Lessons and questions for Cork from the All-Ireland hurling final 

Two similar thoughts came to mind while watching the All-Ireland final wind to a close.

What must Clare, having come so close to eliminating Limerick in the semi-final, be thinking as they watched the Shannonsiders’ cruise to the title?

And then, what must Cork, having fallen to a Galway avalanche, be thinking as they watched the Tribesmen slump to a landslide defeat?

They must’ve been kicking themselves as the 70 minutes served to hammer home the opportunity wasted to contest a third consecutive final.

Galway were magnificent to sweep aside a vulnerable Cork team, but how easily Limerick negated the Westerners underlined how weak the Rebel effort was.

In the post-match press conference, John Kiely’s first port of call was to pay an extensive tribute to his right-hand man, Paul Kinnerk, for masterminding the triumph.

“To produce that level of performance in a final takes an incredible level of preparation. Paul deserves an incredible amount of credit for the manner in which he had the team prepared,” said the Limerick manager.

“Galway bring a very difficult tactical challenge to the table, and we've seen in the last two games what that can look like when you don't control it or impact it in any way.

“It is a credit to Paul how we were able to gain control of the game, keep control of the game, and limit Galway in the areas that they're strongest in. It was just extraordinary, the detail that he got to and how he nailed it.” 

Kiely also lauded his players’ level of tactical intelligence and capacity to absorb detail as “a very rare quality in elite sport”.

Whether it was Cork’s game plan that was lacking or its execution must be conclusively diagnosed in the season review across the coming weeks.

By contrast to Cork, Limerick refused to follow Galway out the field, restricting Jason Rabbitte’s space. They simultaneously condensed the centre to suffocate Galway’s distance shooters. The space was left for Aaron Gillane and Peter Casey to exploit at the other end.

Yet Kinnerk’s masterplan wasn’t so much a triumph of tactics as work-rate. They hounded Galway across that middle-third battlefield, simply refusing to let maroon jerseys move through the lines. Opponents had to absorb big hits until the sliotar was knocked to the ground, where Limerick gobbled up the breaks.

“That bunch of men, their identity is based around how hard they work, on the training field, in matches, and how committed they are to doing the right thing for the group at all times,” said Kiely. “That's what it takes. That's what they're willing to give. That's what makes them special.” 

Over-reliant

Leaving aside placed balls, the ‘from play’ scoreline of 1-23 to 0-8 encapsulated the difference between the sides. Like Cork in the Munster final, Galway were utterly reliant on frees.

When they got back-to-back points early on, Limerick came up with big plays to reply with the next four in a row; a puck-out catch for an immediate response, followed by two intercept points and an overcarrying free.

Where were the big plays, the pressure on the sliotar, and the leadership to break Galway’s momentum as they took Cork for nine successive points?

Where Cork let Galway back into the contest before half-time, Limerick shut them out with the final three points before heading back down the tunnel.

One difference in Limerick’s approach was the manner in which they navigated Mike Casey’s 10th-minute yellow card for a third foul on Rabbitte.

Kiely has previously hooked Diarmaid Byrnes and Adam English in games against Waterford in the past two seasons for picking up a yellow followed by a warning. Cork have encountered the same scenario on multiple occasions across Pat Ryan and Ben O’Connor’s tenures, with Damien Cahalane the latest to suffer on Rabbitte. Seán O’Donoghue’s Munster final withdrawal was even more costly.

With Mike Casey, Kiely quickly reshuffled his match-ups and the corner-back played on until the final quarter.

While Galway were overpowered across the field, it was interesting that the U20 duo of Rabbitte and Aaron Niland were two of their top performers and their only scorers in the first half, while fellow rookie, Darragh Neary, was their best on show in the second half.

At the end of the year, three of Limerick’s top four scorers from play were their fresher faces: Cathal O’Neill, Aidan O’Connor, Peter Casey, and Shane O’Brien. Rabbitte, Niland, Neary, and injury-victim Rory Burke accounted for nine Galway goals this year.

William Buckley and Barry Walsh would sit comfortably in that company. If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.

Ultimately, Cork are closer than anyone to Limerick – indeed, they were the only team to better them in 13 games since their season opener – but that doesn’t mean Liam MacCarthy is closer to a Leeside return.

The greatest compliment to Limerick is that they, again, brought their best on the biggest day. Cork must find a way to do the same.