Ever-sharp Aaron Gillane still the point of Limerick’s attack

Given his team boast so many scoring threats, it says something about Aaron Gillane’s genius that he consistently leads the charge on that front for Limerick.

During this odyssey towards a possible four-in-a-row, Gillane has been top-scorer (or joint top-scorer) in all except one championship outing in which he has featured.

Since the 2020 championship, the only match he was not sitting in Limerick’s top-scorer bracket at the final whistle was this season’s Munster round-robin clash against Cork. He registered 0-5 that day but was outscored by Diarmaid Byrnes (1-5) and Séamus Flanagan (1-3).

In the very next match, the Munster final against Clare, Gillane hit 1-11. In the other 20 championship games he played during this four-season run, no other Limerick player outscored Gillane.

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He made his championship debut as a 57th-minute sub for Shane Dowling in Limerick’s Munster semi-final defeat to Clare in 2017. It remains the only championship match in which he has failed to score.

During last year’s All-Ireland semi-final he overtook Dowling as Limerick’s leading scorer in championship history. His 0-8 against Galway last year took him to 11-193, edging him ahead of Dowling’s 13-186.

Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old Patrickswell clubman enters Sunday’s All-Ireland final as Limerick’s top scorer this term with a total of 3-42 amassed so far in the championship. Before last year’s decider he had chalked up 3-40.

Of Gillane’s 3-42 this summer, 0-29 has come from frees. He is comfortably ahead of Limerick’s second highest scorer, his clubmate Byrnes, who has posted 1-19 so far – including 13 frees and the goal coming from a penalty. Gillane is Limerick’s reliable free-taker in the scoring zone while Byrnes is their go-to man for long-range efforts.

Flanagan is next on the list with 4-9, followed by Tom Morrissey on 0-17, Cathal O’Neill on 1-10 and Gearóid Hegarty with 0-8. So, despite Limerick’s range of scorers, Gillane’s return remains a crucial ingredient in the team’s recipe for success.

If Gillane delivers another star turn on Sunday he would be in line for Hurler of the Year – which would be a history-making achievement as it would be the third year in a row the accolade was won by a player from the same club.

Byrnes was Hurler of the Year in 2022 and Cian Lynch in 2021, so Gillane could be the third Patrickswell player in as many years to win the award.

“The lads have all been massive for the club,” says Gary Kirby, the former Limerick captain and proud Patrickswell clubman. “What has happened over the last few years has just been incredible for what it has done for the underage in the club.

“If Limerick win the All-Ireland, and hopefully we will win it, then Aaron will more than likely get Player of the Year.,That’s following Diarmaid and Cian, so these are fantastic times for us.”

Kirby managed Gillane with the club and has seen him develop from a decent hurler with potential into one of the top forwards in the game.

“He really blossomed when he started with Mary Immaculate, he always looked a good player with us but he took an extra step when playing in the Fitzgibbon, his scoring form really started there and he hasn’t looked back,” says Kirby.

Gillane pillaged 2-6 last time out, delivering a stellar performance that ripped apart the Galway defence in the All-Ireland semi-final.

The video of the first of those two goals is a clip that is sure to be used by coaches across the country to demonstrate clinical attacking play. The game was just five minutes old when Tom Morrissey spotted Gillane in front of the Galway goal in a one-v-one situation.

Galway had given Gearóid McInerney the man-marking detail on Gillane for the afternoon, but in that moment the Limerick forward had ghosted inside and was in the vicinity of Daithí Burke, a five-time All Star defender.

And then the magic happened. Gillane rose higher than Burke, stretched his left arm out above the Galway player’s shoulder and plucked the ball from the sky. Both players had their back to goal, but while still airborne Gillane started to turn his body. He landed almost facing the goal and used his right leg to push himself away from Burke and create separation. By the time Burke had spun around, Gillane was offloading an unstoppable shot beyond Éanna Murphy.

“He’s got stronger over the years, he’s got cuter as well,” believes Kirby. “In the past if the full back was at him then he was probably getting involved, but he stays away from that more these days.”

Gillane’s form during the championship is even more impressive considering his lack of league hurling during this campaign. Gillane was omitted from the Limerick panel at the start of the season for disciplinary reasons, though when questioned several times about his star forward’s absence during the league, John Kiely refused to elaborate.

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He made his first appearance of the year as a sub in Limerick’s round four victory over Westmeath in March.

The three-time All Star lined out from the off in their round five game against Wexford a week later, where on his first start in 2023 Gillane scored 1-5.

He has started, and scored, in every game since.

Aaron Gillane’s match-by-match Championship scorecard since 2020

2020

v Clare, 0-12, (nine frees, one 65)

v Tipperary, 2-6 (1-0 penalty, five frees)

v Waterford, 0-10 (eight frees)

v Galway, 0-6 (five frees)

v Waterford, 0-10 (six frees)

2021

v Cork, 0-6 (six frees)

v Tipperary, 0-6 (four frees)

v Waterford, 1-5 (four frees)

v Cork, 1-6 (three frees)

2022

v Cork, 1-4 (two frees)

v Waterford, 0-13 (seven frees)

v Tipperary, 2-5 (four frees)

v Clare (Did not play)

v Clare, 0-10 (seven frees)

v Galway, 0-8 (two frees)

v Kilkenny, 0-7 (four frees)

2023

v Waterford, 0-7 (five frees)

v Clare, 0-7 (six frees)

v Tipperary, 0-6 (three frees)

v Cork, 0-5 (two frees)

v Clare, 1-11, (eight frees)

v Galway, 2-6 (five frees)