In some ways, last month’s Limerick-Cork game was a throwback to the old knockout championships where teams had to wait a year to right a wrong. Limerick spent a long winter stewing on their loss to Cork in Croke Park last July and you could see that emotion and that hurt in their performance.
Whatever tactical adjustments they made to shut Cork down, they also brought a level of aggression and intensity that Cork couldn’t live with. Limerick had 10 months to work themselves into that state. Cork have had three weeks to figure out what went wrong in the Gaelic Grounds and come back with answers in the Munster hurling final, like they’re sitting a repeat exam. Against Limerick, everyone knows the questions.
Cork manager Pat Ryan said last week that he didn’t have his players revved up enough, or they weren’t on edge enough. He inherited an inconsistent team, but he may have felt he had knocked that out of them – that Cork’s bad days wouldn’t be destructive anymore. Then they performed like they did against Limerick, where they didn’t land a blow.
For a lot of my career with Galway, we had a reputation for not being able to back up a good performance with another good performance – or at least people never knew whether we would or not. We weren’t successful until we got on top of that. In 2017, ’18 and ’19 we lost just two championship matches. In those years we won an All-Ireland, two Leinster titles, a National League and reached another All-Ireland final.
Limerick have had that level of consistency for much longer than we had it, but this Cork team haven’t reached that point yet. They won a couple of massive do-or-die games against Limerick last year, which made everybody think they had crossed a threshold. Winning the league this year, when it was obviously their intention to do so, was seen as another step in their development.
But three weeks ago, it was clear that Cork aren’t the finished article. Since Limerick emerged as a force in 2018, their standards have never fallen to the extent Cork’s did that day.
Cork’s response will be fascinating. Ryan said that they made a mistake starting players who weren’t fully fit. He made it clear last week that if Robert Downey, Niall O’Leary and Declan Dalton didn’t take a full part in training last Saturday, they wouldn’t be under consideration for a starting spot this Saturday. With Ger Millerick ruled out through injury, Cork’s options in defence are thin.
I think this could be more like the game we thought we were going to get three weeks ago
Limerick don’t have any of those worries. During the league it was starting to look as if Cork had the deepest panel in the country, but the reality is that Limerick still have more players who can make an impact off the bench than any other county.
With Kyle Hayes at centre back, Limerick are structurally better than they were last year. Adam English has brought a lot of pace and class to centre field. Cian Lynch’s form is much better than it was last summer. His hurling IQ is incredible. Cork’s game is very dependant on runners and players coming off the shoulder, but Limerick didn’t allow them that freedom the last day. There were little bits of physicality and runners being blocked all over the place, just to stop Cork getting into any rhythm with their running game.
But I think this could be more like the game we thought we were going to get three weeks ago. I expect a lot of physicality. Thomas Walsh is a good referee for a game like that because he tries to let the game flow. A lot of stuff could go on in the first couple of minutes and the referee needs to be the coolest head in the Gaelic Grounds.
Limerick have an edge because they have managed games like this one so many times before. About two-thirds of the Cork team have never played in a Munster final, even though they’ve been in two of the last four All-Ireland finals.
What Limerick have in these situations is an extra bit of ruthlessness. They have vast experience of winning tight matches. Most teams work with sports psychologists now and Limerick have put a lot of emphasis on that under John Kiely, but you have to experience what big games are like. Nobody can tell you. For a game like this, Limerick have that comfort and I think it will be the difference.
Different stuff is at play in the Leinster final. Winning six provincial titles in a row would be a great achievement for Kilkenny, but 2025 will only be deemed a success if they win the All-Ireland. That’s just how it is in Kilkenny.
When you break it down, their full-back line is up there with Limerick’s as the best in the country. They also have a brilliant goalkeeper and an outstanding forward line. They have good hurlers and big athletes in their half-back line and Cian Kenny is having a great year at centre field. Kilkenny have a decent shot of winning the All-Ireland.
[ Seán Moran: Leinster hurling final and the battle for relevanceOpens in new window ]
[ Cork may be willing to lose the Munster battle to win the All-Ireland warOpens in new window ]
The qualities I have mentioned make them hot favourites for this game, plus it’s only seven weeks since they destroyed Galway in Nowlan Park. I’m certain that Galway have improved since then. The question is whether they have improved enough.
My concern for Galway is that they don’t score enough goals. They drew a blank against Kilkenny and Dublin, scored just one against Wexford and two against Offaly. The six they scored against Antrim was an outlier. I can’t see them winning the Leinster final without goals.
Galway can’t afford another performance like Nowlan Park, and I don’t think we’ll see that. The reality, though, is that Kilkenny are further down the road.
