Anthony Daly: Goals could be the venom in Cork’s bite, but you can’t trust them like Limerick
The evening after Dublin drew with Kilkenny in the 2013 Leinster semi-final, the Dublin management had a conference call with Gary Keegan. Kilkenny had drawn the match with a last second TJ Reid point and I was still lost in the disappointment of that moment, fearing that we’d let a glorious opportunity pass us by.
My language was all wrong from the moment I went on the call. I was still mired in self-pity and recrimination, beaten down by a negative attitude. In my own head, I had nearly convinced myself that Kilkenny never lose replays. Then Gary let me have it between the two eyes.
“Anthony,” he said “you might as well stay at home on Saturday if you keep talking like that.”
“Well I won’t be saying that stuff in front of the players,” I replied.
“Stop talking like that full stop,” replied Gary. “Forget about what happened. And forget about Kilkenny.”
The first advice Gary gave to me was to pull all my backroom staff in around me before training the following evening and lay out that absolute message of positivity. Zero negativity. No looking back. No self-pity. From anyone.
Then I opened the floor to the players. “Well, lads, what’s going through yere minds? What are ye thinking for Saturday?” There was silence for a handful of seconds before Conal Keaney spoke up with only the kind of honesty you’d expect from the man. “Look Dalo, we’re probably all wondering what will happen if they come out firing and get an early goal,” said Keaney.
Before I even had a chance to reply Rory ‘Budgie’ Trainor piped up. “We’ll win the puckout. We’ll get the next score. We’ve seen enough of these fellas now to know we can beat them.”
Looking back now, it was there and then that we beat Kilkenny in that replay.
Because they had won six of the previous seven All-Irelands, it would have been easy for everyone to think that Kilkenny couldn’t be beaten. But we didn’t view it that way for that replay. If anything, we stripped back their aura and mystique and looked at them in basic black and white, not in black and amber.
I really believe that’s how Cork have to go about their job on Saturday evening, which I’m sure has been their approach over the last few weeks. Of course, you have to respect the opposition but if you go building them up to be this lean, mean green machine — which many people are — you can forget about beating them.
Deep down, I’m also sure that Cork are fed up of all this talk about Limerick’s aura. Limerick may have won two of the last three All-Irelands, but they have still only beaten Cork once in their last three championship meetings.
Cork will believe that they can trouble Limerick with their searing pace. After the league game last month, Cork will feel they can get goals, which they will need. But, while this may sound like oversimplifying matters, Cork have to fight and battle like their lives depended on it if they are to have any chance of winning this match.
Limerick incrementally improved throughout the league, which is exactly what they wanted out of the campaign. There is ferocious maturity in the group. They would have huge respect for Cork but I also believe that the lessons of 2019 — when Limerick were caught by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final — are still very fresh in John Kiely’s mind.
Limerick always seem to have a cause now, just as Kilkenny used to when they were in their pomp. On the other hand, Limerick are not Kilkenny. For a start, they don’t destroy teams like Kilkenny routinely did, especially early on. They like to grind teams down and then kick for home.
Limerick won’t differ from their normal approach. They’ll pack the middle eight and look to make it a war zone. Cork know those trenches can’t be avoided, and that they will have to fight on their backs to survive in those trenches.
But the only way to avoid getting repeatedly sucked into those ambushes is to move the ball like bullets around the pitch to constantly moving targets.
Cork have to try and open up as much space as they can in the Limerick defence, hit grass and run all evening long. They will have to drag those sitting Limerick defenders out to the flanks and out of their comfort zone. Cork have to be doing a ridiculous and insatiable amount off-the-ball running, just obsessive selflessness, if they are to rip this defence apart the way they will need to. Cork’s attack was devastating at stages of the league, but they will have to go to a new level again here.
Cork just have to stay in the match for as long as they can, and then trust that they will have enough shooters to inflict serious damage late on. There will definitely come a stage early in the fourth quarter when Limerick look to turn the screw. But that moment can’t be when Limerick are five points ahead and three quickfire points suddenly shoves the margin out to eight, and the game is as good as over.
Cork have to hunt for everything that is going. If an even half-opportunity arises for someone like Jack O’Connor, he needs to drop his shoulder, press the foot on the gas and just go for goal. Even if he doesn’t get it, can he win a penalty and maybe get one of the Limerick lads stuck in the sin-bin for 10 minutes? Because it will take absolutely everything for Cork to win.
A Cork win would blow the whole championship wide open, but I fancy Limerick by four or five points.
HEN John Conlon was interviewed after last Sunday’s game against Waterford, the impression you got was that Clare were looking at things more tactically than they did last year. I watched the match back twice on Wednesday and, while I’d definitely agree with John, it was the Clare fight and massive workrate which dictated the tone of that game. Its importance certainly superseded any puckout strategy or any other tactical adjustments Clare made on the day.
Clare will carry that confidence and momentum into Sunday, but you also know that Tipp will arrive with their chests out, and that Tipp zest fizzing. You won’t hear ‘Slievnamon’ blasting out from the terraces but Tipp will play as if it is, strutting that swagger as they go. And Clare will have to knock that back early in the first quarter.
That’s a difficult task just seven days after a hard championship match in warm conditions. Waterford were incredibly flat but you can be guaranteed that Tipp won’t be. On the otherhand, you couldn’t exactly be sure that Tipp will get up to that pace as quickly as they need to, especially when so many of these players are so long on the road.
This is the last throw of the dice for Liam Sheedy. Liam said during the week that if Tipp don’t perform that it won’t be down to age, but that theory will be tested if Clare asks serious questions of some of those legs.
It’s not even all about pace and being able to get around the field quicker than Tipp. Aron Shanagher could have ended with 2-3 last Sunday but can he get at Paudie Maher now, who would probably prefer to be somewhere else other than number 3.
Tipp would never admit but, deep down, they’re probably much happier to be meeting Clare than Waterford, who ran the legs off them in their final league game in Walsh Park. That’s not to say that Clare don’t have legs but Tipp won’t feel as discomfited by it.
This is a huge opportunity for both teams because it’s more than just a ticket to a Munster final — it’s also a step closer to an All-Ireland semi-final, even if that route may have to be through an All-Ireland quarter-final. In any case, it’s certainly more appealing than the minefield of the qualifiers. I think if Clare are within touching distance at half-time, that they’ll kick on and win.
I know that the championship started last week, and that Clare-Waterford was a marquee game, but this weekend is carnival stuff. I can’t ever remember a day when you had two big Leinster semi-finals and a massive Munster semi-final. And then the other Munster semi-final a day later.
When we were locked down in misery over the winter, it was the prospect of weekends like this that kept so many people going.
