Worthy final pairing in a season to remember

LESS than a week to the All-Ireland hurling final — hard to believe.

Maybe it’s just that I’m getting to that age, but from the time of the first big championship game back in May, this season has really flown by.

Cork v Clare, May 27 in Thurles — remember that one? Semplegate it’s being called, in that tired and lazy way in which anything controversial now simply gets the ‘gate’ tag; the tunnel incident in Thurles, however, never came anywhere near the original Watergate in terms of repercussions, seismic though the multiple suspensions undoubtedly were in GAA terms, sizeable as were their effects, on Cork particularly.

Without their four suspended players Clare survived their next game, a better win over Antrim in Belfast than they were ever given credit for, but Cork lost to Waterford, denied in the Munster semi-final by the crossbar in the closing seconds.

Would Donal Óg Cusack, Diarmuid O’Sullivan and Seán Óg Ó hAilpín have made a difference that afternoon? If you think not, you’re in hurling’s cloud cuckoo-land. The Rebels can have no complaints, however, because they did get their chance against Waterford with a full complement, and were beaten fair and square.

Waterford? They can definitely have their complaints, but more on that anon.

From Cork/Clare, we then went straight to the three-game Limerick/Tipperary saga, and really, this series just lit up the championship. I don’t want to put too much emphasis on Limerick, because Kilkenny have at least an equal right to our appreciation for their achievements — an eighth All-Ireland final appearance in ten seasons, magnificent.

But Limerick did bring a breath of badly-needed fresh air to the hurling championship. It wasn’t just what they were doing on the pitch, it was their whole attitude, exemplified by manager Richie Bennis.

Whether in interviews before or after games, whether in seeing his absolute involvement on the line it’s obvious the man just loves this game. His exuberance has lifted us all and his own team particularly.

After their win over Cork, a win of great character, the Waterford fairytale continued in Munster, champions again after eventually subduing a Limerick team exhausted by their efforts in getting past Tipperary.

Let’s head to Leinster, and again, a disappointing provincial championship, Wexford/Dublin in the semi-final the only real highlight, despite Offaly’s fine performance for the first-half of their loss to Kilkenny.

Wexford did manage to get past Dublin, a dramatic injury-time free from 65m wide left by Barry Lambert worthy of winning any match, but from a hurling perspective it was heartening to see the Dubs beginning to reap the harvest of some solid underage work in recent years, work that continues apace at both minor and U-21 level, where Dublin picked up both Leinster titles.

As feared, however, Wexford were no match for what has become a veritable hurling machine in Kilkenny.

The qualifiers were pretty much a damp squib, the top two in the two groups predictable before a ball was pucked, the only issue being the order of qualification. Here, a surprise, then another surprise, Clare deservedly beating Galway to top their group, then Tipp shocking Cork a week later; two good games also, extremely competitive, proof positive that there is decent fare to be found also on the back-road to Croke Park.

Into the quarter-finals, and again, surprise. Tipperary were supposed to beat Wexford, failed; without question, their exertions over the previous months caught up with them.

Seven tough championship games in eight weeks, the injuries mounted, the fatigue factor kicked in. For a match in which Tipperary should have been fully alert, they were tired, vulnerable, beaten. A reprieve then, for Wexford hurling, but it lasted barely a week; their reward, in what was a number of foul-ups in a poorly-structured championship, was yet another meeting with Kilkenny, yet another bad beating, though there was a little honour restored at least.

The real excitement in the knockout stages was again provided by Munster teams; Waterford met Cork in the quarter-final and it took two classics for the Déise to win through.

Limerick, meanwhile, were meeting and beating an outclassed Clare in their quarter-final. Cue a repeat of the Munster final, cue also, however, another All-Ireland semi-final loss for Waterford, their fourth in six years. Limerick were better on the day, let no-one have any illusions over that; let no-one have any illusions either, however, that Waterford would have benefited from an extra week to recover from their two games against Cork, and should have gotten it.

All through the season the games were coming one on top of the other, the way a championship season should be. There are those who hark back to the ‘good old days’, the straight knockout, when we had weeks and weeks of vacuum in hurling, all the other major sports front and centre, filling the minds and thus the dreams of the kids.

Not this year, as Limerick went on their fairytale odyssey, as Kilkenny would not be sidetracked from their road well-travelled.

We’ll all have our favourites this Sunday, and most of the country will be behind Limerick, but we have two worthy finalists; let’s salute them both for what they’ve done, let’s wish them well in their endeavours. And let’s all adopt the attitude of Richie Bennis, and put a smile on our faces.

[e-mail]