When you play a team twice in the same championship the danger is overthinking. Cork caught Limerick cold in the first half in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, hitting them with stuff they weren’t expecting. That approach can’t have the same effect again, but if it suits Cork best they would be foolish to bend themselves out of shape. Cork must be clear about this: what suits them?
We know Limerick don’t change for anybody. They made adjustments in the second half against Cork to reduce the space behind their half-back line, but they don’t compromise their fundamental shape or principles of play for any opponent. Everybody knows what Limerick are going to do and they’re comfortable with that.
The important thing for Cork is to be clear in their own minds about a game plan and have the courage to stick to it. The chances of coming up with a tactical variation that will give them the same dominance they had in the first half a couple of months ago are very slim, but they can’t afford to play the game on Limerick’s terms either. That was the key thing about the Munster championship match; when Cork were on top they dictated the terms.
Cork’s strength is attacking. We didn’t see that against Offaly and Dublin in the last two games when they were strangely flat, but it was clear in their last three Munster championship games. They have pace in their attack and a consistent goal threat but, unlike other Cork forward lines over the years, they also have players who can attack the ball in the air: Brian Hayes, Alan Connolly, Seamus Harnedy and Declan Dalton.
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Dalton will be on Kyle Hayes’s wing so there won’t be any puck-outs going down that side. In the Páirc, they went after Diarmuid Byrnes and they also tried to fly the ball over Declan Hannon. In the first half that worked, spectacularly. Limerick won’t allow that to happen again so if Cork go long – which is their preference – their forwards will have to come up with possession under serious pressure. This is the stress test for them. Handy ball won’t be available.
Limerick have a lot in their favour. Croke Park has been a home away from home for them in John Kiely’s time. It looks like there will be a full house on Sunday and the noise will be incredible. When there’s a crowd in Croke Park communication on the field becomes a huge issue. I remember games where you’d be shouting at someone five yards away. There wasn’t a hope of hearing anything from the sideline unless you were playing at wing back or wing forward, right in front of them.
In that environment Limerick have a huge advantage. Their system is so drilled and so familiar that everyone knows where they need to be. In the All-Ireland semi-final last year, when Galway had them under pressure in the first 25 minutes, a lot was made of Nickie Quaid throwing off his helmet and looking for treatment. The Limerick management were able to get some messages on to the pitch and they steadied the ship before half-time.
I thought the importance of that was overstated at the time. With this year’s rule change, taking off your helmet to force a stoppage is no longer an option. There are massive restrictions on water carriers or anybody else running on to the field. During the Munster championship Kiely and Pat Ryan both complained about how hard it was to get word into the players.
But for a team with Limerick’s experience, that is less of a problem. It’s so hard to communicate verbally on big days in Croke Park that sometimes you’re depending on body language, or even just a look. If you’ve played with someone for a long time you know their preferences and their tendencies and you don’t need to get an instruction or give an instruction. Limerick are in that place. Under pressure that kind of thing matters.
I can’t see Cork catching them again. The other semi-final, though, is harder to call. For this Clare team, this is their best chance of winning an All-Ireland and probably their last chance. Down the spine of the team they have players coming towards the end of their careers. Put it this way, I don’t think Clare are going to be in a better position next year.
They’ve already lost three Munster finals in a row to Limerick. If they lose three All-Ireland semi-finals in a row to Kilkenny I’m not sure how they could come back from that. They need to stand up now, before it’s too late.
The match-ups will be fascinating. If Tony Kelly starts at centrefield, does Mikey Butler follow him out there? If Shane O’Donnell starts at 14, Huw Lawlor will pick him up, but if he pops up in the half-forward line does Lawlor follow him out? Or do Kilkenny decide that O’Donnell is Clare’s key player now and put Butler on him?
At the other end, I imagine Adam Hogan will mark Eoin Cody, and if TJ Reid starts at 14 Conor Cleary will pick him up. But what will they do about Adrian Mullen? Against Dublin in the Leinster final, and in the first half of the league final against Clare, he was virtually unmarkable.
With a player like that you can’t go zonal and trust your half-backs and centre fielders to pass him on. You need somebody who is prepared to sacrifice their own game and follow him everywhere. Conor Leen is still a young player and comparatively inexperienced but he’s having a brilliant season and I think he could be a good fit for that role. But that would take him out of corner-back and maybe Clare wouldn’t want that.
Tactically, this will be a big test for Brian Lohan and his management team. They didn’t get it right in the All-Ireland semi-final last year when they went with a sweeper in the first half, out of the blue. They weren’t sharp on the line either in the Munster final this year. They can’t afford to get this one wrong.
I fancied Clare for this game last year but I’m not convinced about them now. It’s harder to have doubts about Kilkenny.
