John Kiely was smart to make Cian Lynch captain – Limerick are playing for him and want him to win the All-Ireland
THEY say revenge is a dish best served cold — but ravenous Limerick served it up to Cork on a piping-hot day in the Gaelic Grounds.
The Treaty slipped up in last year's All-Ireland semi-final against the Rebels at Croke Park but their
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Cian Lynch succeeded Declan Hannon as Limerick captain
Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
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Babs Keating believes it is spurring them on
Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
John Kiely's side had Cork on a plate, dishing out a 3-26 to 1-16 roasting to the side that beat them — twice — in the Championship last summer and consigned Limerick's five-in-a-row bid to the bin.
The six-in-a-row Munster champions can still add to that provincial tally but a sixth Liam MacCarthy in eight seasons is what really gets their juices flowing.
Having been joint-captain with Declan Hannon last year, Kiely has promoted Cian Lynch to skipper and it's a smart move.
Not only is the Patrickswell man one of the most respected hurlers in the country, he is clearly revelling in the responsibility and leading by example.
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The team is playing for him. They want the two-time Hurler of the Year to be climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in July to take back Liam MacCarthy.
Kiely is in an enviable position — any casual performance from his 15 starters and they are out and they know it.
When you go training in Limerick, you are looking over your shoulder because someone is waiting in the wings if you mess up.
Kiely has
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It's a luxury I don't believe he has ever had before, with prized and proven — and injury-free — players in every position.
Front-line stars Lynch, Kyle Hayes, Seán Finn, Nickie Quaid and Aaron Gillane are not even in the match-day 26.
Limerick GAA fans troll RTE pundit Donal Og Cusack after win over Cork
Peter Casey, Séamus Flanagan and Cathal O'Neill all got game-time off the bench last weekend and now get their chance in attack against the Banner.
Shane Dowling replaces Quaid in goal and four-time All-Ireland-winning captain Hannon makes his first start of the year.
Colin Coughlan, Barry Murphy and Darragh O'Donovan were given a few minutes against the Rebels and, again, have an opportunity to stake their claim.
Two-time All-Star O'Donovan comes in for Adam English.
I have criticised the youngster before but to be fair, he put in a serious display last Sunday, chipping in with 1-2 from midfield.
He knows he must maintain that standard as his Doon clubmate O'Donovan gets his crack in the middle alongside Will O'Donoghue today.
Shane O'Brien had his poorest performance of the Munster campaign to date against Cork. But he didn't get the full 70 minutes to fix it.
Flanagan, the man who replaced 'The Bull', is no longer an automatic starter but the 2021 All-Star forward is still only 28 and has put in a huge effort in recent months to dislodge O'Brien. Both start this afternoon.
Dowling was outstanding and grabbed his chance to shine during the league before Quaid's shock Championship comeback.
PLAYING FOR PRIDE
Clare are out of the Championship and are playing for pride. They must resurrect themselves for a trip to the lion's den — and in the wake of what Limerick did to the Rebels, that is a daunting task.
It's rebuilding time for Brian Lohan and I'm not sure if we'll ever see David McInerney, 32, or John Conlon, 35, in saffron and blue again. After picking up their first All-Star awards last year, Adam Hogan and Mark Rodgers didn't step up to the mark in the early rounds this season. I don't see Limerick being beaten today.
Fresh off last week's battering, Cork must pick themselves up off the canvas and welcome Waterford to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
A draw will secure third place, victory secures a Munster final spot — surely against Limerick — in two weeks. If Waterford win, the season is over for Pat Ryan's men.
The one thing Cork don't need is Limerick in a Munster final at the Gaelic Grounds. No one on Leeside could have the stomach to go through that again.
The big prize is on All-Ireland final day. Limerick won Munster last year, but that counted for little in Croke Park on semi-final day.
Cork were beaten in every part of the field, from No 1 Patrick Collins up. His short puckouts and poor use of the ball are criticisms I levelled at him two years ago.
The Ballinhassig man corrected that last season, right up to the All-Ireland final, but reverted to old habits during this year's league.
MOVING FORWARD
In the modern game, backs have to be able to play like forwards and vice versa. But the Cork attackers don't know how to play like defenders.
You must stop your opponent and keep the ball in the area — Darragh Fitzgibbon is probably the only Cork player capable of that.
He had the thankless job of shackling Hayes in a match-up of two of last year's nominees for Hurler of the Year. Not many players can go toe-to-toe with Hayes.
If I was managing, I wouldn't waste my best player trying to stop him. I'd be putting in somebody to make it awkward for him, but Cork don't have one of those players.
They're all fancy hurlers but the ability to play the dropping ball isn't in their locker — and hasn't been for years.
While they have been putting up high scores, they have also been shipping them and something's not right about that.
Look, it's difficult for any team to succeed against this Limerick side. They are so mature. They're coming back to their peak fitness-wise and have more options than ever.
It will be interesting to see if Waterford take a leaf out of the Treaty playbook and go with all-out aggression at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The Déise have a history of being able for Cork — look at last year's Munster clash — and they do not fear the Rebels.
I was in Thurles last Sunday and fully expected a performance from the visitors against Tipperary but we just didn't get one.
They are one of the best GAA counties in the country with wonderful people, and their supporters deserved better last Sunday.
Years ago, I watched an American sports show with Michael Jordan. An audience member asked him to name six key areas for performance. Jordan hesitated, then said the word 'preparation' six times.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail — that was Waterford against Tipp.
They looked like world beaters at the start, 1-1 up after two minutes. And it ended there.
It's a big ask to beat a Cork team that are really hurting.
Cork will win on their own patch, but the victory could be a poisoned chalice. If the Rebels don't get their house in order, they're wasting their time playing Limerick again in the Munster final — or further down the line for that matter.
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