Anthony Daly: Absence makes the heart grow fonder as hurling keeps raising the bar
Limerick's Seamus Flanagan and Daithi Burke of Galway. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Strange weekend but it’s just strange times. I can’t remember the last time I missed an All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park but I had to watch this weekend’s fare from the couch. I was supposed to be on TV duty for but being a close contact of a Covid-19 case ruled me out for selection.
I’ve always felt privileged to be working for and the but this weekend also made me appreciate just what it means to people watching at home, and the drama and entertainment the games are providing for everyone.
I was looking at my watch half the day yesterday wondering when 4pm would arrive. I was just lucky that I was able to pass the time easier than Saturday because there was some racing from Fairyhouse on the TV before the match began.
As soon as it did though, everyone in the house was locked onto the action. The girls were looking at their phones half the time – not out of boredom with the game but that’s just what young people do now – but I was jolting them from their screens every few minutes with my own commentary.
‘How is that not a free ref?’
‘What a score.’
‘How many scores from sidelines is that now?’
The phones would instantly be put down and the girls would lock back into the match again.
The phones were thrown to one side when Galway got the deficit down to two, before levelling it up, because everyone was on the edge of our seats then. I could only imagine what it was like in sitting-rooms and kitchens all over Limerick and Galway.
The previous evening, I could picture houses in Kilkenny nearly going up in flames of frustration as the lead evaporated, and houses in Waterford burning like furnaces with pride and elation.
When I was on the sideline as Clare manager in 2005, when our lead was vanishing before our eyes in the face of Cork’s late surge, you could almost feel the dread pouring down from the Clare crowd in the stands and on Hill 16.
Everyone feels that communal trepidation together at the time in the stadium but experiencing that emotion at home when the game gets that tight in an All-Ireland semi-final must be almost traumatic for those watching. It’s not that you can do anything as a spectator when you’re in the ground but the isolation at home just feeds the sense of helplessness.
I’ve no doubt Galway people were screaming at the TV about their short puckout, and how Limerick translated so much of that possession into scoring chances. That stat though, showed how hard Galway were finding it to win the ball when Eanna Murphy did go long on his restarts; when he drove the ball past the 65 in the first half, Galway only won 8-15, whereas Limerick won nine out of their ten long puckouts. Limerick also did a lot of damage off his long puck-outs after the break.
You have to give young Murphy great credit because he made three great saves, particularly the one from David Reidy. A goal at that stage would probably have put Limerick out of sight but those reprieves also gave Galway the oxygen to keep going, and keep searching for a way to win the game.
Limerick still should have buried the game in the third quarter because they were completely on top in that period. Limerick admirably went looking for that killer green flag but they’d never have forgiven themselves either if they’d lost the game, especially when handy points were on offer.
That was always going to be a risk against a team like Galway, especially with their firepower inside. Nickie Quaid didn’t have a save to make but if Conor Whelan, Brian Concannon or Jason Flynn got an opportunity to nail a green flag – and had taken it – Limerick would be in the absolute horrors this morning.
That might sound ultra-critical of a side that hit 27 points – especially when Limerick also had a few incredible wides – but one green flag might still have been enough for Galway if they had managed to find it.
Galway though, were always going to have to raise at least one green flag to win because it’s hard to see any team outpointing Limerick. The last time they were beaten, Kilkenny’s goals in August 2019 were absolutely critical to that outcome.
It was always going to be tight in such an attritional match between two big, strong, physical and experienced teams. I’m also sure John Kiely is delighted this morning with how the match panned out. Limerick could have won it easily by seven or eight points but scraping over the line by three will have given Kiely enough ammunition to fire at his players over the next two weeks, which will also help keep Limerick completely on edge now for the final. I’m sure Liam Cahill would have much preferred too if Limerick had won by a bag of scores.
Limerick are ideally set up now for that rematch but John will still target key technical areas that his side need to address over the next two weeks. Gearoid Hegarty has turned into an absolute beast of a player. Along with Tony Kelly and Stephen Bennett, he’s the frontrunner for Hurler-of-the-Year.
But he could have been sent off yesterday. And I can’t for the life of me understand how he didn’t even pick up a yellow card; Hego conceded five frees.
His slap on Joe Canning would have been a harsh red card but, while James Owens may have interpreted it as an attempt at a hook, it was still a wild belt across Joe’s back. And, technically, that is a straight red.
Hegarty does play on the edge but he really needs to tidy up the part of his game that brings this persistent fouling.
I’ve no doubt too that John, and especially Liam Cahill, will have noted the joy Galway got from how they engaged Declan Hannon. They didn’t leave Hannon loose as that sitting centre-back/quasi-sweeper.
Barry Nash was the loose man and, while Nash played well, Galway were more than happy with that trade-off as Hannon only really broke free for his point, and was never a dominant presence in the match.
I’m sure the greatest satisfaction of all for John yesterday though, was that reaffirmation of how strong his panel now is. Peter Casey was brilliant off the bench. Reidy was threatening without scoring. Adrian Breen scored a point again when he came in.
This performance also underlined how different guys step up when it's demanded on different days. Kyle Hayes excelled, Tom Morrissey was outstanding clipping five points from play. Diarmuid Byrnes, Seamie Flanagan, Peter Casey, and Cian Lynch all contributed two points from play. Aaron Gillane only scored one from play while Graeme Mulcahy failed to score at all. And Limerick still shot the lights out.
Galway will be disappointed but they emptied themselves and they have a lot to be happy about with their performance. Cathal Mannion’s departure was a colossal loss. Joe Canning’s class and leadership was sorely missed down the home straight but Evan Niland came on and really picked up the mantle with two brilliant points. Sean Loftus played well throughout.
Galway will also accept that the best team won, and that Limerick have been the best team in the country all year. I don’t want to sound like I’m singing with my Munster hat on but the final in two weeks' time will be just the second time since 1997 where you’ve had a final without a Galway or Kilkenny team. With a guaranteed Munster winner now too, this will be the province’s third winner in-a-row.
That stat might sound pedantic but that’s a real positive for the province when you consider the domination Kilkenny had on the All-Ireland championship for two decades. It’s also important considering the horrendous record the Munster champions have had in All-Ireland semi-finals in that time.
It may have appeared otherwise last year, especially when Leinster was decided on scoring difference, while Munster had a raft of washout games. But I still felt the top teams in Munster over the last two years have been the best in the country. Limerick have led that charge but it’s an added endorsement for the standard within the province when a team that couldn’t win a game in Munster in 2018 and 2019 is now in the All-Ireland final.
If the round-robin championship does return in 2021, imagine the bear-pit Munster is going to be now? Yet Limerick and Waterford certainly won’t be concerned by that for now.
The next two weeks for them are all about getting ready for another glorious rematch.
