Limerick look the part
League title and Munster semi secured as Clare are brushed aside
THE Munster hurling championship – just not as we know it. A game that doubled as the Allianz Hurling League f i nal remained a strange, ghostly spectacle with no crowds allowed, right up to the post-match presentation.
That was when Li merick captain Declan Hannon walked up the steps of Ryan Stand to lift the Cup to a few whoops and hollers from his team-mates who stood, socially distant, on the pitch in front of him.
The reminder to the players over the tannoy that there was to be no handshakes or team huddles at the end of the game said it all about how weird this winter All-Ireland championship is going to be.
And yet let nothing take from the quality of Limerick’s performance at different stages.
Even a day-of-days performance from former Hurler of the Year Tony Kelly – he finished with an eye-popping personal haul of 17
“Even in winter, the skillset was off the charts”
points, eight from play – wasn’t enough to halt Limerick who put league titles back to back for the first time since 1984-85 and made it 13 in total.
And the performance featured some record- breaking type of scoring from the holders, who captured the National League as well as securing a Munster semifinal spot.
It was strange and surreal with no crowds but the hurling was top notch and an initial trawl of the record books seemed to show that Limerick’s 36 white flags has only ever been bettered by Cork, who hit 40 in 2019.
The reward then is a Munster semi-final next Sunday at Páirc Uí Chaoimh against All-Ireland champions Tipperary.
It’s going to take time to get used to seeing the odd player complete the warm- up in full tracksuit bottoms. The joys of winter hurling. Not to mention the new yellow sliotars.
Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church’ was one of the songs blasted out over the PA to an empty stadium as the players tried to engender some sort of i ntensity before throw-in in an empty ground. In a week when some commentators likened the association to a religious institution and questioned why games should go ahead at Level 5, it’s hard to know if there was a hint of irony to the set-list.
Very quickly Tony Kelly set about showing that he is a man for all seasons – he rattled over eight of Clare’s nine points by the first water break including three class scores from play. At that point Clare led 0-9 to 0-7, with Kelly starting corner-forward and drifting out to play in a loose role as the quarter wore on.
Indeed, Kelly was making a strong case to bring crowds back just to watch him play hurling. He had 0- 12 of Clare’s 0- 15 at half-time.
Aaron Gillane was razor- sharp for Limerick, who had the greater spread of scorers, to be level at the break with five of the six attackers on the scoresheet.
Even in winter, the skillset of the players was off the charts. Gearoid Hegarty produced a reverse handpass to set up Peter Casey for one score after flicking the ball over a Clare defender’s head in a half- forward line in which Kyle Hayes and Tom Morrissey were also shining.
The worry f or Clare i s that Kelly’s contribution was nearly too much; that there wasn’t enough coming from elsewhere.
Cathal Malone did bang one over from distance and Diarmuid Ryan got a booming score just before half-time from the Kinane Stand side to level it 0-15 apiece, while Clare’s only other score came from a thundering run and point by wing- back Stephen O’Halloran.
At times, Limerick showed flashes of their best form, Gillane hitting a cracker from the sideline after reading a Clare pass and intercepting and before the big flex of muscle after the restart. Five unanswered points in four minutes after half-time saw them race into a 0-20 to 0-15 lead before Tom Morrissey added another.
It was a serious show of power and intensity by Limerick. Minutes later, five players surrounded the Clare ball carrier to force the turnover to show the sort of hunger and drive that brought them all the way in 2018.
Tony Kelly showed he’s fallible by missing, not one, but two frees, but he continued to pick up points like this Munster championship game was a training ground exercise.
Limerick couldn’t shake Clare off.
Rory Hayes with the making of Clare’s goal which was finished to the net by Ryan Taylor.
In the 47th minute, a diagonal ball into the full-forward line was batted down in the direction of first-time championship starter Ryan Taylor, who found the net.
At the third quarter water break it was Limerick 0-25 Clare 1-18. The Munster and League champions looked to have the extra gear but Clare were battling hard to stay in it. In that final quarter, though, the Munster champions started to purr.
Limerick hit the 30-point mark with Gearoid Hegarty’s fifth from play and they finished with a flourish to add another six more and stretch the gap out to 10 in a serious statement of intent.