GAA
While it was far from their vintage best, John Kiely’s Limerick side moved into the 2020 All-Ireland final by virtue of a 0-27 to 0-24 win over Galway in Croke Park yesterday.
Limerick were made to work against Shane O’Neill’s side but had three to spare down the stretch as they advance to the final against Waterford in two weeks time.
In what was an enthralling semi-final tie, check out some of the key talking points below.
Limerick grind it out
In the Munster quarter and semi-final clashes, Limerick were at their imperious best, clipping over a combined 3-59 in those contests for an average winning margin of 11-points against Clare and Tipperary respectively.
However, like the Munster final against the Deise, yesterday’s performance was a battling one with Limerick having to work extremely hard to get over the line.
In the aftermath, Kiley admitted as much as he said his side had to “grind it out.”
While Limerick did look like pulling away when they went five clear with just over ten minutes to play, Galway dragged themselves back into the contest and levelled in additional time.
In the end, a string of scores from Tom Morrissey would prove crucial as Limerick outlasted the spirited Tribesmen.
The Shannonsider’s performance was littered with uncharacteristic errors but champions know how to win and this side certainly proved that in an empty Croke Park.
Tom Morrissey stands up when most needed
As mentioned above, one of the key differences between the sides was the performance of Tom Morrissey who stood up when things mattered most.
As they did in last year’s semi-final, Limerick struggled in the early exchanges and some errant shooting saw them trail 0-3 to 0-0 inside five minutes.
Morrissey would grab his sides first score after nine minutes and repeated the trick moments later as he halved the deficit to 0-4 to 0-2.
As Limerick began to get a foothold in the game, Morrissey would be on hand to level proceedings at 0-8 apiece.
The Ahane man would find himself on the periphery for large parts of the remainder of normal time as the sides went toe to toe and he will rue his easy miss towards the end of the 70.
However, when things were in the melting pot, Morrissey was the man to drag Limerick over the finish line.
The sides were level at 0-24 each on 75 minutes before Tom picked off an excellent score from an acute angle.
Adrian Breen and Fintan Burke would exchange scores before Morrissey was on hand to intercept a puck out and drive over from midfield.
He would ten step up to the free-taking mantle in Aaron Gillane’s absence to move Limerick three clear with the last score of the day.
When the need was most, Morrissey was the man for the occasion as he finished with a personal haul of 0-6 which included Limerick first pair of scores and three of their last four.
Half lines come up trumps
While Tom Morrissey deservedly garnered plenty of praise for his exploits in Croke Park, he was not alone in the half-forward line with Gearoid Hegarty and Cian Lynch both playing their part in the victory.
Hegarty added to his increasing case for the Hurler of the Year gong with 0-4 from play and a heap more created with his size and intellect proving impossible for the Galway rearguard to halt.
Lynch was resigned to winning ball in the first period but notched back to back scores in the third quarter as Limerick began to flex their muscles.
In total, Morrissey, Hegarty and Lynch accounted for 0-12 with 11 of those efforts coming from play.
Their counterparts in the half-back line were equally impressive in helping to stifle what is a dangerous Galway unit.
Diarmaid Byrnes has quietly gone about his business this Winter and has barely put a foot wrong. He fetched a number of Galway puckouts and contributed another 0-3 to bring his championship tally for 2020 up to 0-11 with just four of those coming from placed balls.
Declan Hannon’s work largely goes unnoticed as he anchor’s the Limerick defence that has rarely looked like conceding goals this season with the captain grabbing a fantastic point just prior to the break.
However, Limerick’s most consistent performer in Croke Park was Kyle Hayes with the Kildimo Pallaskenry man a constant thorn in the Galway side. His athleticism is unmatched and he demonstrated this with a couple of blistering runs down the touchline.
Every game he plays at wing back further justifies Kiely’s decision to employ him there. A joy to watch yesterday.
Impact off the bench (again)
Every game, the value of Limerick’s extremely competitive side is furthered as the replacements yesterday played their part in ensuring Limerick would advance to a second All-Ireland final in three years.
Peter Casey, who was left out of the starting line-up despite a string of impressive displays in the starting XV made his claim to be starting the decider as he was everywhere in his cameo on the field.
The Na Piarsaigh man would be a guaranteed starter for every other county but John Kiely has the luxery of releasing the forward from the bench to devestating effect, as was seen yesterday.
Casey picked off a pair of scores and set up a couple of more in an all action half hour on the pitch.
His clubmate Adrian Breen was the beneficiary of one of those assists as he picked up a point as he did against Waterford in the provincial final. David Reidy was very unlucky not to grab a goal with Eanna Murphy pulling off a wonderful save.
Pat Ryan had limited time on the pitch as did Paddy O’Loughlin but again it epitomises the options that Kiely has at his disposal with the likes of David Dempsey, Conor Boylan and Richie English unused substitutes.
Whoever Kiely picks to start the final, he will know there is an abundance of finishers raring to go whenever they are called upon.
Biggest test to date lies ahead.
For the first time ever, Limerick will meet Waterford in the All-Ireland final on Sunday December 13.
While it will be novel final, the sides met in the Munster hurling final earlier this month with Limerick winning out by four points in the end.
However, the Treaty will be facing a completely different outfit in a fortnight’s time with the Deise putting in a sensational display in their quarter-final win over Clare before delivering an outstanding second half to overcome Kilkenny in the semi on Saturday evening.
While the win over Cork in the Munster semi will have given them hope heading into the provincial final, those wins over Clare and Kilkenny will instill a genuine belief in Liam Cahills side that they can overcome the Limerick juggernaut.
If the sides repeat their weekend performances in the final, it’s Waterford’s to lose.
But, Limerick have yet to really hit full titl in this year’s championship.
Regardless, it promises to be a cracking final.
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