Semple yesterday? Think it was around 31,500k in GG
Letting de burca continue to sweep became rather pointless with the wind at this point. Davy had to push up and force matters but he didn’t.
Great to be back in a Munster final. Six finals in a row is phenomenal consistency. Especially in the round robin era which is particularly draining. It’s a great system but really exposes weaknesses in a team/squad in a brutal manner.
The fact is that Limerick are still down three of their first choice front 8 in DOD, P Casey and now Sham Flan again. There’s only so many injuries any team can endure before it catches up with you somewhere along the line. The best corner back of this century in Finn out too.
In saying that, Kiely and Kinnerk have been superb at integrating young players into the squad. A league sub cameo here and there, a league start here and there, a championship sub appearance here and there. King CON served his apprenticeship and he’s reaping the benefits of that now. Adam English, SOB, DOD2 and FOC are are hopefully following the same route - not being thrown in as a young fella and expected to carry the team. Superb management above all else.
Some woeful wides but Limerick are still revving up the engine. Building nicely but still have to navigate another three or possibly four tough championship matches to win it out. With an ageing squad that’s tough going. The injuries are stacking g up game after game after game. But they’re still alive in the championship, would have taken this scenario before a ball was pucked.
Hayes is a force of nature. I don’t think teams even avoided the likes of Tommy Walsh, JJ Delaney, Padraic Maher, Ken McGrath, Brian Whelehan, Ronan Curran or Tony Keady in this manner. See it at club level all the time - ‘keep it away from the county man’ - but never to such an extent at senior intercounty level. He’s just a colossal hurler and athlete. Currently the best player in the game today IMO. He could score 15 goals in the club championship for K/P if they play him centre forward.
Ended up parking up beside a sound Waterford chap with his son and had a grand chat with him after. He was totally anti Davy - ‘the awful thing is that we’ve probably done enough without achieving anything for him to get another year of the circus for us to endure’. He learned nothing from what Cork and Clare have done against Limerick this year and last. Crazy set up. It could have been a 15 point defeat on another day. Such a waste as they’ve a few exceptional players but the window is shut on them for another 12 months now.
Great to have another Old Firm Munster final to look forward to. The last two have been epics.
Glad of the two weeks rest now. Been a draining six weeks for all teams but the serious stuff starts now.
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Didn’t hear it announced but would be surprised if it topped 20k. 15k + of that from Clare I’d estimate.
Gas to hear Liam Cahill “taking umbrage” at being asked about his future. One win in nine games handed to him by Eamonn Foudy. It’s a difficult one for Tipp, he hadn’t really shown anything that he is the man to rebuild, is there much point in giving him one more year as a dead duck manager? Best off give it to Cummins for three years and tear it back to the studs and let Woodlock up to the 20s gig.
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If you take out the Joe McDonagh runner up Offaly turkey shoot, Cahill is on a run of 8 championship games without a win against Liam McCarthy opposition.
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I thought we did come out on the worse side of the referee in the second half. I thought he was poor over all on the day.
Not that it mattered as we weren’t up to a whole lot and but for some lacklustre Limerick shooting we’re could have conceded 40 points.
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He did seem to change tack in the second half alright and we got a few handy frees. Maybe he got it in the ear over missing the black card penalty earlier, but he was certainly different after the resumption.
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Who’ll get to ref the final on Sunday week?
Johnny Murphy - out.
Sean Stack of Sixmilebridge - out.
Liam Gordon because of the end last year is probably out.
Kennedy probably too inexperienced - out.
Cork probably playing the winners in the AI semi final so that could go against Lyons. If he sent off a player in a David Burke type scenario and they missed a match against his county there’d be uproar. So he’s probably out.
By default it could be our friend from Wexford… 
Thomas Walsh won’t be far away!
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Forgot about him!
Some good insights here.
Tony Kelly is 100% fit, but needs to work on his fitness. He needs game time but they are finding it hard to get him that cause of all the matches.
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ah he deserves one go at it
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He’s probably now the best ref in the post-Horgan/Paud/Keenan era.
Has he got a provincial final previously?
Don’t believe so. He did the Joc McD last year.
I think it’ll be Thomas Walsh. He’s due one and is a decent ref despite missing two of the most blatant red cards you’ll ever see in the league game in Salthill earlier this year.
Surely JP will decide who the ref will be
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