Liam Sheedy: What each county needs to prioritise
KEY POSITION: Tipperary's Darragh Stakelum in action against Cork's Eoin Downey. Downey has great potential but expecting an under-20 to solve a long-standing problem at full back is naïve, says Liam Sheedy. Pic: INPHO/Ken Sutton
Clare have always been a difficult proposition on their home patch. The crowd are in on top of you and create an intimidating atmosphere. You find it difficult to hit top gear. Last year they went toe to toe with the champions here. No doubt, April 23 has been circled by Brian Lohan a long way out and a win over Tipp will make it hard to knock Clare out of the top three. Liam Cahill would love to get in front and silence the crowd but Ennis will be no place for the faint-hearted.
We saw clearly his impact on this group when they were a shadow of themselves without him in the semi versus Kilkenny last year. A powerhouse and leader who reads the game so well. Against Waterford in 2021, he had 30 possessions and rightfully got man of the match. Next day out, we double-occupied him by playing Jason Forde in front and Bubbles behind him which kept his possessions to single figures and it had a big bearing on the result. If this guy is let dictate the game from six, Clare will be hard to beat.
I am not sure we have seen their championship 15 yet. Shane O'Donnell will bring a serious goal threat placed closer to the goals. Peter Duggan is back and I think they have an up-and-coming star in Mark Rodgers who is going to take off. We should not let league form cloud our judgement and I am certain Brian Lohan has a team and a plan to unleash in their own house.
The league performances against Limerick and Galway persuaded us they were making great strides. But the dismal effort down in Nowlan Park where Kilkenny steamrolled them and they put up little or no resistance left more questions than answers. They have talent no question but unless they back it up with raw intensity and savage workrate that long sequence without the big prize is going to continue.
The one position that has proven troublesome. There have been exceptional performances there but consistency has been elusive. Eoin Downey has great potential but expecting an under-20 to solve a long-standing problem is naïve. They need a stopper to really step up to the plate.
No doubt Pat Ryan has faith in his younger guys who delivered outstanding success at underage. But there is a bedding down period to make the step up and he will need to get the mix right to deliver in the cauldron of the Munster Championship. They have pace all over the pitch but he must blend that with brains to get over the line in big games.
There is now heavy expectation to carry and they have carried it really well. The other four teams know that some of Limerick’s finest are volatile at times so you can expect there will be 'poking', as described on the Sunday Game a few weeks back. This bunch will have to discipline themselves and not react. I am sure John Kiely will be all over this and time will tell if they can let the red mist pass.
They got massive returns from their bench in last year's championship. Guys coming in week after week to make the difference. If there was a All-Star subs team Limerick would have a fair few on it. They look like a group that has created a family feel and everyone supports the starters. This may well be their strongest panel to date with the new blood and the returns of Cian Lynch and Peter Casey. The challenge is keeping everyone tuned in.
Whenever they have come under pressure, the sideline brains' trust has invariably tweaked the gameplan to regain control. They are masters at servicing while in transit. Most counties will now have two plans for Limerick and may be ready to change things up even if Plan A is going well. Can they stay ahead of the curve?
An impressive league. They are flying fit and have been turning over teams high up the pitch which is paying rich dividends. When you have skill levels like these guys and match it with massive workrate, you have a team making strides. Maintaining that commitment in the Munster Championship will create a massive platform for getting results.
From the Munster League against Clare in Nenagh it was evident they are coached to go for broke and the back of the net. Their running off the shoulder and willingness to take on the man has reaped 14 goals in five league matches. They have finishers and if Tipp score three on Sunday it's hard to see them not winning.
First half at the Gaelic Grounds, Tipp dismantled Limerick on their own restarts. Barry Hogan and Rhys Shelly have excelled with ball in hand and are getting superb movement out the field. The challenge is to get the Tipp stickmen's hands on the ball. Can they produce a similar retention performance over 70 minutes in the championship heat?
In five league games Waterford conceded more goals than Dublin, Laois, Antrim, Kilkenny and Tipperary. Their opponents hit the net nine times and the route to goal was often far too easy. They have got to get back to a proper structure that defends the D and cuts out sloppy mistakes. I was really impressed with their defensive setup for 13 mins at the start of the second half v Tipp. Tadgh was back protecting and well-positioned to cut out any danger. The template was there.
The biggest task for Waterford is to get the best players at their optimum fitness levels. Their game is based on hard running and breaking lines at pace and to execute that you must be in the peak of your powers physically. That wasn't evident in the league but maybe they are trying to prime for the weeks ahead.
Everyone is unsure of Davy's team. As an opposing manager, I'd love to see Dessie Hutchinson outside the 45, rather than around the danger zone. The talent is there, but only time will tell if the scars of Championship 2022 are healed and if this group can find the performance levels that had them contesting Munster and All-Ireland finals.
They have done extremely well under Darren Gleeson to retain their Division 1 status, on top of securing Liam MacCarthy presence. It's vital now they truly believe they can compete at this level and free themselves up to take on these teams and leave it all out there. They should be finished with moral victories.
