Ollie Moran: No right or wrong answer to Dowling dilemma
Ollie Moran didn‘t come right out and say that Shane Dowling should start Sunday’s All-Ireland final on the bench, but it didn’t need much reading between the lines to figure out which way the Limerick legend was leaning.
Dowling was ushered into the semi-final against Cork with 56 minutes played and Limerick five points adrift. His contribution of 1-4 from there through to the end of extra-time was crucial in getting his side over the line.
Speaking afterwards, the Na Piarsaigh forward smiled and expressed the hope that he had given John Kiely something to think about when selecting the starting 15 for the final. It was quite the understatement.
Moran said: “He’s an absolutely quality player and he’d be on any other county team, but his impact is so huge coming off the bench now that the big conversation is: Do you start a guy who is certainly deserving of his place and worthy of his place, or is he of more benefit to the team giving you the huge impact that he does off the bench?
“Look, it’s a difficult one. I wouldn’t care to be in John Kiely’s position and have to tap him on the shoulder on maybe the Thursday or Friday before an All-Ireland final to say ‘look, we’re not starting you’, because he’s meeting all the criteria, he’s in the shape of his life, he’s a natural go-to leader, he’s well spoken, he’s very well got in the
dressing room, all the things you want from your talisman. He is to Limerick probably what Joe Canning is to Galway. The irony of that is you are saying to a guy, ‘unfortunately, we feel you are of far more benefit and importance to the team coming off the bench with 10- or 15 minutes to go.’”
There is no right nor wrong answer. As Moran added, the Cork tie was likely a one-off. Limerick looked devoid of ideas before the bench was sprung and the game began to change in complexion. Who knows how the game will sit after 56 minutes this time?
Still, it’s a conundrum Limerick should be happy to have. Moran was ultra-cautious when speaking about the hurlers in early June in the wake of their Munster Championship defeat of Tipperary and the draw with Cork.
What he wanted to see then was how the side would react to a setback. Needless to say, then, he has been impressed with the response to that heavy defeat against Clare in Ennis, even if he suspects the side remains a year or two ahead of schedule.
Still, who doesn’t like an early delivery?
They have an absolutely fantastic chance. My gut is telling me yes. The primary reason for me is that they have serious momentum.
"They’ve gotten over their setback against Clare, they’ve beaten Kilkenny, they’ve beaten Cork.
“As a spectator, I would feel Galway are the team they’d want to play, because they’re a big physical team. They’ll go toe-to-toe with Limerick, it’ll be 15 on 15. They are very similar in how they set up, similar in size, similar in how they play, so, from that point of view, this is a young team with no inhibition. They’ll just go for it, they’re relaxed. They don’t have that burden of expectation maybe that other Limerick teams may have had previously, and that’s a really good thing.”
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