Talking points as Limerick seek first Munster Football final berth since 2010

Limerick travel to Pairc Ui Rinn to take on Cork this Saturday night looking to reach a first Munster final since 2010.

Three weeks ago Limerick picked up a first Munster Championship football victory in seven years when they defeated Tipperary in Thurles with Billy Lee’s side looking to build on the momentum from that game.

Ahead of the highly anticipated semi-final we look at the main talking points.

Can Limerick repeat the performance?

In the Munster quarter-final, Limerick were relatively cautious in the opening half in Semple Stadium. Little was expected of Limerick who hadn’t won a championship game since 2012 with that coming against Waterford, by far the weakest county in the Province.

However, after the turn of the half, Limerick stormed into the game scoring two goals in quick succession before easing to a deserved seven-point victory. The performance was rightly lauded nationwide as Division 4 Limerick defeated Division 2 Tipperary.

For Limerick, a similar display will be needed in Pairc Ui Rinn on Saturday evening with manager Billy Lee confident of such.

However, the Newcastle West man admitted that his side got the rub of the green in Semple Stadium, something which deserted his side during the National League and will be hoping his side can create their own luck again this Saturday.

“If you keep knocking on doors, you will get your breaks and it balances out over time.”

“On the day lets hope we can perform again and find an extra percentage of improvement in the performance like most championship teams that go on a winning streak do.”

Vulnerable Cork

Prior to the quarter-final between Limerick and Tipperary in Semple stadium, I wrote that I felt that Tipperary were vulnerable after suffering relegation to the third tier of the National Football league. Just two years after being promoted to Division 2, Liam Kearns men only picked up a solitary win during the Spring campaign.

For Cork, the league didn’t bode much better as despite winning a game more than Tipperary, they were also relegated to the third tier. Cork’s form over the past number of years is very worrying for the 2010 All-Ireland champions who last won a Munster title back in 2012.

While Kerry have become the sole juggernaut in Munster football, it has arguably been Tipperary and Clare that have been consistently the second best side in the Province in the last five years.

Once again Limerick will enter the game as underdogs, but Cork will be wary of the threat Billy Lee’s side pose. Yet, Lee isn’t getting ahead of himself with Limerick’s last championship victory over Cork coming almost two decades ago.

“But we have to put things in perspective. In my memory we haven’t beat Cork since 2003, that’s 16 long years… so that will keep everyone’s feet on the floor, that’s for sure.”

Goals will be crucial again

At half-time in Semple Stadium, Limerick and Tipperary were deadlocked at 0-8 each with neither side gaining the foothold in the opening period. Tipperary had much more of the possession but weren’t as clinical as Limerick who had half the number of wides than their hosts.

Early in the second half, the game was finely poised before Limerick joint captain Iain Corbett grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck scoring the opening goal from centre-back. A couple of minutes later Cillian Fahy had Limerick’s second a suddenly Limerick were seven points ahead, from where they wouldn’t surrender the lead with Peter Nash’s goal canceling out Michael Quinlavin’s strike.

In Pairc Ui Rinn, if Limerick were to get a goal early on, it would not only settle the nerves, but also unsettle the Cork team and crowd who will be well aware of the danger Limerick now pose going forward with an attack minded defence and attack under Billy Lee with the manager himself saying ahead of the game,

“Goals do win games”.

Can Limerick handle the expectations?

After the Limerick hurlers were beaten by Cork in the Gaelic Grounds in the Munster Championship opener, any newfound GAA supporters would have been forgiven in thinking that football was the county’s first sport. Yet, the pressure is now on the hurlers who play their second Munster championship game in Walsh Park the afternoon after the footballers play the Munster semi-final.

After the hurler’s loss, there is an added incentive but also pressure on the footballers to succeed with John Kiely’s charges facing an uphill battle to get out of Munster. After the Tipperary performance, there is an expectation on Lee’s men that they can go out and take Cork head on and reach a first Munster final in almost a decade.

For years, the footballers were seen by some as second class citizens in Limerick GAA circles, but this game against Cork gives them a chance to prove the doubters wrong.