He plays the role very well, I’m not doubting that. He is a quality hurler
Limerick are very lucky in the fact that they have good depth in the half backline as the two times I recall them losing Hannon they didn’t miss a beat - v Cork in 2018 and Dan Morrissey slotted seemlessly in there after about 10 minutes and played well and again in 2019 when Hayes went in there v Kilkenny late in the first half and Limerick took over the game.
Hannon is our Tom Brady.
Realistically, the way hurling is played at the moment, by all teams, doesn’t lend itself to that kind of centre-back. It might change again in the future but no teams are lumping high balls straight down the middle anymore, and the freedom to attack from centre-back isn’t really there unless you play a sweeper.
Yet De Burca was able to do it in 2020 with no sweeper.
Well, he did it. Kilkenny ripped them to shreds in the first half of the semi final
I don’t really remember it the same as you, I think he had a good year, but I wouldn’t have had him down as having 4 totemic performances in a row. Maybe I’d have to watch the matches back; he was very good against Limerick alright and definitely gets forward more than any other centre-backs in the game, presumably as a result of Cahill’s style, but a lot of his good play is just general tidying up and picking up breaks, the same as the rest.
So Hannon is a defensive sweeper and De Búrca an attacking 6?
I wonder if anyone would have Declan Hannon’s scoring stats over the last couple of years…with him sitting back on the D doing very little I assume he hasn’t hit a score in a long time??
That point Hannon scored in the all Ireland final where he came from behind Joe canning, took the ball canning thought he was about to collect and glides around canning all in the one act and fired it over the bar - would many current players have the ability to do that? It was pure skill. I don’t think Hayes would have been able to do it as seamlessly as Hannon did.
In Limerick’s 3 (three) All Ireland winning campaigns Hannon has hit a combined 0-8 from play, with 0-5 of those scores coming in each of the 3 finals (0-2 in 2018, 0-1 in 2020 and 0-2 again in 2021)
Grand going for a “defensive sweeper”
Nice
TBF I would have scored two points against Cork myself
.
You’d have to feel sorry for a few of the lads who post on here, Hannon doesn’t dominate from centre back FFS…
And a big long spiel trying to show how clever they actually are then.
Who said Hannon doesn’t dominate? I think you are either thick or just being obtuse.
Nobody is saying that he isn’t a fine centre back. Just that he isn’t the greatest of modern times as one poster declared him. Same fella has replied saying not bad for a “defensive sweeper” despite the fact that nobody has used that term but him.
Ye are fierce precious that people might debate this topic and have a preference for someone like De Burca over Hannon. Limerick lads are entitled to hold him in high regard but it isn’t reflective of the rest of the country - just like Kilkenny would have seen huge worth in Brian Hogan
Hannon’s best games at centre-back were in 2019 vs Waterford, Clare and Tipperary. He was a standout in those games even with the entire team being on top. In 2020 games definitely bypassed him, he even acknowledged it himself.
You did.
See.
Yes, context is lost on you yet again.
Read the comment - I am not saying he doesn’t dominate, I am saying I don’t believe he dominates games in that manner that the modern centre back greats did/do yet someone classed him as the greatest centre back of modern times. But it appears that nuanced hurling debate will Limerick supporters was a bit too much to ask
You’re explaining now.
Do you sleep in a replica Limerick jersey with the number 6 on the back of it or something?
Sometimes things need to 
for window lickers. Apologies that two paragraphs is a big long spiel in your world. Must have taken you a while to read it