This Limerick side does not know how to lose
WHO really wants to win the National League now? My gut feeling is that any counties who have secured their Division 1A status for next year are delighted — but less gung-ho about actually going to win the thing outright.
Kilkenny are one of those teams where it’s in their nature to want to win every year. Limerick had their easy matches early on and the competition has opened up lovely for them.
And yesterday showed again why they are the team to beat — and aren’t going to give up their status of champions without a fight.
I don’t think they’ll pull their punches from here. It’s a mindset with this team. They want to win every time they go out. The great Kilkenny team had it as well.
Go back to Nicky English as well when he took charge of Tipperary.
In 2001, he went out to win every trophy with Tipperary.
And this Limerick team just doesn’t seem to know how to lose — even playing with 14 men for most of yesterday’s finalround game.
Here was a Limerick selection with half the first team missing. Down a man before half-time. Down by three points. And still Galway couldn’t beat them.
Henry Shefflin’s side will be very disappointed. We’ve seen it all before, how a sending off can unsettle a team. They were playing really well with 15 versus 15, were on top. When Limerick went down to 14, Galway went into their shell. Only scored five points after half-time.
In the second half, they didn’t try to work the ball up the field. Gave it to Padraic Mannion again and again to go long.
Limerick’s comeback was down to the changes they made. Diarmaid Byrnes hit frees from five attempts. Watching it live in the conditions at Pearse Stadium in Salthill where it was wet and windy, I thought he set the tone. Was superb.
Will O’Donoghue as well when he came on.
Adam English really put his hand up, hitting four from play up front before switching to midfield in the second half and grabbing another score.
When the pressure came on, Galway hit some poor wides. Tom Monaghan missed a few and the draw will raise more doubt in the mind. Especially as Limerick are only going to get strong.
A player like Diarmaid Byrnes wants to be in the team every day. Tommy Walsh was one of those for Kilkenny — whether it was Walsh Cup, National League or championship, he always wanted to be there.
It’s when you see Limerick in the flesh that you really see their movement.
Against Tipperary down in Cork, Cian Lynch was back pulling the strings and causing havoc at centre-forward. That day, they brought on Tom Morrissey and Adam English, which shows the quality off the bench. Were just flawless.
I was taken by Donncha Ó Dálaigh. He said, ‘I’m going to be on this team come championship’. Tom Morrissey said, ‘No, I am’. When Peter Casey was taken off, he wasn’t happy. He understands the stakes, the level of competition. And he took a belt yesterday from David Burke that didn’t look good.
Declan Hannon was back but they are still missing the likes of Seán Finn, so they are in a lovely position. Last year, they went and won the league. Were a bit sluggish then early on in championship, were nearly caught and knocked out of Munster.
A team that won four All-Irelands in a row had 17 or 18 players that they relied on. Now the panel looks even stronger.
Players like Cathal O’Neill are still growing.
To me, Limerick and Kilkenny look like the two teams fighting it out for the League.
It smacks of the Brian Cody-Kilkenny era when they had 20 good players. Won All-Irelands with AllStars on the bench.
At the moment, it looks ominous for the rest of the country.
AS THE group stage wrapped up, I’m a fan of Division 1 going back to just seven teams in the top flight and the next seven in what is going to be called Division 1B (though I don’t understand why they wouldn’t just call it Division 2).
I would have been a big advocate of the change from an Offaly perspective. This year again, we have seen there is a gulf between the top six or seven teams and the rest. Offaly had a good result against Wexford and pushed Kilkenny but Cork showed there is another level. Counties like Cork have the panels, the numbers, the size, to cope with a rush of games close together.
I was a huge fan of Keith Rossiter as a player and he has brought a quiet determination to Wexford.
Rossiter has introduced a number of new players who have stood up. As for Waterford? I don’t know what is going on in the county. Ballygunner looked by far and away the best club team in the country. They just got caught in the semi-final — I don’t want to take away from St Thomas’ who were deserving champions.
I don’t think things are fully right. Missing out on the top flight next year is a bit of a blow as well. They are one of the teams who will be looking for a big bounce come Munster championship.