Davy Fitzgerald had Clare so pumped up
For all the newness, they still played the same old tape of the national anthem. I said to myself, ‘Jeez, with 10,000 here, would ye not get someone to sing the national anthem.’ It’s the same auld tape poor old Pa Casey, the Lord have mercy on him, used to turn on 20 years ago. It’s a kind of fast version of the old tune. You could nearly dance to it.
One thing for certain after yesterday is that the big days will be back in Ennis next year. Clare were by far the better team. They were professional and got the job done. After all the recent momentum generated by Na Piarsaigh, Mary Immaculate College in the Fitzgibbon Cup and Ardscoil Rís’ run to the All-Ireland Colleges final, yesterday was a shuddering halt to that Limerick surge.
In one way, it suited Clare because they were able to come in under the radar. Even looking at the two teams on the pitch beforehand, the intensity seemed far higher in the Clare warm-up. One voice was standing out too above everyone else. Davy Fitzgerald was clearly pumped. So were his players.
For Limerick, it’s another miserable end to a Division 1B campaign. Comparing the younger players in both squads, Clare are at a more advanced stage in their development. Another season in the second tier won’t do some of those young guys any harm but that’s no use to the likes of Nickie Quaid, Tom Condon, Richie McCarthy, Seamus Hickey, and Gavin O’Mahoney. They’re sick to their teeth of it.
Even from a revenue perspective, it’s another blow for the Limerick board. With the floodlights in the Gaelic Grounds, there would be massive potential for big ‘Saturday night lights’ matches against the top teams but the fans, and the business community, are denied that again for the seventh year in a row.
The game itself was disappointing. Both teams made mistakes but Clare had far more standout performers. David McInerney was the best player on the field. Colm Galvin was massive. Conor Ryan thundered into it in the second half.
Clare were stronger in the air and especially in the tackle. You could see Paul Kinnerk’s fingerprints all over them in that regard. They certainly knew when it was time to surround the Limerick players and hunt them down.
The Limerick fellas around me felt their team should have had a few more frees but I don’t think Barry Nash could complain too much about his two yellow cards. Although, if you looked at the game more forensically, young Nash could be wondering how he walked when you saw the amount of times Tom Condon got chatted to following his yellow.
Early on, Fergal Horgan seemed a little concerned that matters might get out of hand and I thought he was a tad too quick to flash the cards. That may have made the teams even more cagier but Clare were still always tactically dictating the terms.
John Conlon was drifting in from the wing to full-forward very effectively and Limerick couldn’t handle him. Clare got a little bit one-dimensional with that tactic at times in the first half but when they began spraying the ball around, and getting the runners in possession on the front foot, Limerick struggled.
lare should have won by more than four points, which is a slight concern. If Kilkenny were in the position Clare were with 15 minutes to go yesterday, they’d have done more damage to Limerick. If Declan Hannon’s late goal chance went in, it would have made for an interesting last five minutes.
Clare’s win sets up a mouth-watering quarter-final now with Tipperary. Limerick should have no problems getting themselves back up for a clash with Dublin, a team they owe big-time after two big defeats last year.
Cork also owe Galway after two hidings in the last eight months but that relegation final sums up much of what is wrong with the current structure. Galway got three results. Cork got none. Galway played in four really competitive games. Cork played in one. And yet if the toss goes against Galway, they will have it all to do to survive below in Pairc Ui Rinn, which is a ridiculous system. The one team who will probably feel most hard done by though, is Kerry. To beat Offaly and register two wins in Division 1B is a huge achievement but they still face a relegation final.
The only saving grace is if they lose that match, they will have another chance to stay up, with the losers playing the Division 2A winners in a play-off.
