Talking Points: Limerick's bench press, Cork's cause, U20 starlets and Ulster crowds
Noel McGrath of Tipperary in action against Limerick players, from left, Darragh O'Donovan, Gearoid Hegarty, 10, and Dan Morrisey during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 3 match between Limerick and Tipperary at TUS Gaelic Grounds. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
In the rush to anoint Waterford’s as the strongest bench in hurling, we probably should have been playing more attention to Limerick. The All-Ireland champions didn’t have it all their own way against Tipperary Sunday in the Gaelic Grounds, and manager John Kiely was grateful for the contribution of subs like David Reidy and Conor Boylan, who both got vital scores.
“They got on the ball a lot, they won their own ball and they got on ball and they carried the ball and they broke lines, they won frees, they scored points, they were assisting in scores. They made a huge difference, a huge impact, great energy off the bench and a super contribution.” They were needed. Kiely acknowledged that Limerick were under pressure from Tipperary, who led for long periods in the game and never looked intimated by their opponents.
“Three quarters of the way through the game Tipp had been the better team, up to that point, but the boys coming off the bench made a substantial contribution, and that was the difference in the end in terms of who won the game.” Kiely added that Peter Casey and Barry Murphy would be integrated into full training over the next few weeks, with Cian Lynch due for another week or two’s rest before returning to the fray. Limerick look to be getting stronger and stronger, on the bench and on the field.
Croker or nowhere? In the event of the EirGrid All-Ireland U-20 football final not being pencilled in for Croke Park next weekend, that's a battle cry we could yet hear this week. Fixture chiefs are in the process of finalising a venue for the underage final following Tyrone's semi-final win over Kerry which came after Kildare's defeat of Sligo on Saturday. The last two U-20 finals were played at Croke Park though the 2019 decider, pre-pandemic, between Cork and Dublin was staged in Portlaoise. Rewind back to 2018 and Davy Burke's Kildare beat Mayo at Croke Park while, in 2017, Dublin beat Galway in Tullamore. The last time Tyrone won the tournament, played at the U-21 grade in 2015, they beat Tipperary at Dublin's Parnell Park. Clearly there is no set ground or time for the final though Tyrone manager Paul Devlin strongly believes that this year's decider should go to Croke Park.
"You're dealing with the best young players in Ireland at the minute, the two best U-20 teams in Ireland - so why not showcase the lads?" asked Devlin. "Let's say to them, 'This is a big day, one of our biggest occasions in the GAA calendar'. Let's put it out there."
The Kildare seniors are already pencilled in to play Westmeath at Croke Park on Sunday in a Leinster semi-final, on the underbill to the Dublin v Meath encounter. Playing the U-20 final ahead of that Kildare/Westmeath game would certainly go down well among travelling Kildare supporters.
THE fear was that amid all the hullabaloo over the venue for Saturday’s Munster SFC semi-final - John Cleary felt it gave his young players an ‘identity’ - that Kerry would still arrive and trim the living daylights out of the hosts.
That Pairc ui Rinn - its dimensions, the modest attendance, its appropriateness - was hardly mentioned in the aftermath, indicates that the Kingdom’s dozen-point win, while comprehensive, did not deny Cork their morsel of justification to cling to for the Qualifiers. The big bother now for John Cleary and co - nice to see Keith Ricken around the team before and after the game - is that Cork need everyone fit and firing if they want to build on this is the All-Ireland series. Kevin Flahive should find out today how serious his knee injury is, and Micheal A Martin might be absent too for their next outing in June. Returning Sean Powter and Ian Maguire put in serious shifts but have time to build their fitness now. However, it would be a welcome fillip were some of those from No’s 17-26 on Saturday play their way into management’s plans for the Qualifiers. As mentioned elsewhere, Cork’s squad is as shallow as it is callow.
After winning the Division 1 football final last month, Jack O’Connor wasn’t going to offer a hostage to fortune by saying he’d follow it up with an All-Ireland for the fourth time. However, the symmetry of success for Kerry under his reign should be noted. Likewise, Cork have been beaten as they were in 2004, ‘06 and ‘09. In those latter two seasons, it was Cork who drew first blood before Kerry exacted revenge in the All-Ireland series. But, like ‘04, Kerry this past weekend beat Cork in a Munster semi-final by one point more than double scorers and could again face Limerick in a provincial final in Killarney. That title was eventually won in a replay in Fitzgerald Stadium, although a second date will not be possible this year as all games bar the All-Ireland finals are “winner on the day” affairs. Also in 2004 and as they are next month, the Munster champions were drawn on the same side as the Leinster victors. However, Westmeath lost their All-Ireland quarter-final and Derry provided Kerry with their semi-final opposition. Come back to us next week as we find more eye candy statistics for our superstitiously hopeful Kerry brethren.
WHEN it comes to fanaticism for following their county football team, Donegal and Cavan are known as two of the last holdouts. They bring big crowds, wherever they go.
But having said all that, a warm Clones day and an Ulster semi-final between these two brought a crowd of merely 15,523.
The week before, there was a crowd of 10,155 in Omagh to see the defending All-Ireland champions at their only home Championship gamer against Derry, a team from the next county.
Armagh are another team that barely need encouragement to get the troops mobilised and there was a fairly decent crowd of 13,689 in Ballybofey to see them defeated by Donegal.
Being short about it, the attendances thus far have not been great. There may just be some post-Covid reluctance from the elder generation, but it would seem that if Derry make up the opposition for the Ulster final, Clones will be far from a sell-out.
“Don’t worry,” said Declan Bonner afterwards, “we’ll have a full house here in three weeks’ time, for the Ulster final.” It remains to be seen. But right now, ‘Nothing Beats Being There’ is no bearing fruit at the turnstiles when it comes to ticket sales.
Padraic Joyce was nearly always an inside forward who thrived on quick ball coming in from his half-backs and midfielders, but a hallmark of Galway this year has been some phenomenal point-scoring from some of his midfielders.
Kevin Walsh and Sean O Domhnaill were capable of landing some big scores from midfield when Joyce was strutting his stuff with that Galway team that landed a couple of All-Ireland titles, but for the most part their job was to deliver quick ball into the inside line.
It’s ironic then to see this Galway team moving so well under Joyce with their midfielders keeping the umpires busy with the white flags.
Paul Conroy hit 0-6 from play in the Division Two league final against Roscommon, just a week after Niall Daly crowned his first start a week earlier against the same opposition with a haul of 0-5 from the centre of the field.
Conroy, in the form of his life, landed three in the win over Mayo and he was at it again in Pearse Stadium, shooting a brace against Leitrim yesterday.
But, even then, he was usurped by his midfield partner Cillian McDaid who floated over three superb efforts from distance in the opening half of their win over Leitrim.
And with Ultan Harney and Eddie Nolan in great form for Roscommon this year, the midfield battle in the Connacht final looks like being one of the key battles in the destination of the Nestor Cup at the end of the month.
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