Maurice Brosnan: Cork's puckout mastery but everyone at the mercy of the whistle
Lee Chin of Wexford signs autographs after the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 2 match against Antrim. Picture: by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
There are certain comedians who despise attempts to break down the mechanics of a joke. “Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” Sometimes it feels like the same is true for hurling analysis.
The logic goes that the sport is an art, not a science. We remember how it makes us feel rather than the metrics.
At the same time, the game has changed utterly and a large portion of that is because of a heightened understanding of numbers. John Kiely is hailed as an outstanding manager, Paul Kinnerk is the genius coach and Caroline Currid ties it all together. Another crucial figure who deserves similar credit in Limerick’s rise is analyst Sean O’Donnell. He has worked across both codes in the county and with various grades.
In the academy they use performance indicators from the age of 14 on. Thanks to that Limerick are forging consistent principles of play throughout the county. Every single player is familiar with the terminology used and key targets.
In truth, it is this sort of analysis that will help hurling. In 2023 the complaints have been constant: The ball is too light. Too many points, not enough goals. Too much throwing instead of handpassing. Too many frees. Too many rucks. Too many short puckouts. Too much streaming, not enough TV.
It is only with proper data that we can determine how legitimate these gripes are and how to change them. This analysis is already taking place across the board and on everything: the rims, the trends, the load. As Limerick have demonstrated, in the right hands it is an awesome weapon. The key with any tool is how you use it.
Here are eight observations from the opening two rounds of the hurling championship.
"Our puckout win ratio for the last number of years hasn’t been good,” Davy Fitzgerald told WLR last February. “Well under 40%. We have to try and get more in that area.” Waterford have actually been closer to 50% than 40% over the past four years but it was clearly an area their new manager identified as needing attention and explains why he was keen to entice Stephen O'Keeffe back into the fold.
It is also the most alarming stat from their disappointing showing against Cork on Sunday. The raw numbers are stark. Cork won 25 ofa their own 28 puckouts and scored 0-13 in total. They conceded 0-2. Waterford won 19 of 39 puckouts and scored 0-7. They also conceded 0-7.
In a weighty list of moments that define this Limerick team’s tremendous reign, Kyle Hayes ground-shaking goal against Tipperary in the 2021 Munster final ranks near the very top. It was a wonder move and the perfect illustration of why he was so valuable coming from deep as a wing-back.
Limerick won the U-21 All-Ireland with Hayes at centre back. He has played as a defender for Kildimo-Pallaskenry as well. On the flank, he is a towering presence best avoided by opposition goalkeepers.
Furthermore, as teams fixated on withdrawing, he was given ample space and made the most of it. Until recently.
“We spoke about Kyle before,” said former Limerick boss TJ Ryan on the Irish Examiner hurling podcast this week. “I am just wondering right now would you like to see him going back up and spearheading that attack again. He might bring something different.”
In the Gaelic Grounds Clare did not play a retreating half-forward and instead the superb Davy Fitzgerald pushed up. Hayes was turned over three times. Fitzgerald clipped 0-2, Hayes was scoreless. The three-time All Star also had no shots from play and only two assists.
In the 2022 All-Ireland final, he played at centre-forward and finished with 0-4 with 100% accuracy as well as four assists. A move back closer to goal could be on the cards.
A frequent issue for Wexford in 2022 was their inaccuracy from placed balls, particularly when Lee Chin was unavailable. Their captain missed the Leinster championship opener against Galway but even still Rory O’Connor scored five frees, finishing with the same level of accuracy as the home side did. No mean feat in Salthill.
Last weekend, Lee Chin returned against Antrim and scored four frees and one 65 without any wides. However, goalkeeper James Lawlor missed with an attempt from his own 45 into the wind and rain. Chin dropped one short from slightly closer minutes later, but it was caught by Conor McDonald who worked an O’Connor point and they did hit 14 wides from play.
In 2022, RTÉ and Sky Sports announced their GAA coverage. In hurling pre-provincial finals, Sky Sports had five games, one from the Munster championship. RTÉ had nine games, one from the Leinster championship.
For 2023 the divide is between RTÉ and GAAGO. When announced last month, RTÉ had six confirmed games, one from the Leinster championship. GAAGO had eight, three from the Leinster championship.
Two games on Sunday May 28 were down as RTÉ or GAAGO: Limerick vs Cork and Tipperary vs Waterford. There is no doubt it will take a period of adjustment. Still, more hurling on the screen is a good thing.
At the very start of the league, Antrim kicked off by pushing Kilkenny all the way in a match they eventually lost by six. They went on to beat Laois and retain their spot in Division 1B before drawing with Dublin. Last week Wexford had to come through another stern challenge.
Darren Gleeson has used 28 players across those two competitions. The key now is sustaining that level. They welcome Kilkenny to Corrigan Park this week before finishing out with away trips to Galway and Westmeath.
Kerry’s bid to make it to a fourth Joe McDonagh Cup final in a row is on track after they secured two wins and a draw so far. Leading the way is Shane Conway with 0-24, 0-8 from play and the rest from frees bar one sideline.
His scoring since the inaugural year of the competition has been remarkable. That year he finished third in the scoring charts with 7.2 points per game. In 2019, it was 11 per game. 2020 was 10.2. 2021 was 8.3. 2022 was 5.5 as Padraig Boyle took over the set-piece that season. So far for 2023 it is 8 points per game.
In the aftermath of Shane O’Donnell’s second-half point, Nickie Quaid went long with his puckout to his right wing. Clare won it but the pass went straight to Barry Nash. He fed it back up that wing to Tom Morrissey who fired wide.
Suddenly, Clare pucked it out and Tony Kelly found himself in an ocean of space on the opposite wing. Limerick had been pulled over to the other side and had no time to organise into their zonal shape.
“Colm Lyons was quick to let the game restart which upped the speed of the game and did not allow both teams to reset at times,” tweeted former Tipperary analyst Sean Flynn.
With the Munster championship looking particularly ruthless, there has been renewed focus on the benefit of a rest. Since the round robin was introduced in 2018, there have been 13 games that involved a team with a one-week turnaround versus a team with more than a week between games.
In six, the team with a longer rest won. Five went to the side with a one-week turnaround, while there were two draws (Limerick vs Cork 2018 and Clare vs Limerick 2022.) By no means is a break decisive.
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