You canât really argue that point to be fair as youâre right.
Iâd still back Flanagan, Casey, Morrissey, Reidy and Hego to outscore the Kilkenny supporting cast 9 times out of 10.
I think this final could be a blowout. Kilkenny were lucky to beat Galway and look what happened Galway.
Clare made an awful fuck of that yesterday.
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Thereâs every chance of that as the Lyng/Kk story is a bit too good to be true. ButâŚ
Again, youâd love to know how good Limerick were in the 2nd half the other night and are they peaking at the right time.
In the first 20 mins yesterday each Kk defender had 5 secs to assess the situation, break down the attack and use the ball.
I know League is League but youâd worry itâll be a similar type game to this yearâs Final which was a total non event.
Didnt Kilkenny concede 5 or 6 goals to a hapless Wexford this year too? I canât fathom where this improvement has come from.
Iâd imagine KK with a new manager etc were all out to win that game. And we know what happened thereâŚ
Who knows? Thatâs the beauty of it.
Perfectly fair opinion. And you are perfectly entitled to hold it. But I cannot see how said opinion has anything to do with the 2019 AIFâs scoreline. Such âlogicâ would mean a county should be prevented from entering the Liam MacCarthy Cup the following season if they experienced a double digit loss in the current season?
He is obviously on a wind up. To call Kilkenny players all great hurlers in their own right useless is laughable. I wouldnât mind any of them in my club.
My point on 2019 is i think KK havent even improved since and are still making All Ireland Finals which obviously doesnt say much for the rest.
The new lads for the most part bar Cody and Butler (Blanchfield, Richie Reid, Keoghan, Phelan, Billy Ryan and Tommy Walsh) are downgrades on what they had starting back then - hard nosed winners like Paul Murphy, Joey Holden, Walter Walsh, Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan, Padraig Walsh and Cillian Buckley.
If you had told me in 2019 after that game that KK would make 2 of the next 4 finals and 2 more Semi finals, and Tipp wouldnt see Croker in that time, Iâd have laughed in your face. AnywayâŚ
All the evidence points to tipp beating Kilkenny in 2019 as a fluke.
There wasnât much between Limerick and Kilkenny in 17,18,19, 22 and there wonât be much in 2023 either.
Limerick routinely hammered tipp in this period.
If hogan wasnât wrongly sent off itâs likely Kilkenny would have won in 2019.
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Heâs using a moderate enough team by Kilkenny standards as a tactical stick to beat the Limerickâs with. *This 4 in a row chasing Limerick team arenât comparable to other great sides because theyâre playing during an era with very few other strong contenders. An era when most of the main protagonists are at a low-ebb. Thatâs the argument heâs trying to create I think. Itâs impressive Wumming to be fair and winds up plenty. Thereâs an element of truth to it as well.
*Thatâs not my actual opinion of course. This is a great Limerick team.
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Iâd doubt it tbh. Wexford probably would have beaten Kilkenny in that 2019 final for Christ sake.
Limerick has destroyed him. This is all he has left.
The 2019 AIF was a singular event. Kilkenny had peaked to play Limerick and came with the sort of post big semi final display that often transpires. Tipperary got lucky with post Munster Final hammering draw. Then Richie Hoganâs sending off put the kibosh on the game as a contest.
So matters went. I would not read anything like as much into that one game as you do.
Here are some facts. Since the 2019 AIF, Tipperary have played 16 championship matches. They have won four, drawn two and lost 10. None of those matches was against Kilkenny. If you believe that (extra Kilkenny) championship record over the last four seasons attests to the bizarreness of Kilkenny making the last four in all four of those seasons, well⌠All I can say is that the facts indicate otherwise.
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I can see that angle, of course. Limerick have already done a lot of stuff that puts Tipperary in the shade. But I just could not be bothered with all that craic.
Any team can only beat what is in front of them in their era. On this front, I invite anyone to consult the games and the scorelines that comprise Corkâs four in a row 1941-44.
I like the look of Kilkenny at the moment.
Work incredibly hard for each other in attack & defending.
The only player currently misfiring is Keoghan, if he can find form in the Final he opens up the game for TJ, Ryan & Donnelly to thrive further imo.
Their FB line looks sharper than last year with Walsh hurling exceptionally well for me.
Richie at CB is a worry alright but heâs done okay and Lyng obviously trusts him.
Lyng has done a good job and has instilled a real combative personality to the team who look at ease changing tactics and never letting panic set in.
Limerick is a massive test, the best of the best. But, Kilkenny will hurl the game in front of them and not the occasion. They will go out to create goal chances and if they bag a few then they have a rightful chance.
If Limerick beat them there will be no shame, I canât see them downing tools.
Once you know the collective is strong thatâs all you ask for.
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And itâs even more astonishing that the team that beat them have been nowhere to be seen since
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I dont think Iâve seen a better hurler than TJ.
I was beginning to think Kilkelly had a chance against Limerick until they brought on Richie Hogan. Holy Christ, how is he still getting a game there.
Didnât think he did too bad in the small time he was on. Won that free. He hasnât been regular playing IC regularly for years.
Billy Drennan seems to have fallen well out of favour.