Hurling inter county championship

[Mickmack]

Huge opportunity for Waterford to reach the final. KK played well for half an hour v Dublin and about the same v Galway. At the end of both games everyone manned up and did the right and cute things to win the game. So Waterford will have to go for the juggular early and try to be well ahead towards the end.

Hutchinson at corner forward appears to have an instinct for goals which could be crucial. KK know Croker like the back of their hand and Waterford dont. KK expect to win. Waterford will have to do likewise.



The weather could be the big factor in Limerick v Galway. Limerick like to work the ball via a necklace of passes via hand and hurley and that could come a cropper in wind and rain. Galway were lucky enough to beat Tipp. The harsh second yellow card for Barrett tipped the scales Galways way. If the weather is anyway ok i think Limerick may prevail. If not then Galway may win.

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Fear won’t be a factor as Waterford get their licence to thrill

Stephen Bennett sees a newfound confidence as they prepare for semi-final with Kilkenny

Ian O'Riordan
about 3 hours ago
0

Simple numbers tell a lot about Waterford’s progress to Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final when they’ve already won more championship matches during the intensity of the pandemic winter than they managed in the previous two summers of round-robin hurling.

That doesn’t just bring progress too, but brings considerable confidence, forward Stephen Bennett the epitome of that so far during their three games against Cork, Limerick and, more recently, Clare, scoring 0-34 in total.

That Waterford came within four points of Limerick in the Munster final certainly surprised some, and while that defeat was a temporary setback, they bounced back with 3-27 against Clare last Saturday evening, after putting up 0-21 against Limerick in the Munster final, and 1-28 to beat Cork in the Munster semi-final.

In their eight round-robin Munster championship matches in 2019 and 2018, Waterford went without a single win; now they’re back in Croke Park for a first championship match since 2017, against Kilkenny, the team they beat for the first time in the qualifiers earlier in 2017 to make the All-Ireland final, eventually losing to Galway.


“Yeah, we’d a very bad last two years, with eight championship matches, and you don’t win one, the confidence wouldn’t be great,” says Bennett, who has also taken charge of the free-taking for Waterford this season.

‘Exciting’
“So being back in Croke Park is great, yeah. And exciting too, with the few new lads too, that helps. And we’ll see what we can do now against Kilkenny.

“But yeah, Cork in 2017, was the last championship win. Some might think it’s pathetic enough, that all we wanted was one championship win, but once you get that, it’s finished, you can move on. And it was nice to back it up again too.


“When you’re losing like that, 10, 15 points, people think you aren’t training as hard, but you are. It’s more that players are afraid to shoot, or take on their man, maybe playing in their shells I suppose. Once you start winning again, realise you can compete at this level, lads are more excited coming to training, the subs make the fellas better, and you’re going to shoot, go for goals, and enjoy that more.”

Saturday’s showdown at Croke Park (6pm, RTÉ) also marks Waterford’s third game in 13 days, Kilkenny arriving equally confident after their first Leinster title since 2016, hungry like the wolf now for a first All-Ireland since 2015.

If you look back at the Limerick game, maybe we didn’t quite believe it, too many of us didn’t show up for the last five minutes
Any fear of fatigue, however, is non-existent, according to Bennett. The local swimming pools where players would normally recover might be closed, but he has his own natural pool just down the road from where he lives near Lismore.

“Yeah, there’s a little river there, by the strand, where you can get into. I’d be down there a load of times, for the first two or three games after a match. That and the foam rolling helps the recovery. All the training is done, to an extent, there’s not a whole lot more you can do. I don’t think that will be a factor for us winning or losing.”

New manager
A lot of that newfound confidence has come from new manager Liam Cahill, the Tipperary native coming in this season, and immediately demanding his players take up a licence to shoot and, preferably, to kill.

“What I like about Liam is that he just loves attacking. Whenever you get the back, corner back or corner forward, you just go, and go directly at the goal. And honest mistakes, they say. If you look back at the Limerick game, maybe we didn’t quite believe it, too many of us didn’t show up for the last five minutes, so we still have a lot to work on, definitely.”


Other players such as Jack Fagan, coming originally from Meath, have aided too. “He’s been brilliant, in fairness to him, got his first goal last week, and his confidence must be high.”

Beyond the possible fatigue factor, Waterford’s semi-final record over the years hasn’t been great, but after beating Kilkenny in their last championship meeting in 2017, one thing they won’t have is any fear factor.

“You can’t fear any team, but we did lose a few semi-finals before, and that was a great game, the first time we’d beaten them, but they still have the dangerous players, and we have to be at our very best. It’s about taking your chances when they come.”

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Brian Hogan: 'What Cody is very good at is making you feel like you’re invincible'


THU, 26 NOV, 2020 - 20:50



Forceful showings in training might well push Richie Hogan into Brian Cody’s team for Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final, Brian Hogan agrees.

But the former Kilkenny captain does expect the player who turned the Leinster final to be held in reserve again against Waterford.

Speaking on the Irish Examiner GAA podcast, Hogan said: “Sentiment wouldn’t play a huge part in Brian’s decision-making, just because Richie has been a great player.

“But they’ve probably had two good solid training sessions where they’ve hopped off each other. It’s quite possible he’ll look at starting him, but I’d be surprised. Going on the previous couple of years, 70 minutes is probably not in his legs.

"So I’d be surprised if he didn’t use him coming in with 20 or 25 minutes to go.”

Hogan believes Clare’s Aron Shanagher, who scored two goals in last weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-final, exposed some flaws in the Waterford defence that Cody will look to exploit.

“He’ll have looked at the match last weekend and I think he’ll have some plan to target that full-back line, insofar as putting TJ (Reid) in there and trying to come up with some plan to move Tadhg de Búrca.

And go for the jugular early.

“I won’t say there’s a weakness but Clare showed there’s an opportunity there with high balls in. Particularly with TJ, you only need one or two. They know if they get an early goal or two, it puts the seeds of doubt in Waterford’s minds, big time. They’re chasing the game then.

"Then it means de Búrca has to push up a bit and that plays into Kilkenny’s hands.”

Hogan, who played in seven of Cody’s 11 All-Ireland wins, also described the legendary manager’s approach to a big game.

“Most of his talking is done on the Friday night. After the training session the board is there, he names the team. He goes through it line by line, what he’s looking for. And then pretty much the players take it over on the day of the match. He has his lieutenants, there will be four or five guys.

Now it’s an open floor if anyone wants to talk, and different guys are more vocal.
“But he’ll go round to every player individually, as they are togging out. What he’s very good at is making you feel like you’re invincible. He’ll go round and because of the persona he carries, all it is is a look and a hand on the shoulder, telling you, ‘just go take it over’.

“And he’s staring at you, staring through you, and you’re just going ‘I will, Brian, I will.’

“One match I always remember, where he actually took the thing by the reins at half-time and told everyone to ‘sit down and shut up, I’m talking’.

“It was Limerick in Thurles in the All-Ireland quarter-final (2012). I was injured up in the stand and I knew at half-time we were in serious bother. (Henry) Shefflin got a goal to get us back into it.

“We went in, one of the players tried to grab it by the reins, which is what Brian likes to see, but I think he knew himself he needed to take control. That was one of the few occasions I remember.”


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Waterford braced for an aerial assault, but Kilkenny's fury can see them through

Brendan Cummins


I’ve been thinking this week about what makes Kilkenny different. If I had to sum it up, it’s that they play every game like the opposition has insulted everyone dear to them.

The day of a big game, most players have to manufacture that anger, but Kilkenny players seem to wake up with it. That culture comes from the top. I could see just about every manager in the country playing a motivational video to help build that, but with Brian Cody I just can’t.

