Three key battlegrounds: What odds a Limerick goal from a mislaid Cork puckout?

PM O’Sullivan picks out three areas that could prove decisive on Saturday

Go back to the 2018 All-Ireland final. Limerick’s second goal pivoted on Tom Morrissey dispossessing Gearóid McInerney in a scenario typically thrown up by short puckouts, writes PM O'Sullivan. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

CORK PUCKOUTS

Did 21st-century hurling begin on June 9, 2003? Cork crushed Clare by 11 points in a Munster semi-final. Early on, Dónal Óg Cusack hit a short puckout to his full back, Diarmuid O’Sullivan. That decision, both senses of the term, was a stroke. Puckouts became central to success.

Cork’s restart strategy, 18 summers later, remains a sticking point. Distance means retaining possession, except when Séamus Harnedy is fully fit, ends up a long shot. But going short requires confident and canny ball carriers. Do Cork possess such defenders, Mark Coleman aside?

LIMERICK GOALS

Limerick’s indifference towards goals is well noted. Four of their five championship outings in 2020 raised not one green flag. Go back to the 2018 All-Ireland final. Limerick’s second goal pivoted on Tom Morrissey dispossessing Gearóid McInerney in a scenario typically thrown up by short puckouts. What odds a green flag or two from mislaid Cork puckouts?

CORK EXPECTATIONS

Needing a party trick, the vast majority of GAA managers and players could imitate a clam. Bluntness beforehand is rare, for fear of granting the opposition an edge. So the candour of Colm Spillane, Cork corner back, stands out: “We would probably have the best record against Limerick, compared to any other team, over the last three or four years.” 

Watch for the All-Ireland champions going about their business with a particular edge. Limerick’s men will want to hand out a lesson from on high.

Most intriguing scenario? That Limerick win by eight-plus points and Clare scalp Tipperary. That Munster final pairing would fascinate. A written-off Clare would relish running out against a blown-up Limerick, a side who might have taken a bit too much out of the tank against Cork.