National Hurling League Final 2023 - KK v the Limericks

Whatever you say Violet Elizabeth

I’ll show you how much attention I need.

Any of thelimericks know who the young fella yoked out of his mind with the big Limerick flag is. Was in the middle of the North Stand today. He’d give ya anxiety just looking at him. He’ll never do if Limerick ever lose a game.

A miracle worker.

Even today he’d have had TJ on before half time to jizz things up a small bit. Someone like Billy Ryan would have been whipped after 25 minutes.

TJ may as well have been up in an Executive Box (a la Sergio Ramos cc @Cheasty) with his wife and daughter for all Lyng was going to use him today.

Similarly taking off Mullen after 50 minutes looked either pre planned or a GPS sub. Yer man Mikey Comerford looked delighted with himself when Mullen came off. Cody would never have stood for something like that.

I am afraid that take is only a quarter, if even that measure, of the story. Limerick are terrific – and perhaps getting better – but the roots of today’s second half flop lie in the six seasons after 2016, when Kilkenny stood still, which is complacency’s way of going backwards. Who was manager for those six seasons? And who refused to absorb what was happening?

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Limerick Chap in front of me got riled up in tbe first couple of minutes about a kk challenge and the kk chap in front of him turnaround and had a few words with him . The Limerick fella said I’m here to watch my own team go away out of it… For the next 67 minutes he screamed and hollered like a lunatic to wind the KK chap up… It was beautiful to see… Pure Irish GAA begrudgery and ‘I’ll show that cunt’ … @Copper_pipe 's younger brother was sat next to me and he got a great giggle from it.

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Cody’s job was to work with what he had at Senior Level. He got every last ounce out of what he had.

The players just aren’t there the same way they aren’t there in Tipp and most other counties bar Limerick.

Kilkenny are still easily a Top 3 team but i dont know whats gone wrong nationally because everyone is gone to shit.

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Limerick 1-9 are fast becoming unplayable. Kilkenny had to.double back through three or four lines on numerous occasions just to get a shot away. Gabe up 15 minutes into the second half and just lorried high ball in on the off chance

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I think that statement is fairly obviously rubbish.

It was like Seniors vs Juniors. Made mince meat of them. All while missing Hannon, Hayes and O Donoghue.

On a side note, Byrnes’ point in the 2nd half where he had an awkward enough gather to make before leaving the KK man behind and striking over from long distance was outstanding. Best bit of play all day aside from the team play for Gillane’s goal.

Loved that score too. Hunger to commit to the 50/50 ball and get there first to win it and then fucking launches it. Bodes well for the hunger well and truly still being there.

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Limerick are very well-organised and even when they are sloppy, as they were at times today, are generally hard to beat if they work hard.

I’m not sure what Kilkenny’s plan today was. They are capable of a lot, lot more as the AI Final last year proved. They are probably short a couple of players alright but got it badly wrong tactically today.

You simply can’t let Barry Nash have the freedom of the pitch. It’s one thing Cody got spot on last year, you need to occupy him as much as possible, force him to defend. 1-1 by half-time against the wind, nobody tracked his run for the goal.

Padraig Walsh is a serious hurler but not a corner-back. Deliveries to the inside forwards were poor and they were also pulling men back so Limerick always had a man free, making it easy for him.

And Kilkenny have a serious issue on puckouts. You can praise Murphy and his shot stopping all you like but his decision-making and execution of puckouts is nowhere near good enough. And hasn’t been for a while. Costing his team scores because you have to have the ball to be able to score.

Limerick have a lot of work to do too because if Kilkenny had brought any of their usual intensity and aggression combined with a semblance of a gameplan, Limerick could have been got at.

Finn, Nash, Byrnes, DOD were excellent & Gillane was a constant threat.

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I dont think under any other manager Kilkenny make 2x AI Finals and 2x Semi Finals along with maintaining a firm stranglehold over Leinster.

He loves that, anything he can attack while going forward.

Fantastic leadership quality

DODs workrate is unbelievable. He fucking loves the graft.

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Criminally underrated player.

An absolutely vital player in the way Limerick play and a hugely skilful stickman too. When he is off it, Limerick usually struggle.

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Extremely underrated. A vital cog

Be interesting to see stats on metres he covered last year and what the goal is for him this year. He seemed to fade late on last season, got leggy whereas was absolutely blistering early on.

It was you wasn’t it mate, you laid into that Kilkenny Cunt for 67 long minutes

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