There’s no secret speeches these days – players tog off in the stands before heading to the pitch – and I think that anger, that fury, is just ingrained in their style. And they always bring it. Think back on the times Kilkenny got hammered: they’re so rare they stand out as huge moments, like the Twin Towers falling or when JFK was shot.

Their key trait, even when things go against them, is to hang in. They’re like a shadow behind you all the time, and on the pitch it nearly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. “We’re going well but when are they going to come at us?” That puts opponents into a psychological crease.



How do they do it? TJ Reid’s free-taking is a key part – he doesn’t miss so if you foul Kilkenny within 70 or 80 yards of your goals you’re going to be punished. You might have done a mountain of work to get a score from play then give away a simple free far from goals and with TJ standing over it, all your good work is gone.


Their ability to hang around is something we discussed with Tipperary after the 2009 final. The following year, we were one point up at half-time but felt we’d done all the hurling. “Don’t panic,” we told each other. “We knew this would happen.”

Still, as a player it’s unnerving because you know Kilkenny will, eventually, get a period of dominance. When it arrives, they typically score goals.

For Waterford, success will depend on how they deal with the high ball into the inside forwards. It’ll be very different to the Munster final. When Limerick got the ball on their own ’45 they didn’t hit it inside, but Kilkenny will put it in deep and it’s the biggest fear Liam Cahill will have.

If the ball goes inside the ’21, then it’s two on two and the sweeper is racing back to cover, but it could be all over by the time he gets there.

Red lights always flash when your sweeper is static around the ‘D’ under a long, high ball. In that scenario he might as well be invisible because Kilkenny will be coming from each side and they’ll break the ball down. It’s what happened to Waterford in the 2016 Munster final when Tipperary scored five goals.


That ball won’t be going out to the corner flag the way Limerick did, trying to tactic their way around. Instead Kilkenny will bang it in and there’ll be two-on-two situations on at least six or seven possessions that could determine the game.

What can Waterford do? Well, prevention is better than cure. At all costs, Kilkenny can’t be allowed get their head up to put the ball in with accuracy. Everywhere there’s a Kilkenny body out the field you have to get in their face; you can’t stand off.

This is the biggest issue for Waterford as Tadhg de Búrca will need to sit closer to his own goals, inviting pressure, and Calum Lyons will have to push up more than he did in the Munster final.

In that game the Limerick half-forward line sat 70 or 80 yards from the Waterford goals and they tried to play through Cian Lynch, with Kyle Hayes running the ball up along the line to give the handpass. Kilkenny will just give one handpass to get out of trouble, give a little peek, then it’ll go 80 yards.

Against Galway, Kilkenny went short on puck-outs which I think they’ll do again, getting it to their own ’45 or ’65 before launching it. Against Limerick, Waterford set up a screen about 75 yards from their own goals but that will have to be extended another 15 yards and that’s a hard thing to do.



The way Waterford set up, they shouldn’t concede an awful lot unless they panic – which I don’t think they will – and with Dessie Hutchinson buzzing around, they’ll have a threat inside. But, based on experience, I think Kilkenny will edge it.

The main reason? Kilkenny have evolved to play against teams with sweepers, having faced Wexford, Galway and Dublin in Leinster. They now have a huge amount of info in the players’ heads from playing teams that sit someone back so it’s not new to them. At the start it was.

When Waterford had success a few years ago there’s no way Kilkenny would go short with puck-outs, but they’ve evolved so I don’t see De Búrca under as many.

That makes Kilkenny two or three points better against Waterford than they used to be and it’s why I give them the nod.

[Mickmack]

Jackie Tyrrell: Waterford have a free pass but Cody just doesn't lose semi-finals



You have to go back to 2005 to find the last time he had to walk down the sideline and shake the opposing manager’s hand as a beaten man

Jackie Tyrrell
Follow
about 13 hours


The All-Ireland semi-final, August 2009. I remember standing there, waiting in my left-corner-back position where Hill 16 meets the Cusack Stand. I had a perfect line of sight to John Mullane as he walked from the Waterford huddle to my corner. He walked vigorously down towards me. He was like a man on a mission.

I always tried to get to the patch of the field I was going to defend first. It meant I could stare down my opponent as he walked down towards me. I always felt the first person there had the psychological advantage in that your opponent is walking into your warzone. You are dictating the rules to him, not the other way around. It’s a game within a game. I was on a mission too.

The first thing that jumped out as John came down towards me was these two big bulging red marks glowing out of his pale, white, muscley thighs. They stood out a mile against the white Waterford jersey. I began to think that John had been away on warm-weather training last week and forgot to put the sun lotion on these two specific patches of his legs.

But as soon as he got down to me, I knew different. He was buzzing, absolutely fit to be tied to the Croke Park roof. He was right up in my face straight away. I came to the conclusion that he had been slapping the hurl off his thighs in a bid to get hyped up for the match. I said to myself, ‘It’s Valium this lad needs.’


We greeted each other with a familiar shoulder-to-shoulder collision. And then another one. And another. And before we knew it, we were square on, stuck in each other, head-to-head, shadowboxing and verbals flying between us. The umpires tried to police it like a referee in a boxing match but they were only interfering. We hardly noticed them.


Suddenly, without any warning, John swung his head and buried it full-force into my helmet. This was 2009, remember. You were still allowed to play without a helmet on and John was one of the last lads to hold out. So when I say he buried the head in me, I mean it literally. I can still see the imprint of my helmet guard down the bridge of his nose! It was the last thing I saw because with that, he took off springing across the field as the ball broke into our patch.

They needed energy. They lived on it
That was that Waterford team in a nutshell. Totally free-spirited. Unorthodox. Their own men, always. At times their hurling was so good it wasn’t even on this planet. They played this amazing off-the-cuff brand of hurling that resembled nothing that anyone else was doing. You would find it hard to work out their game-plan or pinpoint what their structure was.

They needed energy. They lived on it. Whether it was from Eoin Kelly hitting a bouncing ball over the bar for a point from midfield without taking it into his hand or Mullane welcoming you to the game with a De La Salle kiss, they had their own way of getting themselves into things. They had a direct electricity feed from the crowd too, like they were hooked up to their people like plugging into the mains. The higher the electricity from the crowd, the higher their level of hurling went.

Unity
The current Waterford team could not be further from that one. They are a team with a well-honed and defined game plan. They bring an awesome level of consistent work-rate and don’t need to go looking for outside energy sources. While they don’t have the same once in a lifetime hurlers like Mullane, Ken McGrath, Tony Browne and Big Dan at their disposal, they have an unbelievable workrate and an obvious sense of unity throughout the panel.


They have a really effective style of play. Tadhg De Burca plays as a dual-purpose centre-back. Half his job is to anchor the defence. The other half is to use his excellent striking to carry and deliver balls from the heart of the defence into attack.

It isn’t aimless striking either - their forward line is organised in a way to create space inside. They flood the midfield so there are always options short like Jake Dillon and Jamie Barron but the main purpose of their set-up is to leave Dessie Hutchinson alone inside.

They are a really admirable team, full of players you would love to surround yourself with
There is a difference between alone and isolated - Waterford make sure that when the ball is sent his way, they are getting runners up from that midfield area in support. They give him an option and they distract defenders. Hutchinson has been their break-out star in this championship and his form has been a real trump card for Liam Cahill.

They are extremely fit and well-conditioned for 70 minutes-plus. Even so, my worry for them would be that there has to be a certain amount of fatigue kicking in at some stage. They turn out more or less the same team each week and have a core of 13 players who have carried the load in just about every game.

This is their fourth weekend out of five and while the weather was decent last weekend, this is still winter hurling we’re talking about. There is a physical strain and a psychological strain on each player. I wouldn’t be surprised if it started to tell on Waterford eventually.

This team is built around the industry of players like Kieran Bennett, Jack Fagan and Jake Dillon, guys working until the 60-minute mark and then being replaced with similar models. They spend more time running back to their goal than away from it, which sums up their roles and their effort levels. They are a really admirable team, full of players you would love to surround yourself with.



