Limerick are stumbling their means towards the report books. John Kiely’s staff will enter the ultimate as scorching favourites to win the county’s first ever All-Eire hat-trick however they’ve by no means regarded extra susceptible.
his is just not the Limerick of 2020 or 2021. The pack is gaining quick. For the third recreation on the trot the champions have been pushed all the best way by outsiders.
Clare may have gained the Munster closing. Galway ought to have gained this All-Eire semi. Henry Shefflin was a examine in frustration as his facet threw the sport away by taking pictures 19 wides.
The best participant of recent occasions obtained a merciless lesson within the limitations of a supervisor’s position. What Galway wanted with the end result within the steadiness was a Shefflin on the pitch moderately than on the sideline.
When the underdogs drew degree with three minutes remaining, the sport was there for the taking. As an alternative a trio of injury-time wides helped blow their large alternative.
Limerick saved their nerve. Their capacity to edge shut video games may be very spectacular. In spite of everything, they haven’t had a lot apply in recent times.
Their progress to the ultimate is oddly paying homage to the hat-trick-seeking Cork staff’s run again in 2006. Surviving one shut shave after one other, the Rebels have been lauded as the final word successful machine.
We forgot to marvel why the shaves have been so shut. In that 12 months’s closing an underdog Kilkenny facet engineered a shock which ushered of their imperial section underneath Brian Cody. Eight titles in 10 years lay forward.
Might one other Cody ambush be within the offing? The concept would have appeared absurd when the Cats limped by way of the Leinster round-robin. But the primary half of Saturday’s semi-final win over Clare noticed an ominous return to the previous machine-like precision and imperious confidence.
It’s a very long time since Kilkenny have regarded so Kilkenny. There was an actual ‘we haven’t gone away, you recognize’ vibe in regards to the demolition job being so ruthlessly perpetrated.
Cody has caught Kiely on the hop earlier than. Just for Kilkenny’s smash-and-grab heist within the 2019 semi-final, Limerick can be searching for 5 in a row in a fortnight’s time.
When the champions unleashed essentially the most dominant efficiency in closing historical past final 12 months it was virtually unimaginable to think about them being significantly challenged within the foreseeable future.
But this 12 months’s rocky street towards glory would possibly make a fourth All-Eire their most spectacular achievement of all. The one factor Limerick lacked previously two years was severe opposition. Now a horde of pretenders are queuing up.
Limerick have been tagged, they’ve been staggered and so they’ve appeared able to hit the canvas. However within the final spherical they’ve bounced off the ropes, come out swinging and put within the form of late rally which earns nice champions a detailed resolution.
This new resilience will add to their legend. As will their new knack for locating totally different routes to victory.
Being a Limerick sub was once enjoyable. It was an influence with out duty form of gig. Come on when the victory procession has already began and tag on a few flashy factors.
Not this 12 months. Yesterday David Reidy stuffed the identical form of position his namesake Fairclough as soon as did for Liverpool. Inside a minute of his introduction, he was touchdown a degree to revive Limerick’s lead because the endgame approached.
Two minutes from the tip of regular time he put them forward once more and 5 minutes later edged them two clear. All have been stress scores of the sort Galway couldn’t summon up when the necessity was best.
The NBA have an annual Sixth Man of the 12 months award. Reidy, who additionally got here up trumps late within the Munster closing, would deserve the honour if hurling did one thing related for its nice replacements.
A brilliant sub could also be fairly continental however a celebrity is a staff’s finest buddy. Maybe envious of the spectacular physiques revealed by Magic Mike Casey and his defensive comrades after the Munster closing, Aaron Gillane constructed his personal muscle groups by placing the staff up on his again yesterday.
The Galway full-back line did little fallacious. They didn’t must. Nearly all of Gillane’s six factors from play would have been past most forwards.
A tiny quantity of house and a fast look have been sufficient to ensure the ball would zip between the posts as if guided by some breakthrough distant management machine collectively funded by JP McManus and Invoice Murray.
Reidy and Gillane’s contributions have been so very important as a result of Gearóid Hegarty and Tom Morrissey have hardly ever been quieter.
Each have been subbed as was Darragh O’Donovan with Limerick’s midfield once more comparatively subdued.
Gillane has by no means been extra necessary to Limerick. That’s why essentially the most essential battle within the closing may very well be between him and Mikey Butler. On Saturday, the Kilkenny child added the scalp of Tony Kelly to his rising assortment.
There hasn’t been a greater debut season by a corner-back since Brian Corcoran’s arrival 30 years in the past.
Add within the old-school command of Huw Lawlor and the acute diligence of Tommy Walsh and there’s a suspicion of greatness about Kilkenny’s full-back line.
In addition they have three elite forwards, TJ Reid, Eoin Cody and Adrian Mullen, hitting high type. And whereas Limerick appear to be 5 years on the street is starting to make amends for them, Kilkenny look like simply moving into their stride.
It may very well be lots harder for Limerick to win the ultimate than anybody would have anticipated in the beginning of the season. Three-in-a-rows are laborious to handle. That’s why there’s been solely three within the final 60 years.
On this 12 months’s closing the supervisor answerable for two of these will strive to make sure that three stays the magic quantity.
