Tony Kelly: ‘There’s no reason why Cork can’t beat Limerick’

Clare star Kelly believes Cork’s pace poses a different problem for Limerick although beating champions Limerick remains a "tall order"

Clare's Tony Kelly is fouled for a penalty by Niall O'Leary of Cork at LIT Gaelic Grounds. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Clare star Tony Kelly has given Cork hope by insisting Limerick are beatable and predicted that the Shannonsiders won’t dominate the Championship indefinitely like Dublin did in football.

Kelly acknowledged that holders Limerick are favourites to retain the MacCarthy Cup on Sunday and that it’s a “tall order” for Cork to end their All-Ireland barren streak.

But he rejected the suggestion that Limerick, who won all their competitive games in 2020 and are two years unbeaten in the Championship, are unbeatable.

“Yeah, they’re catchable,” said Kelly, the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Month for June. “They could be catchable next weekend. There’s no reason why Cork can’t beat them.

“Even judging the first round of the Championship, Cork missed a lot that day that they’re not going to miss again.

“They’ve obviously improved from that day and so have Limerick. But yeah, it’s not a thing that they’re going to win the next...look, I can’t see them doing a Dublin in the football on it and doing five- or six-in-a-row.

“Hurling is too competitive. They’re definitely catchable. Kilkenny beat them in 2019. There’s nothing to say that Cork can’t beat them, albeit it is a tall ask, a tall order.”

Kelly gave a masterclass of scoring during Clare’s two-point qualifier defeat to Cork last month, scoring 1-11 and almost snatching victory with a late goal effort.

He’s impressed by Cork’s speed and is intrigued about how they’ll attempt to penetrate Limerick’s powerful half-back line.

“Cork have pace in their team, Jack O’Connor is blistering,” he said. “It will be interesting to see how they do get on because usually with Limerick, they don’t follow you.

“Invariably, they’re never chasing after a lad. Usually when a lad is running, he’s running into a Limerick back. That’s the one thing with Limerick, you have to draw them out to run at them.

“It is a hard thing to draw them out, especially their half-back line.

“They tend to mind their own patch, numbers five, six and seven, they never move out of there unless they’re attacking themselves, unless Kyle Hayes or Diarmuid Byrnes are going up the wings themselves.

“It will be interesting to see if Cork do put the ball on the stick and try to run at Limerick, to see how Limerick will react to it. From their games so far, it looks like Cork will do that, they will be running into Limerick rather than running from them, such is the way Limerick set up.”

Kelly said that Limerick’s knack of always being close to the top of their game in Championship games is what has set them apart under John Kiely.

“Their consistency over the last three or four years,” said the 2013 All-Ireland winner. “Their results speak for themselves. Since 2018, they have been winning Munsters, getting to All-Ireland finals and winning them.

“They’re in their third All-Ireland final in the last four years. It’s a results-driven business but they have consistency of performance. They’re nearly always an eight- or nine-out-of-10.

“And the biggest thing is, even if they are seven-out-of-10, they manage to get over the line, more often than not.

“With other teams, and we’ve struggled ourselves with it over the last number of years, you might play two games well and then you’d dip in the third game and you’re out of the Championship.

“That’s what sets them apart, sheer consistency.”