Things will be spicy and saucy down around the south Kilkenny border and along the bridge which divides Kilkenny and Waterford. I did a coaching session a few years back in Ferrybank, which is technically Waterford, but with a huge and vocal Kilkenny tribe down there. It is a great club with such a unique dynamic, where the pitch is exactly on the border and divided in two. Local knowledge would have it that the scoring end is the end in Kilkenny.

Over the years, Kilkenny have had a brilliant record in All-Ireland semi-finals. You have to go back to 2005 to find the last time Brian Cody had to walk down the sideline and shake the opposing manager’s hand as a beaten man. Since then, Kilkenny have been in 11 semi-finals and come through them all - although they needed a replay against Waterford in 2016. By contrast, Waterford have been in six semi-finals since 2005 and only won two. Different teams, different times. But it does show that Kilkenny are used to getting to finals.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that if you go through those 11 semi-finals, there was Munster opposition on 10 occasions. They were generally coming to Dublin for the first time that season. For some of them, it was probably their first game in Croke Park. A huge occasion, probably with 60-70,000 people there. Probably an overnight stay involved, definitely a change in routine one way or the other.

Rhythm of the day
By the time All-Ireland semi-finals came around, we had already played at least a Leinster final in Croke Park. Some years, we would have played a semi-final there. We were used to the routine. We knew the rhythm of the day, where we had to be at what time, where we’d be eating our pre-match meal, what time we’d be getting the bus to the ground, all that stuff. None of it was ever new to us. Even if you were a young lad in his first year, you got the newness out of the way in the Leinster final.


I’m not saying that’s why we won, obviously. But it must have been worth a point or two here or there. All-Ireland semi-finals aren’t just any other game but to a certain extent we were able to train them that way. We nearly always had a good month or so to get ready for them and Cody would send us back to the clubs for the first week of it and then we’d have a solid three weeks to get ready.

The thing you hear a lot about semi-finals is that they’re for winning, regardless of the performance. But that’s never a good way to look at any game. Semi-finals are about doing the work that leads to the win.


The best way I can describe it is that semi-finals are like asking your girlfriend’s Dad for his daughter’s hand in marriage. They’re awkward as anything, you just want them to be over quickly so you can start planning for the big day. But you have to put the work in first before you get there.

With the retail sector reopening up next week (fingers crossed), I do expect to see Kilkenny shopping around to buy a ring for the big day. But I don’t think that’s any disgrace from Waterford’s point of view if it happens. To a certain extent, I feel Waterford have a free pass here, considering the low ebb they have come from in 2020.

Waterford are averaging 29 points per game in this championship. Considering they scored 10 points against Limerick in the Munster round robin last year, that’s some improvement. One way or another, Liam Cahill’s report card this year will have a few gold stars on it. That gives Waterford a bit of freedom here.


The flipside is that it puts most of the pressure on Kilkenny’s shoulders. But very often that pressure brings the best out of Kilkenny teams. I foresee Cody’s semi-final record surviving intact.

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O'Neill's strong, silent approach is driving Tribes
Galway bosss Shane O’Neill
1
Galway bosss Shane O’Neill
Colm Keys
November 27 2020 02:30 AM



Damien Quigley has a small piece of advice about his friend and former club colleague Shane O'Neill. "If you see him running somewhere, fall in behind quickly because there is something wrong!"

Quigley is trying to synopsise maybe the calmest person he knows, largely unflappable in the chaos of either victory or defeat. Mute the sound of his post match interviews following the recent Leinster final reversal to Kilkenny or the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Galway seven days later and little distinction is apparent in his demeanour on either occasion.

"The man doesn't do fuss. He was always that way," recalled Quigley, one-time Limerick corner-forward and a veteran hand, like O'Neill, when Na Piarsaigh made their breakthrough in the county in 2011.

That began a decade of dominance that saw O'Neill switch from player to manager quite quickly and enjoy subsequent success which was the springboard to where he finds himself this weekend, on the sideline with Galway in an All-Ireland semi-final facing many of the players he shared those glorious moments - an All-Ireland club title in 2016 and Limerick and Munster club success in 2015 and 2017.

O'Neill is only Galway's second outside manager, following Ger Loughnane's underwhelming two years in 2007/08. John McIntyre's roots are in Tipperary but he has been living and working in Galway so long he hardly constitutes an outside pick while Babs Keating's role in 1979 extended to coaching.


That O'Neill found himself the preferred choice last year after Micheál Donoghue's exit was testament to his credentials but also to the confusion which reigned after their most recent All-Ireland winning manager left.

At the beginnning of the last decade, Quigley found himself part of a small committee in Limerick vetting and making the relevant appointments after Justin McCarthy's departure.

"To be fair to Galway and Shane, it was a big move for both. That Galway team has been around the block a long time, had won their All-Ireland in '17, been very close on a number of occasions. That's a very seasoned dressing-room, they are accepting a rookie manager - and I don't mean any disrespect to Shane but at inter-county level he is.

"And Shane, being the bright fella that he is, would have understood that it is a big thing to walk into a dressing-room with the likes of Joe Canning, David and Daithí Burke and these guys who are very heavily decorated. It was a ballsy move. There is no dipping toes in the water here. Galway isn't a place where you'd be doing that."

For David Breen, another of his former Na Piarsaigh players now working as a physiotherapist at the Manchester City academy, Galway was one of the few jobs O'Neill would have been drawn to.


"He never struck me as the kind of guy who had ambitions to be the next Brian Cody or anything like that," said Breen. "It would just have been a very attractive proposition at a top team like Galway not too far for home.

"When you look at what's there, I know he'd love a challenge like that. There wouldn't be too many teams he'd take on."

As players, Quigley crossed paths with O'Neill at Na Piarsaigh and Limerick.

As Quigley recalls, the right preparation was always his thing and on that front, he'd have no regrets as a player. "At a time when preparation in the 1990s wouldn't be what it is now, he would have been doing it right then."

"He'd have absolutely no ego. He thinks about the game and very good with people. He knows when to say something and when not to. he'll never speak for the sake of it."

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Dessie Hutchinson's journey from Brighton to the brink of hurling immortality with Waterford



Donnchadh Boyle
November 27 2020 02:30 AM


In some ways, the arrival of Dessie Hutchinson back into an already stacked Ballygunner squad was the last thing the Waterford championship needed.

In contradiction, his decision to ditch soccer for a career with the Déise has looked to be just the tonic for the county team.

Prior to 2020, Waterford had taken just a draw from their previous eight championships, a run of results that took its toll on morale in the county.

But Liam Cahill has rejuvenated the squad, with the introduction of former Brighton man Hutchinson helping to revive the county's fortunes.



Already, Waterford have seen off Cork and Clare and went stride for stride for long periods with All-Ireland favourites Limerick.


Tomorrow night, they face Kilkenny in Croke Park for a place in the All-Ireland final. It will be another step in the development of Cahill's team, and another step forward for Hutchinson's fledgling inter-county hurling career.

Of course, Hutchinson might have been lost to the GAA forever. With his contract expiring in Brighton, he looked to be heading in the right direction. He captained the club's U-23s and made his first-team debut in the League Cup.

Business

Hutchinson was set to move to St Mirren on loan in January 2018 to gain first-team experience but then the business end of soccer took over.

The deal fell through around the paying of his wages. An untimely injury followed and suddenly his time was done. It was cruel and swift but just the nature of the beast.

At home he played briefly with Waterford FC, but seeing his brothers JJ and Wayne collect county titles with Ballygunner had its charms.


In truth, the club had never been far from his thoughts. While in England, he'd often puck around with the likes of Aaron Connolly and Jayson Molumby.

