Ben O’Connor: Cork must use pace and hurling to avoid an arm wrestle with Limerick
Cork's Ben O'Connor on the ground with TJ Ryan of Limerick during their 2004 clash. Picture: Gerard McCarthy
The memory is still sharp.
Twenty years ago Limerick slipped Cork in the Munster championship in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and when Ben O’Connor stopped in Charleville on his way home after that game, the stream of L-reg cars going home through north Cork didn’t spare him.
“Beeping, waving at us,” laughs O’Connor now.
“They were in great form that night.
“Down our way in Newtownshandrum we’re right on the border with Limerick, there’s always been a great rivalry there, and for long enough they were down. But they always had great supporters — they’d follow Limerick anywhere, no matter how they were going. Now they’re top of the pile, they’ve plenty to cheer about and obviously they want things to stay that way.”
It’s a different Limerick style to O’Connor’s time.
“When we played Limerick, if one of them got the ball he belted it, and the next man who got the ball would do what he wanted with it.
“Now it’s very different, they work to a game plan, everyone knows what everyone else on the team is doing, and there isn’t a ball wasted. That’s what I like about them.
“Take Cian Lynch as an example.
“When he came onto the Limerick team first, for instance, he had flicks and tricks and you were thinking, ‘what kind of player will this fella turn into?’ And he’s turned into one of their best players. Why? Because he’s following the game plan. All the flicks and tricks are still there but he has a huge work rate and he plays for the team.
“If he has a chance of a point but some other Limerick player has a chance of a goal, or even a better chance of a point, then he’ll just lay it off to that other player.
“And that sets the tone, because Cian is one of their stars — if he’s doing that, then the newer players or younger players are obviously going to take that example on board.”
O’Connor says the Leesiders can’t take Limerick on at their own game in tonight’s Munster semi-final.
“I was reading in the recently that the Limerick half-back line is bigger than the Irish rugby team’s back row, so why would Cork fire ball down on top of those three players?
“Cork are going to have to come up with their own game plan, but they’re building a team at the moment.
“Limerick would have a slight advantage during the covid lockdown in that they’ve been together for a few years and they’re further down the road as a team than Cork.
“But Cork have pace and hurling. Why would they not use those instead of taking on Limerick in a contest of strength?”
Cork complaints about the size of players is nothing new, he adds: “We heard it in our time and it’s the same now, fellas saying about Cork, ‘sure there have to be more fellas out there?’ My answer is always the same: where are those fellas?
“Do people think the senior selectors are sitting on their hands? They’re out at games all the time trying to see if there’s anyone to pull in. What Kieran (Kingston, manager) and the lads have at their disposal is the best in the county: if that means you must come up with a particular game plan that suits those players, then that’s what has to be done.”
O’Connor is no fan of the spare-hand tackle in hurling: “It’s a game of hurling and you want to see fellas hurling. Limerick like this hand-in tackle, but to me that’s football. Not hurling.
“They’re getting away with it. Earlier in the league the GAA was cracking down on that and referees were blowing for it, and I hope Paud O’Dwyer, the referee this Saturday, is strong enough when the pressure comes on to blow the whistle when those tackles come in.
“We want the game to flow — everyone does — and the way it’ll flow is if the lads can play hurling, playing the ball rather than getting the hand in to hold fellas up.”
O’Connor sympathises with officials, who are under pressure on all fronts.
“People don’t realise that the referee has someone up in the stand ticking boxes on his performance all the time.
“I was chatting to an inter-county player recently who said in one game he was blown for a free, and a couple of minutes later he said to the ref, ‘that was no free’ — but the referee said to him, ‘there’s a fella up in the stand assessing me, and if I didn’t blow for what you did I might get no more games’.
“I think referees have too much to do, and if they were allowed to focus on the rules — on enforcing the loose hand tackle for instance — they’d be better off and so would the game itself.”
O’Connor stresses that he’s not looking for the referee to put the whistle in his pocket until he blows for half-time: “When I say ‘go back’ in terms of refereeing, I don’t mean allow really dirty tackles, I mean go back to how the game was refereed maybe 20 years ago, when it was allowed to flow.
“For instance, if I put my foot over the ball and you pull, and connect with my foot, then that’s my own fault. You’re entitled to pull on the ball if it’s there.
“But it’s now gotten to a stage where I think if players aren’t 100% sure then they won’t pull on a loose ball in case they’re penalised.
“The game is so fast that players are bound to be a split-second off every now and again; if you blow for all of those then you’ll have the free-taking contest.
“At the end of the game one player has 14 points scored from frees and one of his opponents has 12 points from frees, and everyone is giving out about the quality of the game.
“It’s supposed to be the fastest field game in the world, after all, not a copy of soccer with technical areas and so on.”
And this evening?
“I think Cork will need two or three goals to win — and to keep out of contact, away from those loose hand tackles, if those aren’t blown.
“But Limerick are a very good team. They’re following a script and all of them are doing what they’re supposed to do when they’re supposed to do it.
“That’s what makes them the best team in the country at the moment. Whoever beats Limerick will win the All-Ireland — if Limerick can be beaten.”
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