Rebels lacked steel to breach Limerick’s defensive wall
They brought all the values of that great sporting county to play in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday and reaped due reward. And boy did they celebrate, boy did they sing!
Limerick, You’re A Lady rang out across the hills of Cratloe, but let me tell ye, there were no ladies on that field yesterday. No gentlemen either, not while there was a ball in play or while there was a Munster SHC to play for.
Speaking of the Cratloe Hills, if I had my way that’s as near referee James McGrath should have been allowed to the Gaelic Grounds yesterday. Even the Limerick supporters, and I spoke to a lot of them afterwards, agreed with me. He ruined this game.
It wasn’t just the sending-off of Patrick Horgan, which again the Limerick supporters I was talking to agreed was the wrong decision, it was the referee’s overall display. He wasn’t up with play. He was allowing advantage when there was none. Every score on this day was going to be hard-earned and with a free-taker as good as Horgan in your ranks, a team will take the free every time unless there’s a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
I wonder, did McGrath understand what Munster championship is all about — the fire, the passion?
This was a sporting game from start to finish and that strike by Horgan wasn’t malicious. There was no damage done to Paudie O’Brien (the damage he did suffer was from the ball striking him in the face) so why did he have to give a red card? A yellow would have been sufficient.
Overall, it took from the game and the occasion. Surely the Munster Council could have found a more suitable referee?
To the game, and before we go into the detail let me say I didn’t think Cork were going to win this anyway, not after half-time. Horgan was playing well but I think Cork had already missed their chance. Ten wides in the first half, a couple of goal opportunities missed. That was their game right there.
Limerick turned with the strong wind in the second half and had a much stronger bench, which was crucial in that heat yesterday. Limerick won this game from the back again, and again it was that man Richie McCarthy to the fore.
I think Cork are going to have to look closely at the inside line that started. Horgan apart, are they prepared to go through the pain required to win championship games? Because at this level you will meet pain.
In the half-back line Gavin O’Mahony was a great steadying influence all through and read the game well. Paul Browne was immense in midfield, ran himself into the ground, Declan Hannon had a fine game at full-forward, as did Graeme Mulcahy. My man of the match though was James Ryan, the man they call Jim-Bob in Garyspillane. Every time he puts on a shirt with club or county he never gives less than 100%. Same again yesterday but this time it was a different Jim-Bob.
Five of the Limerick starting forwards scored, so did three of their subs. That’s eight scoring forwards. What does that tell you about a team? It tells you they possess a lot of threat and play for each other, a team you could go into battle with and feel comfortable. That’s how they played yesterday and are worthy Munster champions.
What of Cork? What of their chances against Kilkenny? They have outstanding individuals: Shane O’Neill and Pa Cronin for the full 70 minutes yesterday and Horgan for the first half until his sending off. They need more than that, though. They have a long road to go to catch up to a lot of other teams in Munster now.
They should have been five or six points ahead at half time yesterday, but missed all those chances. Much of their hurling was aimless also and there is a lot of tidying-up to be done there.
They can take heart from the fact that, even a man down, they still came back to within two points of Limerick with 10 minutes to go. Then the man down began to tell, but that’s the point, a team needs to step forward. Not enough of this Cork team did so. They’re going to need changes for the Kilkenny game, in the attack especially. Working harder would be a good start.
The day though belongs to Limerick, to the players especially and a new generation of heroes. Credit especially to the management team of John Allen, Eamonn Meskell and John Kiely. They’re keeping this team very grounded, but then those are three very grounded individuals.
Good times for Limerick — better times ahead? Depends on how much they celebrate this.