Dunloy will probably provide around one-third of the team. These guys went toe to toe for long periods with the might of Ballyhale. No doubt they were physically and emotionally drained but should now be fresh for the battle ahead. They will need to be firing on all cylinders.
They have just two home games, which is unfair. With six in Leinster, the balance should be two home, two away, one neutral. They will need the supporters right behind the team in the two they have. I know well the passion is there. Dublin impressed for long stretches of their league match with Tipp and have had the better of this duel in recent times. But if Antrim can take this into the last ten, the 16th man could do the rest.
I'm a big fan. Wins his own ball, radar as good as anyone, and great at popping up off the shoulder. I can't get over how little respect he is shown by opponents, often allowed the freedom of the pitch. Any injury to him will wreck Dublin's prospects.
Have struggled to do so in recent years. The league match in Nowlan Park was another stroll for the Cats, same as championship last year. It's deflating for a group and supporters. Taking one of Leinster's big two down could catapult them to a new level.
No fortress Parnell, but I see where Micheál Donoghue is coming from. If you are going to win the All-Ireland you'll do it in the Field of Dreams. So why not start out there? Their brand of hurling, based on hard running and ball delivery wide to the inside line, should suit the expanses. If the move comes off it will be a masterstroke but in this game you live by the sword or die by it.
Underwhelming so far this year, but Henry is an astute man who only has his eyes on Leinster initially. I keep going back to that game v Limerick in February 2022 which showed there is something good here. Though I haven’t seen anything like that this year and we need to see it shortly. A Galway team without intensity will have nothing in the trophy cabinet in 2023.
How effective would Conor Whelan and Brian Concannon be if there were in the Limerick inside line? Two exceptional forwards with an eye for goal. Compared to Gillane and Flanagan, they survive on scraps. Sometimes, Galway's duo drift outside the 40 but I would have them closer to goal and challenging the lads outside to give them a 60/40 ball. Galway are then a different proposition.
Their performance in last year's Leinster final was below their best and they just got across the line against Cork in the quarter-final. But their effort in the semi was top class and they were unlucky not to dethrone the champions. The depth of young talent coming through makes the panel stronger and should help Henry deliver that consistency.
Derek Lyng learned loads in the league. Padraig Walsh didn’t look happy and didn’t attack the ball on the inside line. But he was exceptional at six against Antrim Huw Lawlor's presence would be welcome on both lines but I feel ultimately he will have to mind the house. Paddy Deegan has hovered between the middle and half forward to good effect so I expect he will be retained there. David Blanchfield looks to have done enough to retain the half-back position.
The problem with a big defeat is it puts doubts in players' heads. And the manager's. It could have been a real drubbing if Limerick had finished half their chances. Kilkenny have earned a reputation over the last 20 years of 'no surrender' and that has to become the hallmark of this team too. I do expect to see a rebound.
it is very hard to envisage Kilkenny not progressing as one of the three. Derek will need to time his run and manage players' time on the pitch to ensure they are fresh and ready for the Munster teams that will be coming at them. We know what steely determination there is in the group so you certainly wouldn’t be writing them off just yet.
Killian has been a superb contributor in the scoring ranks for many years but he needs more backing on the scoreboard from the other forwards if they are to threaten any of the big guns. Joe Fortune's setup is good and he will have been delighted with the 3-24 against Laois to retain their Division 1 status. They had 10 different scorers, the type of spread required if you are to be competitive at the highest level.
Facing top-class opponents who are all trying to max out their scoring difference, this won't be easy. They shipped 13 goals in the five group games and must find a defensive structure that stops the leakage. Not 15 behind the ball but players filtering back and covering runs from deep.
They very nearly pulled off the shock of the Leinster Championship last year with the draw against Wexford in Mullingar. You can only imagine what evenings like that do for the game of hurling up there. It’s a venue I always loved going to as the people that follow our game up there are fanatical. They are there on merit and sport was made for the underdog so who knows what might lie in store in the coming weeks?
A very different run-in to championship this year. Last year, they were flying high with five from five in the league group. This year they are struggling. Depth right now doesn't look great, so Darragh Egan needs his big players on the pitch. Matthew O'Hanlon, Liam Ryan, Lee Chin, Rory McCarthy, Diarmuid O'Keeffe are as good as what’s around on their day. Wexford mightn't have the strongest 30 but 20 could be enough.
They were comprehensively beaten by Tipp in a recent charity game so really need to come with all guns blazing. I would put the performance first and if they get something from the game that’s a bonus. They have got to bring the real Wexford up on the bus and if they do that group of players will always have a chance. A no-show will make it hard to turn the ship around.
I was on duty for the Cork game and Wexford were very impressive at times. Diarmuid O'Keeffe plays that deep role very well and he was getting on the world of ball. He has a great engine and reads the game exceptionally well. We haven't seen much of Rory O'Connor yet this year but he was virtually unmarkable in the league last year. If this guy gets the right supply of ball he will do damage so getting ball in front of him has to be a priority. I remember well my relief when he was taken off in the 2019 semi-final.
