Plenty of discussion points as Na Piarsaigh secure fifth title

Na Piarsaigh secured their fifth county title on Saturday night with a 2-22 to 3-10 victory over Doon under lights in the Gaelic Grounds. For Doon it was a first county final in eighteen years as Na Piarsaigh displayed their quality to retain the Daly Cup for the first time in their history. With the Munster club hurling championship on the horizon we look at the key talking points from the game.

Na Piarsaigh’s experience proves key

Conceding goals within the first minute of any half can be difficult to recover from. To do so in both halves and still win out comfortably in a county final is telling of Na Piarsaigh’s experience. Despite the concession of two sucker punch goals, the reigning champions never looked flustered against a gutsy Doon side. Na Piarsaigh, like they have done all championship didn’t go looking for goals but instead relied on their scoring ability to keep the scoreboard ticking and struck their goals when the opportunity clearly presented itself.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, the sides found themselves level, but three unanswered scores before the break saw Na Piarsaigh take a commanding position they wouldn’t lose. Panic is something alien to this Na Piarsaigh and this was demonstrated once more on Saturday evening. Their goals also served as a reminder of their undoubted class. The build up for Adrian Bbreen’s goal excellent team goal was only bettered by David Dempsey’s first time volley to the back of the net

Plenty for Doon to build on

While every teams aim is to win a county title, a first final appearance in eighteen years shows serious progression for this youthful Doon side. It is little consolation, but losing to this Na Piarsaigh team, who are arguably the standard bearers in Ireland is nothing to be ashamed of. Doon have shown signs this summer that they will be around the top of Limerick hurling for a long time to come with ample quality young players at their disposal. With four All Ireland winners in their ranks, Doon will look to next year to build on what has been a successful season.

They will learn from Saturday’s experience where they may have been a slight bit naive against Na Piarsaigh. Against such a quality outfit, wides can be severely demoralising and Doon were guilty of a couple when the game was finely balanced. Yet with the experience of a decider under their belt, Doon will be keen to return to this stage next year and it would be no surprise to see them do so.

William O’Donoghue-Player of the Championship

O’Donoghue would have seen himself as unlucky to miss out on a starting berth in John Kiely’s starting XV throughout the All Ireland championship with Na Piarsaigh’s run to the All Ireland final probably counting against him. Yet, he was a key cog for his county, introduced in each game and playing his part in midfield to a tee. Then, when Paul Beary was announced as new Na Piarsaigh manager, one of his first appointments was to make O’Donoghue captain of the side and move him to centre-back on the Na Piarsaigh team.

What has followed has been a string of exemplary displays that has seen O’Donoghue as head and shoulders above all else as Player of the Championship. His athletic ability has never been disputed with size, strength and speed in abundance. However, his reading of the game from no.6 has been mesmerizing at times as he has anchored an extremely rigid defence. As a captain, O’Donoghue has led by example and will look to continue so into the Munster campaign.

Lots for John Kiely to ponder

This year, more than ever proved that hurling is a team game with Limerick’s subs vital on their All Ireland journey. On Saturday evening, several of John Kiely’s reserves put their hand up for starting berths with Pat Ryan and Barry Murphy accounting for 2-8 between them. For Na Piarsaigh,  Peter Casey hit 0-3 from play, David Dempsey struck 1-1 while Will O’Donoghue was arguably Man of the Mach.

Yet, many outside the panel also continued to shine. Adrian Breen cemented his place as the deadliest forward in club hurling with 1-2, Alan Dempsey notched 0-4 from midfield while Doon’s Dean Coleman accounted for 1-2. 19-Year-Old Mikey O’Brien has been a revelation at centre back for Doon all summer and is another that will have caught Kiely’s eye, as will Jerome Boylan who at such a young age has never seemed out of depth on the all conquering Na Piarsaigh team. With the standard of Limerick at an all time high, John Kiely has plenty of decisions to make as Limerick look to retain their title.

Na Piarsaigh look forward to Munster

As Paul Beary alluded to in his post match interview, Na Piarsaigh were not just defending their county title on Saturday but also their Munster crown. In their four Munster campaigns to date, Na Piarsaigh are yet to taste defeat with titles secured in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. An All-Ireland triumph followed in 2015 while Cuala defeated them at the final hurdle earlier this year.

The Caherdavin club’s reputation at the highest level is undisputed and with Cuala unable to make it out of Dublin, Na Piarsaigh are firm favourites to regain the all Ireland title. Yet, the small matter of Munster is still to be navigated. They will face Tipperary’s Clonoulty-Rossmore in Munster next weekend knowing any complacency will see them knocked out. However, they will also know that should they play to their potential, Munster title number five is a very real possibility.