The pull of home and people and place never left him. So when he came he played football with Gaultier and joined up Ballygunner training after they had won five in a row in Waterford. It was a major boost to Ballygunner, already the pre-eminent side in the county, but also a blow to the chasing pack.

Earlier this year, they made it seven on the bounce, winning those finals by an average of more than 11 points.

And not too many are betting against them to equal, or even surpass, the county record of nine consecutive crowns.

And if Hutchinson has now found his feet at inter-county hurling, it was football manager Benji Whelan who handed him his first Waterford senior jersey in early 2019.


"We became aware of him for two reasons," Whelan remembers. "One was he was playing football with Gaultier and they were starting back. And also his brother JJ was playing with us at that point.

"So we bounced it off JJ when we heard he was back around and he said, 'Yeah, he's a nice footballer' so we asked him in and he came.

"We had probably a couple of games under our belt in the league. So he came on in a couple of games and as you know, its going to take time to get your footing. But he started championship for us that year.

Talented

"He's very talented. There's no two ways about it. The whole soccer side of things would have given him the left foot and the right foot and he can pick a pass with either foot from any distance. We kept him closer to goal because he was very accurate and we didn't see the best of him because he just needed more time."

Whelan studied exercise physiology in Trinity and noted Hutchinson's pace and agility.


"He trades on mobility. His agility is probably in the higher level, close to elite. He can accelerate and decelerate really, really quickly and he can turn off left or right very sharply.

"And he's also very clever, the way he plays he can create space for himself. So in football he was a natural inside forward."

Despite missing so many formative years, Whelan isn't surprised he has stepped up to county hurling so quickly.

"The thing about Dessie is that he was an accomplished hurler before he left for the UK . . . but for the fact that Ballygunner had so many players of a high calibre, Dessie would have been a big loss.

"Like Dessie would have been a huge loss to any other club in Waterford I would say. But he was always known as an accomplished hurler in Waterford. And all of those guys, who can perform to a high level, tend to have natural talent with co-ordination, balance, movement skills."


Our statistics, collated by analyst Diarmuid Whelan in conjunction with DeelySportScience.com, show the impact he has made in the championship so far.

Hutchinson has taken 12 shots in his three championship matches so far, delivering 2-6 and four wides.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given his relative inexperience at this level, his best performance came in the most recent game against Clare, where he hit 2-2.

Both our touch and shot maps show that Cahill wants the Ballygunner man close to goal, as he gets on the ball and shoots from on or inside the 45-metre line a large majority of the time.

And that's likely where he'll be stationed against the Cats tomorrow.


Team-mate Stephen Bennett has been impressed with Hutchinson so far and insists he'll get even better.

"In fairness to him, he is brilliant, he trains very hard. He is obviously very skilful, but it's his movement.

"I suppose the four years over training professionally definitely helped him. I just think his first five steps are just brilliant. You'd love to take it off him. He's really good.

"He'll always give the option. We need to get better at actually using him, and all our other forwards."

From Ballygunner to Brighton and back again, Waterford can be thankful that Hutchinson is here to stay. And he'll only get better.


Irish Independent

GAA|Hurling

[Mickmack]

I dont think i have seen a better second half performance ever than Waterfords tonight.

This was their third game in three weeks with many playing their first game in Croke Park.

KK in 2020 played well for half a game v Dublin and Galway. It wasnt enough tonight.

Delighted especially for the two Gleesons... Austin because his mojo is back and Conor who missed out on the 2017 final.

And fitting that Tadhg de Burca was the man to score the final point...he was the man to keep them in it in the first game when nothing was going right for them.

[Annascaultilidie]

Austin Gleeson got the last point. TDeB the penultimate one (probably of more importance).

[veteran]

Remarkable comeback by Waterford in second half. Apart from an unquenchable spirit the two outstanding features of Waterford’s play for me was their consistent stupendous feats of fielding all over the field and their level of fitness which gave me the impression they would still be sprinting up and down that pitch two hours later with Kilkenny gasping on their knees.

A week or so ago I asked whatever happened Austin Gleason? Imperious in the second half. I also commented on how Dinny Cahill seems to have a facility for getting the bulk of players to play above their normal capacity. They have found a winner in Dinny.

On the other hand , wasn’t it sad to see poor Ritchie being replaced . You are as good as your last game they say. He has had great days in any case.

[Ballyfireside]

I felt I got a more than normal from the commentary and analysis tonight - fed jigsaw pieces that had me deep in thought, maybe the quality of play and by both teams also contributed but I was beginning to understand what was really going on - tactics, strategy, etc, late to the table I hear you say. Maybe 'twas the seed was sown watching Treaty vs Waterford before our own League final last year - hopefully 'tis the only bug I'll pick up.

The lowest odds the now Kittens ever lost at?

Certainly whetted Galway's appetite to make tomorrow even more interesting.

Hurling certainly shaded the big ball this year - contrasting landscapes, incomparable?

[Mickmack]

Nov 28, 2020 21:26:04 GMT Ballyfireside said:

I felt I got a more than normal from the commentary and analysis tonight - fed jigsaw pieces that had me deep in thought, maybe the quality of play and by both teams also contributed but I was beginning to understand what was really going on - tactics, strategy, etc, late to the table I hear you say. Maybe 'twas the seed was sown watching Treaty vs Waterford before our own League final last year - hopefully 'tis the only bug I'll pick up.

The lowest odds the now Kittens ever lost at?

Certainly whetted Galway's appetite to make tomorrow even more interesting.

Hurling certainly shaded the big ball this year - contrasting landscapes, incomparable?

Janey you make is sound like you grew up in outer Mongoli.

Were you never tempted to ramble over the Cashen of a summers evening to watch Ballyduff hurl. A well worn path by John and Robert Bunyan.

[Mickmack]

Waterford create a new identity for themselves, the boyish wonders who didn't blink down the home straight

SAT, 28 NOV, 2020 - 21:35
PM O’SULLIVAN


November is not your usual month for seaside arcades but Kilkenny and Waterford, on a drear midwinter night, became pinball wizards.

The game joined in. Few hurling contests witnessed such reversals of fortune, such inversions of momentum.

Waterford did not merely win an All Ireland semi-final via quickness and nerve. They created a new identity for themselves, the boyish wonders that did not blink down the home straight, as everything rattled but a crowd.

Kilkenny just about held on, amid as serious a buffeting as received in recent years while 15 of their men remained on the pitch. They held on, to their immense credit, but never looked like winners after an Austin Gleeson wonder point brought Waterford level in the 50th minute, at 1-18 to 2-15. The 19 scores to 17 scores aspect deceived not. Two minutes later, Neil Montgomery slotted for a lead riffed out to four points at the final whistle.

Waterford will be happy that Kilkenny held on, that these opponents were not swept clean out the door. Nerve, especially for a hurling culture that easily doubts itself, is the most valuable kind of verve. These opponents elicited a response in the closing minutes that served notice Waterford can knock out controlled passages as well as the wild abandon that outscored the stripy men by 1-7 to 0-4 in a frenetic third quarter.

A typically calm 68th-minute TJ Reid point established a two-point gap, 2-23 to 2-21. Other days, other evenings, there might have been worry about Kilkenny stealing a march to progress, as happened against Galway in the Leinster Final.

Synthetic worry, on this occasion. Even a seat at sitting room remove in South Kilkenny left scant doubt about Waterford toughing out the verdict.

Gleeson found room for another pitch-perfect point and the chasers' music died, even though they twice more prised the margin to two. Further brilliancies by Tadhg de Búrca and Gleeson carved out that deserved four-point one at the death.

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Astonishingly enough, the latter man did not count as his crowd's hero. This status went to Stephen Bennett, who scored 1-10 and gripped Waterford's bootstraps at their lowest moments, either side of halftime.

