John Horgan on hurling: Bad news for Cork, Limerick can't be stopped

THERE were times last Sunday when it was an absolute joy to be in Páirc Uí Chaoimh see the Limerick hurlers demolish Kilkenny to add the league trophy to their collection of silverware.

They didn’t shoot the lights out as they have done so many times over the past five seasons or so but when they put their minds to it, they were simply awesome. Conversely, Kilkenny were awful, one of the most lack-lustre performances from a Kilkenny team for many a long day.

Which, of course, begs the question, how they did they take Cork out without any great bother in the semi-final at Nowlan Park?.

That’s not here nor there now and as Limerick headed back to Shannonside the question on the lips of those departing Páirc Uí Chaoimh, all 17, 000 plus of them was, who can measure up to the standards that they are continuously setting from one day to the next.

Over the course of the 70 minutes, this was certainly not one of their greatest performances.

When they were good, they were very good but other times they were sloppy in a lot of things that they did and their wide count was extraordinarily poor.

In fact, it might well be a record for this team since they came to power.

But their performance was more than sufficient to dismantle the challenge from the Cats, doing so without a number of players who will be vital to their cause of making it four-in-a-row of McCarthy Cups.

There was no Declan Hannon, no Kyle Hayes, William O’Donoghue and Tom Morrissey only entering the fray after the interval. The likes of Gearoid Hegarty and Peter Casey did not get on the scoreboard at all but all of that mattered little, once they recovered from a slowish start they moved up a couple of notches and once outstanding corner-back, Barry Nash found himself 100 yards from the house he was minding to drill home an exquisite goal, the writing appeared in block capitals on the wall for Kilkenny.

Nash is, quite rightly, recognised as the best corner-back in the game and his ability to find himself in a very worrying attacking role where the opposition is concerned, is one of his great strengths.

He split the post with a super point as well and the Kilkenny attack as a unit had little or nothing to offer most of the time.

The Kilkenny contingent in the crowd was very sparse and with the two terraces closed, Limerick were as dominant in the stands as they were on the field.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh was in its usual pristine condition and whilst the game as a proper contest never materialised, the decision to play the game at the Cork headquarters was more than justified. 

We had hoped for a thrilling finale to what had been for the most part an underwhelming campaign, the game maybe still in the melting pot entering the final minutes.

But Limerick’s superiority was evident all over the field, they were not at their best but, at the same time, their message was loud and clear, we want it all again this year.

Cork are the only county to have beaten them thus far this season, winning the league opener between the teams by a point.

Who is going to beat them again? In fact, they might well go the rest of the season unbeaten such is the dominant way they are sweeping the opposition aside.

CLEAR

That might be a foolish thing to suggest and all great teams eventually lose at this juncture in time, Limerick appear miles clear of the rest. Some of the scores that were registered on Sunday made the trek down the Marina more than worthwhile.

Aaron Gillane missed a couple of frees but his overall contribution was vast, his goal was a real gem in its invention and execution.

Diarmuid Byrnes sent his first long-range free into the hands of Eoin Murphy but thereafter he fired over some beauties from the placed ball and from open play.

Seamus Flanagan has come a long, long way since he made his debut in Mallow a number of years ago in a Waterford Crystal game against Cork.

He rifled over some sublime points on Sunday, Darragh O’Donovan did likewise. Colin Coughlan and Cathal O’Neill got on the board too as the competition for championship starting places went up another notch or two.

Despite everything, Limerick boss, John Kiely won’t have been satisfied with a few aspects of the performance, most notably the 20-plus wides.

A lot of those wides were registered when the game had run its course as a contest but the perfectionist that is the Limerick boss, will have them working overtime over the next fortnight in ensuring that number is not reached again.

Next up for the country’s best team is a Munster championship opener with the team who preceded them as league champions, Waterford.

We all know what happened thereafter with Waterford’s championship hopes and they were not the first team to suffer that fate after winning the secondary competition.

However, the likelihood of that happening to this Limerick team is very highly unlikely.

Davy Fitzgerald will relish the challenge with his Waterford charges, that’s the way that he is, going in as massive underdogs and answering all the pundits who will be in Limerick’s corner Waterford’s home games are in Thurles this season because Walsh Park is out of bounds and that might actually work in their favour.

Against Cork last season, Walsh Park gave them nothing and it did not suit their style of play.

When the time comes we’ll delve a little deeper into what might transpire that day but right now all the portents are firmly pointing in Limerick’s direction.

They have got what they wanted out of the league, ended up winning it but when they go back into the Gaelic Grounds tonight to focus on the Waterford challenge, the league campaign will hardly be mentioned.

Kiely will certainly want more clinical finishing but for now this Limerick squad and that’s a word to emphasise is in a very strong place.