Will brave Limerick effort take its toll?
From a football perspective it has been a very good Munster Championship – definitely the best of the four provincial championships this year. It shows that progress has been made most notably in Tipp and Limerick but the big two still dominate. Limerick, in particular, must be asking themselves what must they do to win their first title since 1896.
Cork will be delighted to have emerged victorious but their form will be of concern to their fans. Still, as I said here a few weeks ago its very hard for a team to peak several times and there is a long three months between June and September.
For Limerick, even though they can do well in the qualifiers, the huge effort to land the county’s second ever Munster title will take its toll.
If the experimental rules had been passed at Congress, one wonders how many players would have been sent off in Saturday night’s game between Armagh and Monaghan. This was a foul ridden game and no doubt, many will feel that the sooner a more stringent set of rules – such as the yellow card and you’re off – comes in the better.
Monaghan now play Derry again and this may not prove to be a pretty sight either. Football is a great game when it’s played well but when the tackling is poor and crude, the rules need to punish the offenders more harshly. I expect the statisticians in Croke Park are keeping a close eye on all the fouls and consequent low scoring average this year. Armed with that knowledge we might see another effort to re-introduce the yellow card system at next year’s Congress – possibly for football only.
The draw for the next round of the Qualifiers showed once again that while some may be lucky, others are less so. Monaghan have drawn Kerry twice in recent years and might have expected an easier pairing than Derry on Saturday. Longford will be pleased to have the Kingdom at home.
It’s a great idea to play all these games at the home venue of one of the teams. I always believe that more and more games should be played on a home/away basis. At least only one team has to travel and the home game means that the local economy of one of the team benefits most. Also it guarantees a larger crowd, and a better atmosphere. It’s the way to go.