Bennett, deceptive because not elegant, turned himself into a contender for Hurler of the Year. He hurls as a free spirit, lead guitarist rather than bass player, and the faltering rhythms of Waterford's last two seasons were utterly obliterated.

Come a fortnight's time, this panel might become the county's third one to win a Senior title. Still more, they built a platform for the next four or five seasons. So decisively making yourself a contender, especially against the old engine of Déise despair, means staying a contender in the medium term.

Kilkenny went home to a drawing board the size of an empty auditorium. Another day's topic. They were predictably poor in midfield when Waterford amplified exchanges in this zone and cleaned out on their own puckout after the break, an equally predictable aspect. Recourse to short puck-outs in the second half brought scarce little joy. Even the greatest bands need to rehearse.

Call it workrate. Call it hunger, Call it intensity. Call it an arcade fire. Waterford had all and more. Smells like spirit, Brian Cody's mantra.

This win is likewise a triumph for the wider game of hurling. Liam Cahill's management and Michael Bevans' coaching represents innovation by a return to core values. The two men's almost frenzied celebration when Conor Fogarty got hooshed out over the sideline in the 63rd minute recalled similar moments over the last two decades when men in a black and amber jersey were doing bouncer duty where the sideline was concerned. Their demeanour, as the wonder scores flew over, remained notably calmer.

The biter got bit. Kilkenny were outworked and then outplayed, the correct sequence for the excellent resources established by new management in Waterford.

Pinball wizards... Turned out a day for listening to The Who, once the loudest band in the world. Once Waterford turned up the volume in that hectic third quarter, Kilkenny were all but blown off the stage.


A day for The Who. And tomorrow as well. Remember the title of that compilation album?

Galway and Limerick is shaping up as meaty beaty, big and bouncy.

[Mickmack]

Waterford’s frenzied waves of attacks too much for Kilkenny


Seán Moran at Croke Park


Waterford 2-27 Kilkenny 2-23

A scattered assortment of stadium operatives, media and the two entourages from Kilkenny and Waterford found themselves in the privileged position of being in Croke Park on Saturday night to witness another All-Ireland semi-final epic.

In the eerie setting of the now familiar, empty stadium, with chill winter replacing the fever pitch of traditional championship evenings and instead of the summer sun, a bright moon looking down, Waterford dredged up an ethereal second-half performance that gave the county its first ever semi-final win over the neighbours and a first victory in the fixture at Croke Park since 1959.

It took boundless athleticism, some terrific play and above all, unrelenting nerve. Think about pre-match attitudes. Kilkenny had topped up the almost preternatural aura of invincibility in the Leinster final, courtesy of the restored Richie Hogan and the eternal TJ Reid.

Waterford were worthy, exciting - maybe even a bit more - but for most people, they weren’t the Identikit of who was going to hand Kilkenny a first All-Ireland semi-final defeat in 15 years. There may have been plenty of earthly logic to give them a chance but it just wasn’t going to happen!

The counties’ relationship had always been one-sided and given how such things matter within Gaelic games, it was a mental obstacle for the Munster finalists. More to the point, there was the physical challenge of playing three successive weekends and four in five.

Having looked in the first half like further data for the debilitating effects of such scheduling, Waterford came out transformed from the dressing-room and managed to reassemble their energetic game plan and set about the Leinster champions, as if they had been switched from a dying battery to the mains.

Jamie Barron, like most of the team, had been fitful and out of sorts but he literally raced into the contest and the familiar bursts of pace and hard running suddenly began to put pressure on Kilkenny.



Stephen Bennett, like Dessie Hutchinson beside him in the full forward line had suffered up until then from inadequate supply but hadn’t been able to do much to make it happen for himself beyond the usual free taking that kept the team afloat.

After half-time he became a scourge. Two minutes into the resumption, a mazy run looked to have led to nothing when he lost the ball to Huw Lawlor’s hook but a vicious pull of the ground whipped the ball into the Canal net to declare the match back in the balance.

Austin Gleeson’s generally aimless demeanour was replaced with enthusiasm and ball winning and four dazzling points from play. Kilkenny were reeled in and had no real answer.

Eoin Cody’s point shortly after half-time had put them eight ahead, 2-12 to 0-10, but it took Waterford barely quarter of an hour to pay off the deficit.


Hutchinson was suddenly regularly free of the hitherto iron manacles of Conor Delaney and threatened with every possession. Points and frees ensued. Gleeson popped up everywhere shooting points from left and right; Bennett looked like he was seeking extra for artistic impression with a couple of scores from daunting distances and angles.

In the blizzard of scoring, it was Gleeson who settled the account in the 50th minute at 1-18 to 2-15 and on they went.

TJ Reid stood on the burning deck and his flawless frees kept them in it as Waterford came on in frenzied waves of attacks.

But the energy wasn’t there. Reid kept the match open on the scoreboard but every time Waterford had possession they threatened scores. Kilkenny did get to the final water break just three in arrears and hopes of getting a bounce from the newly introduced time for reflection rose when Reid scored immediately on resumption.


It was just a palliative. Still, you never know with Kilkenny. This time, however, there was no study in escapology. The benches had contrasting impacts. Brian Cody had rolled the dice by dropping his captain Colin Fennelly and Walter Walsh and starting Hogan.

Called in for what was now emergency work, Fennelly and Walsh couldn’t throw the switches. Nobody could. In contrast Waterford harvested 1-3 from their replacements.

Darragh Lyons’s goal with nearly an hour gone came like a thunderbolt after heavy rain. It came from tireless work by Jack Fagan, the Meath émigré, who placed a good and inviting pass to the replacement and he raised the team’s second green flag for a five-point lead, 2-22 to 2-17.

It’s hardly worth noting that the Leinster champions didn’t go easily. Reid scored, and aid came from the half backs, as Cillian Buckley and Paddy Deegan chipped in but this was no ordinary challenge from across the border. It wouldn’t stop.

Example: Gleeson produced a collector’s item of a score that started with the rarest of preliminaries - beating Kilkenny to ruck ball and getting clear for a point.

The exultant shouts from the Waterford bench would have done justice to a decent crowd. Even Tadhg de Búrca, all fantastic composure and flawless vision this evening and all season, at the heart of the defence, came up for an injury-time point.

Contrast with the first half. Kilkenny had started so slickly, taking all their opponent’s flailing blows and hitting back surgically, precisely.


Sluggish and struggling to get any sort of dynamic going, Waterford were closed down by an alert Kilkenny defence. They snatched at chances and played wayward ball into the attack and looked every inch a team that had reached a bridge too far in what has been a exultant journey of rediscovery by Waterford, who went into the year not having won a championship match in three years.


They made bad worse by coughing up goal chances, with the inevitable consequence of doing that against Kilkenny: Martin Keoghan and then TJ Reid raised green flags in the 12th and 24th minutes.

Keoghan had swept in a rebound from Stephen O’Keeffe’s excellent save from Hogan, which redeemed his staying back a little too long when a long ball came over the defence. Reid then filched a ball from Conor Prunty and made unerring use of it. This type of a barrage helped to kill off Galway in the Leinster final and looked to have had the same effect here, as the margin remorselessly expanded.

There had been honest effort from Waterford - Calum Lyons battled to overcome his defensive pressures and gamely came up for two points to keep hope alive. But like a boxer clinging to the ropes for some sort of support Waterford could well have heard the bell at half-time with a feeling of relief cut with despondency.

Only Kilkenny’s inaccuracies had prevented the seven-point deficit being large enough to make the second half a formality.

Liam Cahill administered the smelling salts but even he must have been taken aback at the power surge and sheer splendour of his team’s response. The rest of us certainly were.

Back in a second All-Ireland final in four years, Waterford face the winners of Sunday’s second semi-final between Galway and Limerick - yes, there’ll be more.

