No new discovery, just a reminder this Limerick team made of solid steel

Limerick give a masterclass in breaking momentum before going on to break Galway

Limerick’s William O'Donoghue and Kyle Hayes with Conor Whelan of Galway

On a soft day last winter at Carlow’s SETU campus, Limerick’s superb performance analyst Sean O’Donnell gave a thorough presentation on everything from key performance data to the best GoPro lens. His genius is intrinsic to this sophisticated green machine.

At one point O’Donnell was asked by the gathered class of performance analysts about collective targets during a game. During Covid, water breaks were once a wonderful opportunity to wheel out the tactics board, deliver a key message and reset. How helpful was that? Not was. Is. They still regard matches in four quarters. He didn’t clarify how and no attendee was naïve enough to ask. Even without a defined break, they find a way. This group always finds a way.

For 25 minutes Galway tested every element of their system. There was a sense it was coming from before the throw-in. Henry Shefflin’s side were slow out of the blocks last year and were well-warned on the need to start with a bang this time around. As the parade snaked past the Hogan Stand, they were ready to go.

Every maroon hurler had his helmet on and hurley at the ready. They broke away first and broke directly across their opposition. And initially they did drill hard, just like several other contenders have and will. After 15 minutes Galway broke real ground with a slicing Kevin Cooney bounced pass and wonderful Cathal Mannion finish from an acute angle. That excavation led to no new discovery. It merely confirmed what we already know. At its foundation this Limerick team are made of solid steel.

That score made it 1-6 to 1-3. Ten minutes later, it was 1-12 to 1-6. How would Limerick respond? The only manner they know how. Reset, reload and fire mercilessly.

The defending champions suffered some lax moments during that spell. There were unusual misses from comfortable positions by Diarmaid Byrnes and Cian Lynch. Brian Concannon’s surprise deep-lying position was creating trouble. He clipped a point and Darragh O’Donovan tried to respond immediately, catching a puckout and shooting on sight. It whistled wide. Soon after Kyle Hayes was booked for a rash chop on Concannon and Evan Niland duly delivered from the free.

Then Limerick took a moment before ultimately colonising the entire field. Nickie Quaid’s helmet was discarded and he required attention. Nearby some commentators wondered was it an issue with his eye, RTÉ half-heartedly suggested it was his stomach. In truth no one in the stadium doubted what was really happening and no one knows how to stop it. As inevitable as the tide. Or death. Momentum smashed to smithereens.

“Of course it is,” said a magnanimous Shefflin post-match.

“We were all shouting, we felt it was. There is no doubt about it, it did. That shouldn’t impact to be fair. They obviously reset a little bit. They dragged a load of bodies out to the middle. They leave Aaron or Seamus up top on their own and they get the terms back because they are so powerful around the middle.

“Look, everyone knows that. Everyone knows you have to play against it. Obviously, they have the experience and the guile. They have the hurlers as well. That is the most impressive thing about them.” 

Precisely. It is not the fact they are supremely crafty or tenacious or doggedly driven. It is the fact they are supremely crafty and tenacious and doggedly driven. Stop and go again. Go harder. Go until you are in complete control and the opposition are beaten into submission.

Barry Nash and Conor Whelan exchanged wides. Subsequently, Limerick wrestled back control. They dropped off Galway’s full-back line on Eanna Murphy’s puckout even when four men retreated as short options. All of their pillars came to the fore. Diarmaid Byrnes rifled over a trademark long-range placed ball. Mike Casey denied a certain goal with a timely goal-line intervention. Tom Morrissey followed that up with an enormous turnover in the middle and arrowed a typical ball towards the sideline for Seamus Flanagan. He popped out to O’Donovan who popped over. Cian Lynch turned Seán Linnane upside down and brought more noise with a point. O’Donovan sent a diagonal delivery into Aaron Gillane. Reader, you do not need us to tell you what happened next. Lift the flag and chalk it down.

It is not a case of asking one question. To truly confound them you must propose several. So many come close and fall short. So much promise ends up in the graveyard of broken dreams. Galway scored three points from play in the second half. Their puckout imploded. Only twice after the turnaround did a long puck find the target.

This is the measure of true champions. It is what makes the greatest of champions. How do they deal with the adversity and ordeal that comes with unrelenting conquests? Kilkenny were on the cusp of a drive for five in 2010 but were without Brian Hogan in the final and played a blatantly incapable Shefflin.

Limerick moved to the cusp of five in six years with their captain and best defender sitting in the Hogan Stand. They take every obstacle in their stride. William O’Donoghue allowed them to hurdle over Declan Hannon’s absence seamlessly. Hannon was sensational in this fixture last year as they eked out a three-point win and missed out here due to a knee injury. In the end it did not knock a feather out of them. The machine stomps on.

“The hunger and desire are true,” summarised Shefflin. “That is the reason why they are still going. The consistency, for any of us in any sport, when you look at the consistency and hunger to keep going to the well, it is very impressive.” 

John Kiely’s outfit will be back on July 23. Another huge occasion in Croke Park. Another legacy-defining decider against their great Munster rivals or the sport’s most successful county. Another chance to demonstrate the sheer array of their strengths.