Nicky English: Remarkable Limerick win sadly unremarkable contest to close in on All-Ireland

This was a remarkable piece of history from a remarkable team but sadly from the neutral point of view, it came after an unremarkable contest – certainly compared to the last two finals between Limerick and Clare.

Even when looked at in comparison to the counties’ first meeting in Ennis nearly two months ago, the impression that Limerick have been on the rise since then and that Clare were struggling to keep the pot boiling proved all too accurate.

I’ve used Diarmaid Byrnes and his scoring as an index of Limerick’s fortunes from their uncertain form at then start through the gradual improvement. In Thurles, he was my man of the match and back on his old trajectory, which made him a Hurler of the Year.

He was hitting the ball with confidence from both frees, despite a couple of wides, and from play. The last free was powered over the bar, a symbolic last strike in the six-in-a-row. They have relied on him playing well and his performance this weekend was a reminder of that.

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Beside him, Declan Hannon was really good, hitting two beautifully-struck points into the wind in the first half.

Another to retrieve his best form was Tom Morrissey and those playing well continued to do so. Gearóid Hegarty got a goal. Nickie Quaid was again a phenomenal presence and Aaron Gillane again got the better of Conor Cleary in a back four that for Clare was under pressure even though I thought Conor Leen did very well, particularly after half-time.

Mark Rodgers hit the post in the second half but did Quaid influence his decision to go that way?

The goal for Peter Duggan before half-time was brilliantly taken – real eye-of-the-needle stuff – but they had been off the pace and missed too much. Aidan McCarthy and Tony Kelly both had difficulties on the frees and although Shane O’Donnell and Rodgers looked dangerous in the first half, a number of balls went over their heads.

In the second half, Clare were hardly able to get any ball into them and the last one that Shane O’Donnell won, he had to come to midfield to get it.

It was very disappointing for Clare and I feel sympathy for them after all they have brought in the past two championships. The crowd tried to get behind them at half-time after the goal but, in reality, it was only papering over cracks.

Limerick were impressive not because they were at their best but because they are improving and getting better. They also showed improved depth with Shane O’Brien starting and Adam English coming in and they have Seán Finn and Darragh O’Donovan to return to the team.

They are now into an All-Ireland semi-final with a month to prepare. It’s a routine they are well familiar with as they close in on making further history next month.

Cork maybe lit a fire that night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and maybe it is still smouldering, but Limerick get more formidable the farther they get in the championship. It is hard to see the team that will beat them.

Kilkenny came into the Leinster final on the back of underwhelming performances and persistent injury problems. They left on Saturday evening, all of those issues apparently resolved and most importantly, the first county into the All-Ireland semi-finals.

They came with their best team, which not many were expecting, and looked sharper and clearly in a higher gear than during the group phase. Adrian Mullen is a serious player and his return with 0-7 from play indicated how big a loss he has been in recent weeks.

Dublin were a big disappointment. Their big guns didn’t really fire. Mikey Butler gave another man-marking masterclass on Dónal Burke – whose poor shot selection didn’t help – and they never got their running game off the blocks.

It was complicated, trying to play through the lines. This might have worked against a Galway team, who weren’t really hunting. Kilkenny needless to say, did hunt them down and Dublin’s touch and decision making disintegrated all day.

Twelve, 14 points down with the wind behind them in the second half, they kept doing the same thing. It’s an old bugbear of mine that teams are so slow to adapt in hurling. It’s grand to stick with the program when temporary adversity strikes but when that goes beyond the normal ebb and flow of a match, you have to change tack.

It was a sad ending to a provincial campaign in which Dublin had showed real signs of improvement and, like last year against Clare, the probable championship termination against Cork could be brutal.

Kilkenny march on. This weekend, they looked more like what it says on the tin.