WATERFORD: 1. Stephen O’Keeffe; 2. Ian Kenny, 3. Conor Prunty (capt), 4. Shane McNulty (0-1); 5. Calum Lyons (0-2), 6. Tadhg de Búrca (0-1), 7. Kevin Moran; 8. Jamie Barron (0-1), 11. Kieran Bennett; 10. Jack Fagan (0-1), 9. Jake Dillon, 15. Jack Prendergast (0-2); 12. Stephen Bennett (1-10, 0-6 frees), 14. Austin Gleeson (0-4), 13. Dessie Hutchinson (0-2),

Subs: 24. Neil Montgomery (0-2) for Dillon (18 mins), 23. Darragh Lyons (1-0) for K Bennett (49 mins), 22. Conor Gleeson for Prendergast (61 mins), 25. Iarlaith Daly (0-1) for Moran (61 mins), 20. Patrick Curran for Fagan (68 mins).


KILKENNY: 1. Eoin Murphy; 2. Conor Delaney, 3. Huw Lawlor, 4. Tommy Walsh; 5. Pádraig Walsh, 6. Cillian Buckley (0-1), 7. Paddy Deegan (0-1); 8. Conor Browne, 9. Conor Fogarty; 10. John Donnelly (0-2), 11. TJ Reid (1-14, 0-13 frees), 12. Martin Keoghan (1-1); 13. Billy Ryan, 14. Richie Hogan (0-2), 15. Eoin Cody (0-2).

Subs: 23. Walter Walsh for Keoghan (39 mins), 22. Colin Fennelly for Ryan (49 mins), 26. Niall Brassil for Hogan (56 mins).

Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary)

[Mickmack]

Consent

Hurling

Premium

Cahill has had a Cody-esque effect on Waterford, but goals will ultimately decide Cats tussle

John Mullane


November 27 2020 08:57 PM



Tonight is officially the start of Christmas for many households around the country with 'The Late Late Toy Show' on RTÉ, but who could have predicted that we'd also have two blockbuster All-Ireland hurling semi-finals this weekend to help get us into the festive spirit.

There’s something magical about it and I can’t help but roll back to last Christmas as 2020 had just been rung in, and I'm sitting at home having finally had enough of the pigging out and the Indiana Jones movies for another year.

I dropped a text to Jake Dillon, 'Are ye training tonight?' to which he responds, 'We are Mull, 7.30 Carriganore'. The only other training session I’ve attended since I retired was a 15-on-15 game in June of 2017 that convinced me Waterford would get all the way back to the All-Ireland final, and they surely did.

I'm sitting at home saying, 'Will I, won’t I?' and there's still uncertainty in the air after Liam Cahill omitted Noel Connors and Maurice Shanahan, while Michael 'Brick' Walsh called time on his career, but I wrap up and take the plunge.


The temperature is dropping. It’s a dark, cold, miserable night at the Waterford IT campus. It's probably the last place you want to be when the fire is blazing at home, but there's one or two other lads there trying to pick up some drills.


What unfolded in the next 90 minutes was a high-temperature session based around tackling and movement, with Cahill and Mikey Bevans proactive throughout every bit of it.

Then came the running with Offaly man Martin Bennett, whose name mightn't be too familiar to many, but he put them through their paces. It was a session where I turned around to one chap taking notes and said, 'Thank God I’m well retired'.

My first thought returning to the car was that Waterford had two unbelievable men in charge that any other county would give their right arm for, and Cahill reaffirmed my faith with a powerful speech which he gave at a Club Déise event back in February.

Am I surprised that Waterford have turned things around? I’m not, and what’s most remarkable about Cahill is that he’s built an extraordinary team spirit and unity with effectively a new side in such a short space of time.

You only have to look at the personnel not available to Cahill or the players that have moved on, but not once has he played the sympathy card, he just gets on with it.


His panel is his panel, they have his sole focus. What’s so admirable is that he’s kept faith in the players that trained last Christmas all the way through lockdown and never dismissed anyone after the club campaign, or called anyone back in.

Cahill is almost a clone of the man he faces in Croke Park on Saturday night, the greatest manager of all time, Brian Cody. He bares the same traits and has that same fear factor. He demands that his players put in a shift and work their socks off.


Cahill, like Cody, doesn’t give two hoots about outside opinions and will do it his way. If you don’t like it, then you can take the highway. Cody was always the same, he never bemoaned the players he was missing and always only focused on who was available to him.

The fundamentals of the game for both managers is that you do the dirty work first and then the rest takes care of itself, but it's the style that Waterford are playing with at the moment that has the Déise fans purring with excitement again.

It's high energy with manic work-rate topped off by the abandonment of hurling when in possession that is coughing up so many scoring chances and presenting scoring averages of just over 29 points in our three championship games so far.


There’s one given, though, and that is a Cody team will turn up and perform until the final whistle, and it’ll be fascinating to see if Kilkenny find that same frightening level of dirty work that they did at this stage against Limerick last year.

The match-ups will be intriguing with Calum Lyons on TJ Reid, Conor Browne v Jamie Barron, Conor Delaney on Dessie Hutchinson and Austin Gleeson up against Huw Lawlor going a long way to deciding who books their place in the final.

Goals will be key and Waterford can't afford to cough up the chances that they did against Clare, while any sniff at the other end, like Hutchinson’s superb flick across for Jack Fagan’s goal, must be taken on.


And what about Hutchinson? He really is an extraordinary talent to have in your inside line, a real go-to guy like the other top teams have. Well, Waterford now have the X-factor in the Ballygunner flyer.

There's no psychological barrier with Kilkenny anymore after defeating them in the 2017 qualifier, so Waterford can throw the kitchen sink at the Cats, but it was most interesting that Cody said "it wouldn’t be worth much unless we win the next day" after their Leinster final victory over Galway.

A fella sent me on a picture of a snowman holding a Waterford flag after the Clare win. I'm hoping Cody doesn't melt that snowman before Santa arrives. I don’t think he will. Waterford to win. After all, 2020 has been the strangest of years.


Online Editors

[Ballyfireside]

Nov 28, 2020 22:00:45 GMT Mickmack said:

Nov 28, 2020 21:26:04 GMT Ballyfireside said:

I felt I got a more than normal from the commentary and analysis tonight - fed jigsaw pieces that had me deep in thought, maybe the quality of play and by both teams also contributed but I was beginning to understand what was really going on - tactics, strategy, etc, late to the table I hear you say. Maybe 'twas the seed was sown watching Treaty vs Waterford before our own League final last year - hopefully 'tis the only bug I'll pick up.

The lowest odds the now Kittens ever lost at?

Certainly whetted Galway's appetite to make tomorrow even more interesting.

Hurling certainly shaded the big ball this year - contrasting landscapes, incomparable?

Janey you make is sound like you grew up in outer Mongoli.

Were you never tempted to ramble over the Cashen of a summers evening to watch Ballyduff hurl. A well worn path by John and Robert Bunyan.

Ah ye have me going now - but I do remember serving petrol to 2 laddos in a navy Mark 2 Cortina heading in that direction who fit the description, and now that I think of it they were busy thinking, scheming; looked busy as if there was something on their minds - the pilot focused, the understudy side-kick, left-kick smiling, i.e. devilment staring at ya. If I looked up my notes I'm sure I'd have the plate, though still bábógish I knew they were up to no good, often felt like reporting 'em but the auld fella said he'd look after it, then I'd see 'em on TV with silverware, daylight robbers, the penny dropped, Different Kings of Kingdom, a work inspired by PG & co, a bit of Finucane and a few like minded rascals - blessed are thee, etc. Confessions of a Retired petrol Pump Attendant

I did trip to the Cashen in those days with a fella by the name of one Johnny Buckley on his American tractor. But our raids were more fundamental, or not, to the sustenance of mankind. A trailer of gravel for the foundations of whatever needed to be built. Mind you we couldn't build a footballer but we kicked most other challenges into touch - One Tractor Contractor I penned him.

