Cork given an education in All-Ireland final realities by masterful Limerick

Despite heady talk of a Rebel treble ahead of time Cork supporters knew in their heart of hearts they needed a good start, but Limerick showed one of the basic traits of a champion very early on

Cork’s Robert Downey tries to dispossess Limerick’s Seamus Flanagan in yesterday’s All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park. Picture: Inpho/Laszlo Geczo

You can supply your own superlatives, but in reality it’s a pretty sparse field when it comes to comparisons.

Were Limerick better than Kilkenny in the 2008 All-Ireland final? The fact that there’s even a debate tells you something.