Limerick in top shape to punch Cork off of their plan

On Sunday Limerick manager John Kiely was expecting the question: had he been in any doubt about the All-Ireland champions' continuing appetite for the fray during a poor league campaign?

“Listen, I see them on a Tuesday and a Friday where people see them on a Sunday. We knew the effort and the energy was there on a Tuesday and a Friday when we came back in January.

“We did struggle to keep that energy flowing for the full week every week and at times we didn’t get the energy exerted out of the group as a whole on a Sunday during the spring that we would like to have had. It just wasn’t there because we had a block of work to do during the week to get prepared for the championship.

“It was just the price we had to pay, really. We were still disappointed with our performances but we wouldn’t at any stage have been in any doubt about what this group are still capable of producing when they get the energy like that on the pitch.

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“But, listen, it’s still only round one of a round robin. There’s a long way ahead yet so listen it’s on to next week and the Gaelic Grounds.”

He was speaking after a thunderous performance had given the team its first victory over Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 21 years.

There had been ample evidence of the management’s ability to pace the team correctly and have them in top gear for the biggest matches but time takes a toll on the best teams and they have been on this roll for five years with a relatively unchanging cast.

Cork even had the encouragement of having beaten them comprehensively in the league in February.

At the time, Paul Browne, vice-captain for the first All-Ireland win in 2018 and now retired, had cast a cold eye on the significance of the league match and any imperative for Limerick to win.

League

“It’s maybe important not to give Cork too much hope but realistically Limerick probably are beyond worrying about league games.”

The truth of this was all too clear at the weekend. Returning to the subject on Monday, Browne compared Cork’s response to a famous boxing dictum.

"Maybe Cork read into the league match that it was a realistic representation of where Limerick were. I don't know. They needed to add a layer or two to what they did in February but it didn't look like there was a plan. Then again, it's like Mike Tyson said: everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. That seemed to be what happened.

“The clips on the Sunday Game showed a kind of paralysis: the lack of movement on their puck-outs and the poor defensive alignment for the Limerick goals.

“I haven’t seen a team man-handled as much - ever, I’d say. For the first couple of minutes they looked like they might have Limerick in trouble because they were moving and they dragged Declan (Hannon, centre back) out of position a bit, or at least they tried to.”

The champions steadied and once they had tamed the early scoreboard, playing against a gusting wind, Cork’s prospects looked as meagre as they turned out to be.

Limerick got performances everywhere. The backs were excellent and welcomed back Mike Casey after missing two championships. Switching Kyle Hayes to full forward proved an immense success and although not everyone was at the top of their game, that simply leaves plenty of room for improvement.

For Browne, the only concern was Hayes's departure with an injury given the arrival next weekend of the team regarded by consensus as their closest challengers, Waterford.

“He seemed to carry a slight niggle into Sunday and he came off. Six days recovery mightn’t be enough for him. I don’t know the severity of it and thankfully it didn’t look too serious but six days doesn’t leave much time.”

Apart from that the physical condition of the team was striking.

“Animal stuff, really tough training. I know from meeting one or two of them that they were training very hard after the league. Not only did they look fit but they looked sharp. It wasn’t like they had just been flogged and let out. They looked like they had tapered and were ready for action, which is a testament to Cairbre (Ó Cairealláin, strength and conditioning coach) and the lads for getting it right.”

He referenced an incident when centre-fielder Will O’Donoghue chased down Cork flier Darragh Fitzgibbon at the end of the match.

Waterford arrive at the weekend seeking to confirm their credentials as the champions’ closest challengers. Potentially the first of three championship meetings between the counties, this could be cagey according to Paul Browne.

“I think there’ll be a bit of shadow boxing on Saturday. The teams are going in looking to find out as much as they can about the other and see where it takes them.”