Gerald Whyte was a blind hurler, i.e. nothing all else mattered - would have liked 'his' hurlers to share their thoughts on here, I believe he was adored by his hurling students.

Ah only got to a few small ball encounters in the day, once to O'Dorney with Ballydonoghue's late and great Bud O'Connor, I think Constable Stephen Henchy might have been on duty the same day, maybe we were examining the merchandise before we imported him. Noble Bud was sports intelligence personified across all codes - boxing, athletics, soccer, rugby - and didn't he love a bet and he was handy with he deck too, red hot poker, still GAA was his bread and butter and a good judge was he, sound as a judge!

[Mickmack]

Limerick team below.
KK got nothing from their subs last night whereas all of Waterfords subs made an in impact.

Shane Dowling had to retire at 27 due to injury. That subs bench does not look as formidable anymore without him.

The winners today will be favorites to win it out.





LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid (Effin);

Sean Finn (Bruff), Dan Morrissey (Ahane), Barry Nash (South Liberties);
Diarmaid Byrnes (Patrickswell), Declan Hannon (Adare), Kyle Hayes (Kildimo-Pallaskenry);

Darragh O’Donovan (Doon), William O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh);

Gearoid Hegarty (St Patricks), Cian Lynch (Patrickswell), Tom Morrissey (Ahane);
Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell), Seamus Flanagan (Feohanagh-Castlemahon), Graeme Mulcahy (Kilmallock).

Subs: Barry Hennessy (Kilmallock), Conor Boylan (Na Piarsaigh), Adrian Breen (Na Piarsaigh), Peter Casey (Na Piarsaigh), Ronan Connolly (Adare), Aaron Costello (Kilmallock), Richie English (Doon), Robbie Hanley (Kilmallock), Paddy O’Loughlin (Kilmallock), David Reidy (Dromin-Athlacca), Pat Ryan (Doon)

[veteran]

While it never reached the madness of last night’s second half it was still entertaining and interesting, interesting because Limerick seemed intent on keeping Galway in the game which the latter scarcely deserved. Limerick,were strangely lethargic in the early stages but once their powerful wing backs and wing forwards found their first wind I felt it was they who would progress. At one stage in the second half they were five up and were foraging for a goal. Galway got sustenance when the goal never materialised with the result that Limerick had some unnecessary anxious late moments.

Conceding a line ball to Galway is now as costly as conceding a free. You just take it for granted that Joe will float it over. Speedy recovery to you Joe.

I got the impression that Limerick had to work harder for their frees.

I hope Waterford return to earth before the final. Normally one would worry about that but Liam Cahill looks like a man who will ground them quickly. Also the fact that there will be no people present should help them in that respect.

[Mickmack]

3 point win for Limerick in a tense game.

Galways keeper is a good shot stopper but his puckouts are shocking. Limerick got a rake of points from those.

Cathal Mannions injury a huge loss for most of the game.

Limericks ability to land massive points sets them apart.

The injury to Joe was distressing. Hopefully he will be okay. He looked to be out cold after that clash. He got a slap across the back earlier which was probably not intentional as he stepped backwards as he was striking but it prompted Shefflin to admit that he doesnt be worrying about the rules in the rulebook!

[taibhse]

Gearóid Hegarty could be in trouble for that pull across Joe’s back. Lads have been given a straight red for less.

[Mickmack]

Irish Examiner Logo


Tom Morrissey points Limerick past Galway to set-up All-Ireland final with Waterford
I

SUN, 29 NOV, 2020 - 17:49
JOHN FOGARTY
Limerick 0-27 Galway 0-24

It says a lot - and a little - about Limerick that this was yet another game they should have won by more. When it should have been shouts of joy, it was their sighs of relief that could be read on the November mist enveloping Croke Park by game’s end.

A unique All-Ireland pairing will feel uncomfortably familiar to the Munster champions. Waterford know what it is to breathe on their necks and with the experience of that provincial final, they will be confident of avoiding a second fourth-quarter fadeout to John Kiely’s side.


Limerick’s performance graph is not escalating enough to frighten their provincial brethren. Here, they did just about enough to get by, advancing by playing within themselves. So much is left in them, that we know, but they could easily have tripped up here having failed to finish matters after the second-half water break, a period where they have shown a clean pair of heels to Clare and Waterford.

Losing that period by two points will be what Kiely will surely highlight to his players when they reconvene in Rathkeale tomorrow evening. Against a Waterford team who will not only feel they owe them for Thurles two weeks ago but have an abundance of energy, to finish second best like that again on December 13 will be unacceptable and possibly terminal.

And yet it was resilience as exhibited in the closing stages of all three Munster games that won them this game. Tom Morrissey, so lively at the outset when those around him were shuffling their feet, took the lead once more to send over three additional time points. With substitute Adrian Breen firing over another for good measure, Galway’s race was run but it had been too close for Kiely’s liking.


Indiscipline had been an issue - Galway were able to draw level by the 70th minute with only their third point from play in the second half. Although, Kiely took issue with some of the decisions. “I know that some of the frees were definitely frees, but I wouldn't agree that all were.

“I think the free count was 17 to seven, that's quite a swing in one particular direction. So I wouldn't agree that all of them were. I think there were occasions where we took the ball into tackles and we didn't get the same response that maybe the opposition did.”

Semi-finals may only be for winning but this lacked the conviction Limerick have been known for these past three seasons. Admittedly, the nine additional minutes that were required following the medical assistance Joe Canning required after his collision with Joe Cooney upset the rhythm of the game.

“You can't control that,” Kiely insisted. “How can you prepare for that. You can't. Mikey Kiely was trying to engage them with a little bit of running during that time to keep them engaged in a bit of movement, more than anything, that they wouldn't go cold and pull a muscle. But you don't know how players are going to respond to that.”


The seven minutes without action had more impact than any water break, Limerick leading by five (0-21 to 0-16) when James Owens called for liquids a second time. Galway looked beaten and should have been when David Reidy was put through by Peter Casey in the 55th minute only for Éanna Murphy to be equal to the shot.

Three Canning frees narrowed the gap to two before he took that nasty hit. After Cathal Mannion’s exit in the first half with a hamstring injury, losing their talisman could have derailed Galway. Instead, they sent over the next two scores, Canning’s replacement Evan Niland with the first, a long-range free followed by Conor Whelan, looking influential further out the field.

Galway couldn’t squeak ahead, though. Diarmaid Byrnes arrowed over a free following that Whelan score and while Niland cancelled it out soon after scores from Morrissey and Breen made life more comfortable for Limerick. A Fintan Burke sideline only spurred Limerick on again as Morrissey finished out the game with another two points, the latter from a free.


The finish was hard-won by Limerick but it had looked so easy for Limerick earlier in the half. Too easy, in fact, as they weren’t putting enough consideration into their shots at goal and by full-time, they had added eight wides to the eight they posted in the first half.

At least Cian Lynch came alive after half-time when Limerick led by two, 0-15 to 0-13. And like before, the bench made a difference for the Munster champions as Peter Casey made his presence felt with two points. How Kiely shapes his full-forward line in 13 days’ time will be interesting especially if Aaron Gillane’s back injury is serious.

In total, Murphy denied Limerick four times but his puck-outs were feasted on by Limerick particularly Gearóid Hegarty and Diarmuid Byrnes. And that trend continued to the end. Murphy was also fortunate not to concede a goal in the opening half when Graeme Mulcahy seized on his 14th-minute restart.

At that stage, Galway were cruising, 0-6 to 0-2 ahead. Brian Concannon put them five up in the 15th minute prior to Seamus Flanagan and Hegarty pointing so that the margin at the first water break was two points.

