Limerick’s case for the defence
In the first game, last Sunday week in Limerick, Limerick lost corner-back and captain Damien Reale after just 24 minutes, a second yellow-card offence picked up while marking Tipp danger-man Eoin Kelly.
Trailing 1-4 to 0-5 when Willie Ryan pointed the resultant free, it should have signalled the end of Limerick; instead, it inspired their revival. Young Seamus Hickey changed corners, picked up Kelly, held him to just two points thereafter. Big Stephen Lucey — though picking up yellow himself just two minutes after Damien’s departure — was simply magnificent.
Second day out, the trio had a disastrous first-half, all three caught for easy scores as they trailed 1-12 to 0-5 at half-time.
Thereafter, however, they again played their full part, but this time it was the opposite story. In the next 62 minutes of action, they conceded a miserly four points from play, none from frees.
That’s good hurling, good character, good form, all much appreciated by Limerick keeper Brian Murray.
“All year the boys have been playing well but in the second half the last day, they all stood up. You have to mention Brian Geary at centre-back, super the last day, deserved man-of-the-match, with Mark O’Riordan and Mark Foley on each side of him.”
Indeed you do; in that first game it was that half-back line trio in trouble, the veteran Foley caught for 1-1 by John Carroll in the first-half. Last Saturday, however, it was tables turned, and Mark Foley outscored Carroll.
“Mark is a total championship hurler,” says his keeper. “John Carroll is a fine player, was on top of his game for both games, but Mark just steps up. Going into the second half of extra-time, he was the very same as if he was just starting out the first day. He’s flying fit, steps up his game in the championship, got a brilliant point in extra time.”
For many people, however, the real story of this Limerick defence is the youngster in the corner, Seamus Hickey. Into extra-time the last day, he had run himself — almost literally — into the ground, was in serious and obvious difficulty. Cramping up, yet still trying to keep up with a Tipp full-forward line that now contained Kelly, Corbett, and the flying Willie Ryan.
On the sideline, the Limerick physio and team doctor could be seen talking anxiously to manager Richie Bennis — from the body language, it was clear that they wanted young Hickey taken off; from the body language of Richie, it was equally clear they were not going to get their way. How right Richie turned out to be. Dying minutes, game still finely balanced, Willie Ryan broke through, ball on hurley, goal on. And from nowhere, young Hickey, ball cleanly flicked off Willie’s stick, situation averted.
“I couldn’t believe he got back,” says Brian. “His whole body had cramped up, he could barely walk. Then here’s Willie Ryan, bearing down on top of me. I couldn’t believe it, a fully-fit man would have hardly have got back, but he did. Seamus himself didn’t want to come off; wouldn’t matter if his leg was falling off, he’d want to stay on, — he’s an exceptional hurler.”
Didn’t do him any harm either, staying on for those extra minutes. “He was very stiff, but we went for a bit of a swim on Sunday morning — he’ll be mad for road again this Sunday.”
Mind you, Brian isn’t doing too badly himself. Three goals he’s been beaten for in the course of the two drawn games, and there wasn’t a thing he could have done about any of them. Beaten on one other occasion also, the miss by Kelly in the first half of the replay, but again, nothing he could have done about that either.
“When Eoin Kelly gets a ball in the clear on the 13m line, there’s usually nowhere else it’s going to go only in the net. Hit the crossbar — the bit of luck, you need that!”
There was nothing lucky about his save from Lar Corbett about ten minutes later, however, at a time when the game was threatening to run away from Limerick, nothing lucky about his save from Seamus Butler in the second half, at a time when a goal for Tipp would have killed off Limerick.
“That’s what I’m there for,” he shrugs, “I hope to keep doing that for as long as I can.” Perhaps those saves were in the mind of Tipp midfielder James Woodlock when he broke through one-on-one in the 63rd minute of the replay, goal on, but opted for the point. Safe option, right option, reckons Brian. “That put them seven clear, and he wasn’t to know that we were going to come back. I thought he would keep coming, go for the goal, but it was the right option.”
Gaelic Grounds this Sunday again, can Limerick finally do it? “We have the players, we have the self-belief, but it would be nice to get a good start; if we do, if we put in the same effort, I’m really confident we can finish it off. It’s a new game, Tipperary are coming into it the very same as ourselves, no-one has any advantage. It’s set up to be a great game again, but hopefully at the end of it we’ll win it.”
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