Beware the big wounded animal
Even before the ball is thrown in people will already have been rubbing their hands together, happy in the knowledge they’ll have seen one good game and looking forward to another.
This is common sense prevailing by the GAA hierarchy to put both games on at the same venue on the same day at a central provincial venue rather than bringing everyone to Croke Park. This is something they should consider also for the semi-finals — play the two of them on the same day, in Croke Park and you’d fill the place.
Anyway, to Kilkenny and Limerick. Above all the teams still left in this championship, the team everyone is going to be looking at is Kilkenny. I don’t know if Kilkenny ever lost two championship games in-a-row, certainly it hasn’t happened in recent years.
Is it going to happen tomorrow? The question I ask, how much are they hurting? A lot, I’d say.
The manner of that defeat in the Leinster final by Galway — they were blown away in the first half, blown away completely. But then they came out in the second half a different team and won that half, won it with a display that would have been good enough to win most games.
I know there’s a real hurt in Kilkenny, but they have one big thing in their favour — they’ve had three weeks to recover.
No-one will know better the mistakes they made. No-one will know better how to correct those mistakes. I’m sure they’ll have been working on that in Nowlan Park for the last three weeks.
JJ Delaney is reported to be fit again, as is John Tennyson, so I expect to see those two in the spine of the defence although Brian Hogan out through injury is a big loss.
I’d like to see a new midfield pairing in Michael Fennelly, also back from injury, and Michael Rice now fully fit.
One big change we should see up front from the Galway game, however, is all six forwards performing, because they didn’t in the Leinster final.
To Limerick, and to John Allen’s credit I’d say this — if this game were taking place a year ago we’d be giving Limerick no chance. Now we do, albeit a very slim one.
Limerick have a new team and have won three games to get here. I would argue though that those three games weren’t of the highest standard, the blowouts against Laois and Antrim especially.
Limerick’s best performance in the championship this year came in the game they lost, against Tipperary. For 55 minutes that day they played as you’d expect Limerick to play, with that old-style toughness and directness, tearing into Tipperary from the start.
That’s how they’ll have to play again tomorrow against Kilkenny, but even tougher, even harder, and for a full 70 minutes.
They battened down the hatches against Tipperary for those 55 minutes, their backs playing like demons, doing the basics exceptionally well in keeping their men from scoring, their forwards harassing every Tipperary defender in possession. They’re going to have to do the same again tomorrow but with even more ferocity.
They’re also going to have to attack. They’re going to have to get that ball up to their forwards, to the inside line especially, as fast as possible. Be direct, be forceful, play the hurling Limerick are best at playing.
A warning though. Don’t lose concentration. Don’t lose focus, not even for a split second, or ye will be punished.
Limerick have a lot of young players but they’re not raw, they have experience. They shouldn’t be overawed by the occasion. Remember, they were in the quarter-final last year as well and a lot of these players were there, so what’s the big deal now? That they’re playing Kilkenny? They should play as they played against Tipperary in the Munster championship, as they played against Dublin last year; it’s the same pitch, the same occasion, just different opposition.
Have a go. That’s what they should do. That’s what their supporters want. Don’t stand back, tear into Kilkenny.
A winner? This is a wounded animal Limerick are meeting. A big wounded animal and that kind of an animal can savage you to death very fast.
Despite all the optimism surrounding Limerick hurling right now, Kilkenny will win.
