Cork v Limerick: Referee Fergal Horgan has a key role at Croke Park

WHETHER you agree with the decision or not, Limerick forward Peter Casey having his red card against Waterford rescinded was a massive boost for the All-Ireland champions.

The Na Piarsaigh attacker struck 0-10 from play in his three games this summer and was a real handful in every outing. In the Munster semi-final win over Cork in July he gave away a penalty for pulling down Conor Cahalane but when he returned from the sin bin caused Niall O'Leary real problems.

He has a wonderful touch and great balance, and his diminutive size offers something differing in an otherwise towering Treaty front six. With Graeme Mulcahy in the latter stages of an amazing inter-county career, Casey nailed down a starting berth after being the go-to bench option in attack last winter. 

Video evidence was used by the Central Hearings Committee to overturn his dismissal for a clash off the ball with Conor Gleeson, the fiery Waterford defender. Referee John Keenan flashed Casey a red card in the 60th minute last Saturday on the basis of information from his umpires, the ultimate decision was that it wasn't enough to prove Casey had headbutted Gleeson. 

The majority of hurling supporters will be satisfied to see the 24-year-old in the parade at Croke Park on Sunday. He's a wristy, classy hurler, capable of dazzling points from the tightest of angles.

What isn't up for debate though, is that Limerick have hurled close to the edge and beyond it in their three games to date. 

There are echoes of the Kilkenny machine at its relentless peak in the manner they blow teams away on the scoreboard, but also in how physically they maul them.

Their most high-profile indiscretions were in the Munster final comeback demolition of Tipperary; Seamus Flanagan and Aaron Gillane were both extremely lucky not to be sent off in that second half. There were a few flashpoints against Cork too, though to be fair to Kieran Kingston and his selectors, it wasn't an issue after.

It's not a new development, with Gillane red-carded back in the 2018 round-robin draw with Cork in the Páirc, and Gearóid Hegarty, despite his Hurler of the Year brilliance in 2020, being heavily criticised on social media for how many fouls he committed in each game.

Referee Fergal Horgan will be in the spotlight on Sunday more than ever after Casey was freed to play because the whole country will be watching how hard Limerick hit, or more pertinently how hard they're allowed to hit.

Horgan took charge of the Cork and Kilkenny semi-final and called it fairly, while still allowing the intensity we expect from elite hurling at the business end of the championship. 

Cork are without man-marker Ger Millerick who started all four games but was withdrawn before half-time of the win over Kilkenny with a hamstring injury.  

Their primary defensive concern has to be coping with Limerick's brawn without coughing up too many frees or allowing the type of soft goals that cost them in the Munster semi.