Treaty can win a battle

IT says something about him and them that victory over them remains the mark of absolute quality. A victory over Cody and Kilkenny almost immediately elevates you a cut above the rest, even now in what must be considered a transition period for the black and amber.

We’ll admit that after our earlier enthusiasm for the Treaty, a certain amount of doubt crept into our minds off the back of their defeat at the hands of the Banner in Cusack Park.

Defeat was understandable in a way given how that Munster campaign played out – rest and home advantage were hugely determinative of who was going to win on any given day – still for a team seeking to establish itself to have momentum checked like that can be devastating.

John Kiely’s men, however, have bounced back magnificently from that disappointment. There’s a real resilience to this present bunch of Limerick hurlers that can only be encouraging of anybody with a soft spot for them.

Even in the game with Kilkenny they showed that sort of resolve. How many teams have crumbled under the pressure when Kilkenny score a goal down the stretch and start to turn the screws?

This Limerick are a different beast compared to Limerick teams of old. They’ve got the power and the pace to live with anybody. They’ve got the mental fortitude to stand toeto-toe with anybody left in this championship and they’ve got some marvellous hurlers. Strictly speaking they probably don’t have the class and the skill of this Cork outfit – few do – but we’d nevertheless be leaning in their direction for this weekend’s All Ireland semi-final.

If it’s a hurling game then, yes, Cork should win, but Limerick are clever enough not to allow Cork hurl the way they did against Clare in the second half of the Munster final.

Another thing Limerick have going in their favour is that they played more recently than Cork have done – there’s a reason Munster champions have a terrible record in All Ireland semi-finals. The gap between games isn’t as long as it used to be under this new system, but it still might be just enough to tip the scales in favour of the Treaty. It might not be Limerick’s year – Galway look imperious at the minute – but we do think they’ll go all the way to this year’s final.