As it happened: Limerick claim four-in-a-row with defeat of Cats
Peter Casey of Limerick is tackled by Conor Fogarty, left, and Martin Keoghan of Kilkenny. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Thanks for your company this afternoon as witnessed a generational team create hurling history.
We'll have post-game reaction, analysis and more on the site throughout the evening and our usual bumper coverage in tomorrow's edition.
Make sure you listen to Dalo's Hurling Podcast tomorrow for the thoughts of the lads and we might see some of you in Killarney on Tuesday for football chat.
A lovely speech from Cian Lynch and familiar, very nice images of the players and staff with their families. John Kiely is rightly soaking up the acclaim of the crowd.
Larry McCarthy is addressing the Croke Park crowd and Cian Lynch and Declan Hannon are about to be presented with the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
FT: Limerick 0-30 Kilkenny 2-15. Limerick are all-time greats. #GAAA
— John Fogarty (@JohnFogartyIrl) July 23, 2023
FULL-TIME - LIMERICK ARE FOUR-IN-A-ROW CHAMPIONS!
What a performance from the Treaty, and they have to be mentioned among the best teams we've seen now. The Cats brought the fight to Limerick but that second half performance was impossible to live with.
Peter Casey scores another point and he's had a brilliant afternoon.
TJ Reid adds another point to his tally but goals are required. Limerick get sight of the nets a couple of times but no green flag with Quaid saving superbly.
We'll have three minutes of added time.
Richie Hogan is on now too but it may be too late at stage. Limerick are eight points up and we're into the last few minutes.
Peter Casey is flying it and has another couple of points. Limerick are completely in control.
Cillian Buckley is on for a cameo, a day after his wedding.
John Donnelly points for Kilkenny and then we have a big swing moment. Kilkenny should have had a 65 but it wasn't awarded; the quick puck out ends up with a Hegarty point at the other end.
Adrian Mullen scores from play as does Kyle Hayes. Limerick fur up and 10 minutes to play.
Stop me if you've heard this one before. Diarmuid Byrnes puts over a free.
Tom Morrissey is replaced by Cathal O'Neill and TJ Reid scores his sixth of the day with a free.
Darragh O'Donovan slips over his first point of the day after a brilliant catch from Diarmuid Byrnes. Huw Lawlor gives away a free and Aaron Gillane taps it over. Minutes later Byrnes scores from play, some point too.
TJ Reid rallies the crowd before he hits a free and puts Kilkenny ahead again. Diarmuid Byrnes scores his sixth to level it again however.
Lap of the posts the less-heralded contact lens trick
— Maurice Brosnan (@m_brosnan) July 23, 2023
Diarmuid Byrnes makes no mistake from a free, Aaron Gillane scores from the sideline and this is absolutely frantic now. We're level!
Gearóid Hegarty continues this impressive Limerick response with his first point of the afternoon.
Amazing. Have we ever seen that before? Paddy Deegan drills a rasper into the goal and Nickie Quaid's net! After a moment's pause, the umpire raises the green flag.
Peter Casey scores a great Limerick point and Barry Nash tacks on another.
Diarmuid Byrnes notches the first score of the half after a couple of frantic minutes. Moments later he gets the opportunity to reprise that effort and duly does so. The customary third-quarter press from Limerick is here. Tom Phelan gets Kilkenny going with a great catch and point, meanwhile.
We're back up and running for the second half.
Tom Morrissey finishes the first half scoring after a strong run by Cian Lynch.
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 23, 2023
Kilkenny 1-09 Limerick 0-09
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TJ Reid doesn't miss two frees in a row. He scores a much harder opportunity to put daylight between the sides as we approach half-time.
David Reidy makes it a one-score game all of a sudden. He's benefits from more good work from stand-in skipper Cian Lynch. TJ Reid sends a free wide, amazingly.
Mikey Butler concedes a free and is lucky to avoid a booking. Gillane converts the free to make it a five-point game. That was their first score in 12 minutes, Marty informs us. Cian Lynch scores another one to narrow the gap further.
Barry Nash is penalised for taking too may steps and TJ Reid adds another point. That's four unanswered scores from Kilkenny in a great period for them.
TJ Reid keeps the scoreboard ticking over with a point and, as I type, Richie Reid wins the ball and bangs it back over the bar.
'There are goals in this game' Michael Duignan advises after Gillane flicks an effort wide. Then TJ Reid puts up the paw for a direct puckout and wins the free, which he converts. Great stuff.
Big few minutes for Limerick with Byrnes scoring another free from around his own 65 and Aaron Gillane catching and turning to pop over his first point from play.
On the resumption, Cats keeper Eoin Murphy sends the subsequent free over the bar.
Diarmuid Byrnes hit Mikey Butler late and the Kilkenny player is laid out. It's another yellow for a member of the Treaty half back line.
Aaron Gillane announces himself with an excellent free from the sideline while Tom Phelan is on the end of a Kilkenny move. Will O'Donoghue booked too, importantly. It's all happening.
Eoin Cody sends a rocket into the corner to ignite this contest! Kilkenny then tack on a point through Tom Phelan.
Diarmuid Byrnes makes no mistake with a long-range free to put Limerick ahead for the first time. He drags a second effort wide moments later.
The champions open their account with a point from Cian Lynch.
TJ Reid can't add to his record championship tally, he sends a sideline wide. Kilkenny are well up for this in the early exchanges, unsurprisingly. Limerick are yet to settle.
First blood to the Cats as Paddy Deegan sends over a great score.
Anthony Daly, Liam Sheedy and Donal Óg Cusack have all gone for Limerick in their predictions.
The teams are parading around the pitch and we're nearly ready to go.
We may not have a curtain-raiser but one of our favourites, The Mary Wallopers, played for the early comers at HQ.
The teamsheets are in and there's some breaking news.
Walter Walsh - best man at Cillian Buckley wedding yesterday - will start in place of David Blanchfield for Kilkenny. Gearóid Dunne comes into the panel. No changes for Limerick.
John Fogarty, Maurice Brosnan and Eoghan Cormican are in the Hogan Stand for us this afternoon. One man who won't be there is the president, John reports.
It's the first All-Ireland senior hurling final without a Cummins ball since 1999. It's the first without the President of Ireland in normal times in quite some time. Michael D Higgins is recovering from back surgery. #GAA
— John Fogarty (@JohnFogartyIrl) July 23, 2023
A fogra before the small-ball action; we're on the road with the Gaelic Football podcast on Tuesday. An All-Star cast will join us in the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney. Read more and get tickets.
"How the years are flying by. How they keep flying by. It only feels like the other day when it was 2009 and we were talking about Kilkenny’s quest for the four-in-a-row just like we are discussing Limerick’s similar journey now. The biggest difference this time around though, is nobody could have seen this march coming so quickly after Kilkenny’s all-conquering crusade of the late 2000s."
Some pre-game reading? Anthony Daly is in the Croke Park dressing-room with the Sunday Game cast as they build up to the game. Read his thoughts on what we can expect today.
Let's do this.
It's the biggest day in the hurling calendar - though it arrives earlier than we're used to these days.
Limerick and Kilkenny will contest the All-Ireland SHC decider, with a 3.30pm throw in. And we'll have live updates throughout the afternoon.
Stay with us and email adrian.russell@examiner with your pre-game predictions and thoughts throughout.
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