Cian Lynch & Jamie Barron, silverware and more talking points ahead of League final

Limerick meet Waterford this Sunday in the National League hurling final, their first appearance at this stage since 2006.

Limerick have not won this competition since 1997 when they defeated Galway and will enter the game as favourites having topped Division 1A on thier return to the top tier after a near decade absence.

Waterford however have beaten Clare, Dublin and Galway on their way to the decider and will take beating on Sunday.

Ahead of the game we look at some of the key talking points.

Return to Croke Park

For both sets of fans and players, the memories of the last time these sides each played in Croke Park will bring back very different emotions. For Limerick, 19 August 2018 will invoke a recollection of wonderful memories as Limerick secured their first All-Ireland title in 45 years at the expense of Galway.

As for Waterford, twelve months prior to Limerick’s success, they found themselves at the opposite end after being beaten by Galway to prolong their then 59-year wait for All-Ireland glory.

Waterford followed up their journey to Croke Park with a dismal championship campaign that didn’t account for any wins in Munster and saw them limp out of the championship in June, bringing an end to Derek McGrath’s term in charge which produced a final place and a brace of semi-final appearances but no Liam McCarthy cup.

New manager Pauric Fanning will be keen to lay out a marker against the current All-Ireland champions as they look to reacquaint themselves with the hallowed turf at HQ.

Limerick’s team selection

This Spring John Kiely has given game time to 33 members of his squad thus far with the likes of Conor Boylan, William O’Meara, Aaron Costello and Robbie Hanley making their competitive debuts for their county. Kiely has continuously given game time to fringe members of his squad as he tries to further bolster arguably the best squad in Ireland.

However, in the League semi-final Kiely reverted to the tried and tested with twelve of the All-Ireland XV starting against Dublin in Nowlan Park. Furthermore, Mike Casey and Seamus Flanagan were both introduced during the game with Declan Hannon the only one to miss out as he rehabs from injury.

With the league final the last competitive game before the resumption of the Munster championship, it will be intriguing to see what team Kiely names with a potential for the exact same fifteen that started against Galway to begin the game for the Treaty county in Croke Park

Cian Lynch x Jamie Barron

Cian Lynch was named Hurler of the Year for 2018 after some eye catching performances as Limerick clinched the All-Ireland. The previous year Jamie Barron was the tour de force midfielder in the country and had Waterford claimed the Liam MacCarthy trophy, there is no doubting that the Fourmilewater man would have won HOTY after some imperious displays for the Déise.

Last summer these two clashed, but an out-of-sorts Barron replicated his teams performance as Limerick had thirteen points to spare in their Munster championship clash in the Gaelic Grounds. While Limerick would go onto succeed all expectations, Waterford exited the championship as an overhaul was completed.

The long winter and Division 1B hurling has brought life back into this Waterford team and noticeable Barron who has looked back to his best this spring. Despite diminutive in stature, he covers every blade of grass and is as deceptive a hurler as you’re likely to see, well maybe apart from Lynch who always seems to have time on the sliotar, a trait associated with the very best.

Limerick’s style of play sees a huge congestion in the middle of the park with the half forward line retreating to leave space for the inside forwards. As such between both 45s becomes a war zone with Lynch so adept at winning ball from rucks making him an integral component to Kiely’s system. If Barron can disrupt Lynch’s game and simultaneously impose his skill on proceedings, it will go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game.

Their clash alone is worth the entrance fee alone.

First league title since ’97 on offer

The All-Ireland Hurling Championship is every team’s priority at the beginning of each year. Holding Liam MacCarthy aloft at the summer’s end is every team’s ultimate goal. Limerick climbed the mountain in August and are desperate to do so again this year in an attempt to counteract 45-years of anguish.

Yet, this Sunday will be of the utmost importance for John Kiely and his team as they seek a first League title since 1997. Any game that Kiely sends his side out is as important as the last as this Limerick rarely overlooks an opponent such is their professional manner.

Winning is a habit and Limerick look to have developed this habit since the beginning of 2017. In their 22 games since the start of the league last year against Laois, Limerick have won 17 of those, with two draws and just three defeats, of which only one was a knockout game, the loss to Tipperary in the League semi-final.

While a good league campaign can often disguise a teams problems come championship time, a win on Sunday against the League champions of 2015 can go a long way in cementing Limerick’s place as the team to beat come this summer.