How far off the standard of Limerick hurling are the Cork hurlers?

BE honest, you felt a sense of inevitability after 25 minutes of Limerick’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final victory over Galway last Saturday evening.

By their own high standards, a rocky start had the reigning All-Ireland champions six points down heading towards the interval.

True, we have seen Limerick start slowly before but Galway’s intensity and ability to pick off scores had the Connacht county’s supporters believing the impossible might just be possible.

Brian Concannon’s goal-bound shot would have stretched Galway’s lead to nine but for Mikey Casey’s instinctive block.

If felt like a turning point and it was. Yet it wasn’t the game’s most important turning point.

At one stage in the midst of Galway’s best spell, goalkeeper Nicky Quaid called for medical assistance. That offered John Kiely and Paul Kinnerk an opportunity to get information on to the pitch.

This was at a time Limerick was struggling to deliver their usual controlled performance at the back, in midfield or up front.

Quaid recovered but the chance for Limerick to draw breath, reset and up the tempo was pivotal.

A couple of minor tactical tweaks and positional alterations later, and Limerick eventually changed ends a point behind.

Following that, the All-Ireland champions simply blew Galway away in the second period.

That’s what all great champions do. If and when things start going against you, somebody does something to stop the clock and allow the chance for a reset.

That gives teammates time to catch their breath whilst simultaneously halting your opponent’s rhythm.

Quaid’s 60-second injury timeout rather than Casey’s goal-line block is what allowed Limerick’s management to get important information out on to the pitch.

Utilising those moments, those turning points, especially at the business end of an All-Ireland championship, are what separates the great from the good.

Nine points down, maybe Limerick would have come back and beaten Galway anyway, maybe not. We will never know.

What’s certain is that the Limerick backroom team’s experience and game-management smarts reset Limerick before kicking for home.

TRUST

‘Trusting the process’ was the mantra repeated by John Kiely in his after-match interviews.

Similar to the All-Ireland champions, Kilkenny underlined their own championship credentials by trusting a similar process the following afternoon.

Brian Lohan’s Clare trailed their opponents by five points at the short whistle.

Buoyed by Éibhear Quilligan’s save to deny TJ Reid a certain goal, the Banner began playing without the restrictions imposed during the opening half.

Going man for man, Clare tore into Kilkenny and outscored the Cats 0-9 to 0-3 in 20 minutes.

Yet, in the midst of a seemingly match-winning onslaught, Kilkenny didn’t bat an eye-lid.

Maintaining their shape and refusing to alter their formation, crucially, Derek Lyng’s side remained calm and waited for an opportunity.

Pouncing on a defensive error, TJ Reid set up Eoin Cody for a goal and, much like Limerick, Kilkenny kicked for home.

True, the eventual winners needed a late Eoin Murphy wonder-save to confirm their victory.

Yet this was a deserved Kilkenny triumph based on cool, calm and collected concentration inside a sometimes frenzied Croke Park cauldron. Towards the end, Clare hurled ferociously and off the cuff. In the same timeframe, Kilkenny purred.

Cork’s hurlers know all about turning points and fine lines following their 2023 Munster SHC exit.

In the space of a week, the Cork senior hurlers lost by a point to both Clare and Limerick.

Despite racking up 3-18 and 1-30 in consecutive games, Pat Ryan’s side ended up exiting the Munster SHC by the slimmest of margins.

PULSATING

Cork seemed to play their best hurling when the pace and tempo of their games were at their highest this past year.

Think back to that pulsating high-scoring Munster SHC draw with Tipperary in the Páirc. Numerous match-winning opportunities presented themselves late in the game and during injury time. Cork were unable to capitalise.

The same was true of those narrow one-point losses to the Banner and All-Ireland champions.

In that Limerick encounter, Cork fought back from a seven-point deficit to move within one score during another frenzied finish.

Again, late chances, most of them hurried or under pressure from defenders went abegging.

With that in mind, Cork will have seen the value of sometimes stalling a game and remaining composed in the most frenzied atmosphere from this past weekend.

A bit more Limerick cuteness and Kilkenny cold-bloodedness will help Pat Ryan’s emerging side take the next step in their evolution.