Kilkenny will get in Limerick faces and won’t allow Lynch free rein

Fatigue will not be a factor for Cats who can bounce back from Galway loss and deny improving Treaty men

BRIAN CODY doesn’t do excuses so you can take it that if Kilkenny are beaten tomorrow, he won’t even mention that it was their third game in 15 days.

Others will, of course, insist that fatigue contributed to their demise. It started after the drawn Leinster final, with claims that whoever lost the replay would be at a serious disadvantage in the quarterfinal.

I didn’t believe it then and I don’t believe it now. Players at peak fitness can cope physically with three games on successive weekends. Obviously, it’s different for someone carrying a knock but, in general, a busy schedule is not a problem from a physical viewpoint.

It is a bit different on the mental side as players aren’t used to getting up for a game every weekend, though the introduction of the ‘round robin’ in Leinster and Munster this year changed that to some degree.

Yes, there was a pattern in results where teams playing on the third or fourth successive weekend lost, but it can’t all be put down to tiredness.

For instance, Tipperary lost the fourth game in Munster but how can anyone claim it was down to fatigue? They led Clare in stoppage time before conceding three points in the final two minutes. Did tiredness only kick in then?

Tipp were a damn sight more energetic that day than in the opening round against Limerick, when they scored just one point in the last 15 minutes.

Obviously, Kilkenny would have preferred a longer break after losing to Galway last Sunday, but that’s the hand they have been dealt and they won’t make an issue of it.

In fact, I expect them to win tomorrow. The two quarterfinals are the first crossover between Munster and Leinster Championships and while they won’t give us a definitive answer as to which was the better campaign, they might provide some insight.

Apart from the finals, the Munster series was more exciting but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the standard was higher. Okay, so Offaly were off the pace in Leinster but the other four had some great contests.

And when it comes to a battle, no county wages it more fiercely than Kilkenny. They will attempt to turn tomorrow’s game into a real war against a Limerick team that has moved away from the county’s traditional style.

John Kiely has them playing through the lines with short(ish) passes and they also switch the point of attack far more often than used to be the case in their more direct days.

Cian Lynch (below) patrols the middle, pinging deliveries to forwards who are constantly on the move. When it works, it’s good to watch but you can bet that Kilkenny will get in their faces far more often than they were used to in Munster until the last game against Clare.

One thing that surprised me last Sunday was the amount of space Kilkenny conceded between their half-backs and full-backs. Granted, the pressure from Galway was ferocious but it’s most unusual to see Kilkenny half-backs dragged out so far.

It meant that when Galway backs or midfielders got possession, they had lots of space to aim at in front of their very lively full-forwards. I doubt if that will happen Kilkenny again. Instead, the half-forwards will be expected to track back. Speaking of half forwards, Martin Keoghan has been operating there this year, but from what I’ve seen of him at college level, he’s more suited to half-back where he’s coming on to the ball all the time.

Obviously, this is a massive game for both counties but Limerick’s need is greater in the overall scheme of things.

Kilkenny’s rebuilding job has gone very well this year and, whatever happens tomorrow, it will remain a work-inprogress, whereas Limerick are at a stage where they need to step up again. They have been threatening to do that for a few seasons without actually managing it. The wait might well be on-going by tomorrow evening.

MAYBE I’m missing something but I don’t understand why the Clare-Wexford game is being played in Páirc Uí Chaoímh. Who exactly does that suit?

The Cork County Board coffers will welcome it with open arms and bank the rent money, but why should Clare and Wexford people have extra time and travelling costs loaded onto them?

It was different last year when both ‘quarters’ were played in Cork to mark the opening of the new stadium but is this to become the norm from now on where some counties have to head for Páirc Uí Chaíomh, irrespective of the inconvenience?

Both of these quarter-finals should be played on the same day in Thurles.

Wexford lost to Waterford in last year’s quarter-final but they might have a happier experience today. Mind you, they will need to perform at full power for the full 70 minutes and not in spurts as they have tended to do. John Conlon, Tony Kelly and Peter Duggan will all be assigned markers and there will be lots of back-up too because Wexford need to limit the impact of that trio. If they succeed, they can book a semi-final place.