From there to half-time, it was all Limerick. To go ahead, they struck five consecutive points as they capitalised on Murphy’s hesitancy with his puck-outs. Scores from Concannon and Canning provided little respite for Galway as Limerick strung another four together. The turnaround from the 15th minute was nine points.

Galway did bring it back to two points by the half-time break, 0-15 to 0-13, but Limerick’s engine was running. It would later misfire but not before reigniting when it mattered.


The 60-second report

IT MATTERED

Tom Morrissey’s additional time scores. Along with Adrian Breen’s point, his three scores put the stabilisers after Limerick wobbled.


CAN'T IGNORE

Limerick will argue they don’t have a crown but it slipped ever so slightly here. They should have put this game to bed long before they did. If the Munster final left room for improvement, they added the en suite here.

GOOD DAY

As sloppy as they were after the second-half water break, Limerick won’t care on the back of a fourth consecutive victory. There remains a massive performance in them.

BAD DAY

Three huge saves by Éanna Murphy in the second half kept Galway in this encounter but then they leaked so much from their restarts - 14 of his restarts were lost compared to seven for Limerick. There was the winning and losing of the game in those statistics alone.

PHYSIO ROOM

Galway likely would have had to plan without Joe Canning and Cathal Mannion had they qualified for the final. Aaron Gillane had to leave the field of play soon after a massive hit by Gearóid McInerney. He will be a slight concern ahead of facing Waterford.


SIDELINE SMARTS

Limerick’s ability to make the pitch so small for Murphy made life hell for the Galway goalkeeper. John Kiely spoke afterwards of his team actively focusing on his restarts. For a time, Galway’s decision to play four across their half-back line worked as Pádraig Mannion dropped back there and at times sweeped. But when Galway became less effective in midfield, they had to alter their shape.

BEST ON SHOW

Tom Morrissey delivered early in the first half when Limerick looked edgy and again at the end when they looked a little spooked when Galway twice drew level. Some fine shows by Gearóid Hegarty, Diarmaid Byrnes and Dan Morrissey.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Other than a couple of unusual calls, this was a good performance by James Owens. Hegarty probably merited punishment for his hit on Canning and Limerick had strong calls for a few frees turned down but it was typically solid from the Wexford man.

NEXT UP

A first All-Ireland final between Limerick and Waterford on Sunday, the first time the Munster pairing has been repeated at that stage since Clare and Tipperary in 1997.

Limerick's Seamus Flanagan and Daithí Burke of Galway. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Limerick's Seamus Flanagan and Daithí Burke of Galway. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Scorers for Limerick: A Gillane (5 frees), T Morrissey (1 free) (0-6 each); G Hegarty (0-4); D Byrnes (0-3, 1 free); S Flanagan, P Casey, C Lynch (0-2 each); D Hannon, A Breen (0-1 each).

Scorers for Galway: J Canning (0-12, 8 frees, 4 sidelines); B Concannon, C Whelan (0-3 each); E Niland (0-2, 1 free); C Mannion, A Tuohey, J Cooney, F Burke (sideline) (0-1 each).

LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, B Nash; D Byrnes, D Hannon (c), K Hayes; D O’Donovan, W O’Donoghue; G Hegarty, C Lynch, T Morrissey; A Gillane, S Flanagan, G Mulcahy.


Subs for Limerick: P Casey for G Mulcahy (40); D Reidy for D O’Donovan (52); A Breen for S Flanagan (62); P O’Loughlin for D Hannon (70+4); P Ryan for A Gillane (inj 70+7).

GALWAY: E Murphy; S Loftus, Daithí Burke, A Harte; S Cooney, G McInerney, P Mannion (c), J Cooney; David Burke, J Coen; C Cooney, C Mannion, B Concannon; J Canning, C Whelan.

Subs for Galway: A Tuohey for C Mannion (inj 24); F Burke for David Burke (h-t); J Flynn for C Cooney (45); S Linnane for S Cooney (52); E Niland for J Canning (inj 69).

Referee: J Owens (Wexford).

MORE IN THIS SECTION

[Aodhan]

Seeing that Ireland is now down to Level 3 will supporters be allowed in for the finals? What should really be a packed Croke Park will they even allow 5k in? If so will the Kerry and Antrim supporters have to leave the grounds before the senior final to allow the Limerick and Waterford supporters in?

More than likely the crazy scenario we will get is the four teams restricted to 26 players within the massive grounds with the rest of the panel either watching from their couches at home or in a packed pub somewhere. It is now time for Croke Park to draw a line in the sand, otherwise history will not look back kindly on December 12, 2020. Ditto for December 19, 2020.

[Ballyfireside]

Nov 30, 2020 1:52:56 GMT Aodhan said:

Seeing that Ireland is now down to Level 3 will supporters be allowed in for the finals? What should really be a packed Croke Park will they even allow 5k in? If so will the Kerry and Antrim supporters have to leave the grounds before the senior final to allow the Limerick and Waterford supporters in?

More than likely the crazy scenario we will get is the four teams restricted to 26 players within the massive grounds with the rest of the panel either watching from their couches at home or in a packed pub somewhere. It is now time for Croke Park to draw a line in the sand, otherwise history will not look back kindly on December 12, 2020. Ditto for December 19, 2020.

For a change the regulators are getting it right - no man misses games 'n' pints more than myself but I'll wait. I wouldn't comment only I heard a few 'qualified' lunatics (builders barristers as John B would call 'em) on TV and if you didn't know better you'd doubt basic wisdom - the lunatics were just hugging the airwaves, bet their communities weren't so proud of them.

As much as I hate to say it but games 'n' pints are proven super spreaders and nobody wants to risk the vulnerable among us. While sometimes there are hidden agendas in public messages, there isn't here - this is bloody serious. Even all politicians are in agreement and that's saying something, kinda makes one feel a bit grateful, even proud.

[dc84]

The panels you would think shouldn't be a massive problem with level 3 in place.

As for fans i dont think there should be any tbh how would you pick the 5000? gaa would be better off just having none. There will without doubt be a major spike around Christmas the last thing you would want is gaa getting blamed and restrictions on club games next year.
Tough on the players that their familys wont be there or is it a blessing where they aren't getting plagued for tickets?

[Mickmack]

Allowing an extra 10 players from both sides drive up on their own and sit in the vast spaces of CP should be allowed i feel.

As for fans, I think they should leave well enough alone on that score.

[glengael]

Limerick fluffed a lot of chances towards the end. They should have been more comfortable coming down to the end.

Waterford missed a multitude in the 1st half on Saturday, they seemed to have more solo artists than a Glastonbury stage. They played like a different team in the second half. Fair play to them.

[Mickmack]

That lad from Meath Jack Fagan was a revelation. The left hand up plucking puckouts over the head of the KK half backs. Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney not to mention Cody himself will be shocked.

[Mickmack]

Has the whatsapp message about the big row in the KK dressingroom reached Kerry. It has Brian Codys nephew sticking up for him and all. Only problem is that Eoin is not related to Brian. I dont think Brian has a nephew on the panel. Who would be bothered making up these things.

[Annascaultilidie]

Nov 30, 2020 11:35:45 GMT Mickmack said:

Has the whatsapp message about the big row in the KK dressingroom reached Kerry. It has Brian Codys nephew sticking up for him and all. Only problem is that Eoin is not related to Brian. I dont think Brian has a nephew on the panel. Who would be bothered making up these things.

Absolutely pitiful sorts (unless of course this was satirising our own rumour mill).

[dc84]

Nov 30, 2020 9:37:06 GMT Mickmack said:

Allowing an extra 10 players from both sides drive up on their own and sit in the vast spaces of CP should be allowed i feel.

As for fans, I think they should leave well enough alone on that score.

Confirmed anyway full Squads are allowed