Final four have brought League on to new level
AHURLING ball has not been struck in anger this weekend and yet everyone is a winner. Readers of this column who sometimes might feel that I am too heavy with the criticism and too light with the praise might be wondering if I am a feeling alright, but the truth is I have never felt better.
One of the aspects of the intercounty game that got under my skin was the attitude which so many teams took to the Allianz League, many of them either not caring about it or pretending not to care.
I could never make sense of that and, to be honest, with the GAA having in effect sabotaged this year’s competition by also introducing a ‘summer league’, my expectations were low when the ball was thrown in back in January.
But what thrills is that the four teams left standing, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford and Kilkenny have shown that when this competition is approached with the right mind-set, the rewards are obvious and huge.
Unless one of those teams takes the mother of all beatings this weekend, then each of them will be in a better place this summer when compared to those who were too busy blowing smoke circles to play for real.
The sense of excitement here in Limerick is playing for real ahead of tonight’s clash with Tipperary for a couple of reasons.
Obviously, the momentum provided by the promotion win over Galway and play-off victory over Clare, allied to all that young emerging talent has left hurling folk a little giddy, but also somewhat curious.
The fact that this team will be playing in the top tier next year automatically means that this has been a great spring campaign for the county, but the real bonus has come in being road-tested by Galway, Clare and now Tipperary.
The difference in Tipperary this spring has been marked; they have played with purpose and also with an eye on the future.
I have always maintained that when it comes to possessing natural hurling talent, no teams come near the Premier County — they are proving that right now.
They cruised into this semi-final by torching Dublin with a team that included roughly half a dozen fresh faces and each one looked as comfortable as the next.
There is a reason for that as Michael Ryan has not been shy in giving those players their head this spring and nothing develops emerging players like games.
But there is no point providing game-time to new players, if the established players are not in the right mind-set.
That has not been an issue with Pádraic Maher — I find it hard to think of a more consistent performer in the game over the past five years — setting the tone.
All of that means that Limerick get to meet the real deal tonight, and the value of that cannot be underestimated.
In terms of the result, this is obviously a bigger deal for Limerick on the basis that it would take the county to a final of a competition that we have not won in 21 years.
But it is important in terms of what we find out them about them as well. Their passage to the final has raised question marks; their slow starts against Galway and Clare if repeated here is likely to be fatal.
They need to realise that when you are playing the best, you have got to get to the pitch of the game straight away rather than just feel your way into it.
The other is that there are still some personnel issues down the spine of the team which have to be addressed and this is a good a game as any to do it.
The obvious one is full-back where Seamus Hickey is currently operating, but he is a fish out of water.
The game has not changed so that much that you don’t require a man-marking specialist with a jarring physical presence in front of your goal and that is not Hickey’s game.
He is a fine talent, but he is a player who likes to express himself and his skill-set and game intelligence would be far better suited to midfield where a vacancy still exists.
Otherwise, and with the Na Piarsaigh contingent yet to return, Limerick hurling has not been in a place where it has had this many options in a long time.
And the one thing traditionally that Limerick has possessed is that even in the worst of times they have never been intimidated by Tipperary’s history, which is why I expect them to win tonight.
As for tomorrow’s game, the energy which Davy Fitzgerald has gifted his Wexford team has been nothing short of remarkable.
They serve as proof that nothing beats winning — they have put together huge back-to-back league seasons — and one of the benefits of their run is that whatever psychological grip Kilkenny held over their neighbours departed with the likes of Henry Shefflin, Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney.
But the beauty is that Brian Cody, even if his League campaign ends tomorrow, has got so much out of the last couple of months, where there has been real evidence that his rebuilding project will not take as long as many predicted.
He will also ensure that his team will play its part in a hurling weekend to savour and if a Limerick/Wexford final pairing emerges then it is likely that the best is yet to come.
The rewards are obvious and huge