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Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Graeme Mulcahy: Virtually empty Croke Park hindered Limerick's performance
Graeme Mulcahy reckons the lack of atmosphere in what he felt was an 'empty' Croke Park, compared to the packed out stadium for the Munster final, played a part in Limerick's demise. The Shannonsiders are still coming to terms with last Saturday's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to a Dublin side that played with 14 men for the majority. Mulcahy expects a couple of Limerick retirements in the coming months but doesn't view the defeat as the end of an era and reckons that John Kiely and his management team will return in 2026 energised to make amends. The five-time All-Ireland medallist attributed the relatively flat performance, and ultimate defeat, to starting slowly in an 'empty stadium effectively' and allowing Dublin to generate momentum. Former attacker Mulcahy, who retired last year, pointed specifically to Aaron Gillane's unlikely wide in the opening minutes from a free as a sign of Limerick perhaps not being fully tuned in. Speaking ahead of the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor championship finals, Mulcahy said it has been a few days of 'soul searching' and looking for answers in Limerick. Former Limerick hurler Graeme Mulcahy pictured ahead of the 2025 Electric Ireland GAA All-Ireland Minor Championship finals. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady "I think trying to come down off a Munster final, a Munster final that will live long in people's memories in terms of the drama, and then going to Croke Park a couple of weeks later, an empty stadium effectively with little or no atmosphere, like, you could hear the referee's whistle echoing around the stadium for the first five, 10 minutes," said Mulcahy. "It was just a completely different experience for that Limerick team. The whole game felt flat for that first 15, 20 minutes, aside from maybe the bit of intensity that Dublin brought. "In the first couple of minutes, Aaron Gillane had an easy enough free and it went to Hawk-Eye. "Whatever little atmosphere was in the stadium was sucked out at that point. I think that really played into Dublin's hands, just allowing them to get a bit of a foothold in the game." The Dublin/Limerick game preceded the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final tie between Dublin and Cork. The overall attendance announced for the day was 36,546, well below half the capacity of the stadium. "I think it can have a massive effect," continued Mulcahy. "Psychologically, if you're not prepared for that and if you haven't spoken about it, it can have a huge effect. I think if that game had come down to Thurles, you would have had probably three times the amount of Limerick fans at the game that were in Croke Park. On the flipside of that, you wouldn't have had as many Dublin fans travel. I think that would have added to giving Limerick an edge, certainly in terms of their performance, that was lacking in Croke Park." Limerick still had an extra player after the 15th minute dismissal of Chris Crummey though Mulcahy said it felt like the backing of the Dublin fans who came streaming in for the second game as the first game was concluding 'effectively gave Dublin back that 15th man'. The Kilmallock man said he agreed with the decision to send Crummey off for what was perceived to be a head high challenge on Gearoid Hegarty. "On a personal level, I would love if he got it overturned and was able to play in an All-Ireland semi-final, but I just don't see it happening," said Mulcahy. The seven-time Munster medallist reckons that Cork will beat Dublin in their July 5 semi-final and that the Munster champions will 'go on and bridge that 20-year gap' by winning the All-Ireland. But he insisted that if Dublin can maintain the quality and intensity they showed against Limerick, 'Dublin could easily overturn Cork in that semi-final as well'. And if Dublin were to beat Cork, Limerick's defeat may be viewed in a different light. "I think if Cork were to wipe out Dublin completely, then it would feel even more difficult for Limerick, but if Dublin were to go on and overturn Cork as well, and get to the All-Ireland final, I think it would really signal their intent and suggest that there's maybe a new hurling power on the rise." As for Limerick, Mulcahy rejected talk of the core of their group potentially coming to the end of the line. "I think people want to see it as an end of an era," he said, pointing to rival counties. "They want Limerick gone away and I just hope that's not the case. I think if they stay unified, like, you'll always lose a couple but I think if they keep the core group together and take the learnings from this year, I think they'll be competitive again next year."
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Tactical Analysis: Dublin's work rate and goals key in Limerick upset
In a seismic shock at Croke Park, Dublin stunned Limerick with a 2-24 to 0-28 victory in their All-Ireland quarter-final. The game's major turning point came early: Chris Crummey's 14th-minute red card for a high challenge on Gearóid Hegarty. Remarkably, it was Dublin, not Limerick, who responded more effectively, outscoring the Shannonsiders 0-10 to 0-5 during the 20-minute period that followed. Dublin's strong start Limerick's turnovers were scattered across midfield and defence, often from contested puckouts and failed clearances. Their lack of turnovers in attacking zones reflects their struggle to move the ball through the thirds. Throw-ins, blocks and hooks further highlight a loss of rhythm, particularly after Crummey's red card when Dublin raised their intensity. READ MORE Dublin, despite being a man down, had a tighter cluster of turnovers in the middle third. Their work rate meant they often immediately contested for second possession, and several of these instances led to point-scoring turnovers. Their higher press forced Limerick into uncharacteristic errors, with the central channel particularly disrupted by Dublin's compact shape and aggression in the tackle. Dublin won more turnovers in central areas than Limerick in the first half Dublin dominated their puckouts, winning clean possession in the middle third and recovering breaks with impressive organisation. With 14 men, they still broke even on long puckouts, targeting Barry Nash's flank effectively. Limerick offered little disruption, winning only a few clean or broken balls. After Crummey's red card, Limerick stuck with a zonal setup instead of using a sweeper, which proved costly. Even after losing a man, Dublin's puckout strategy, first touch, and intensity were vastly superior. Limerick's zonal defence failed to press up on Dublin's middle-third pockets, allowing the Dubs to build up with confidence and get their shots off. In total Dublin had 27 shots in the first half, scoring 15, a 55% efficiency in front of goal. Dublin's shot efficiency wasn't fantastic but their successful puckout strategy helped them to create plenty of chances Below we see Conor Burke (0-5), who was allowed to move forward at will in both halves and score from long range. Conor Burke got five points, this one under very little pressure Uncharacteristic errors In contrast, Limerick looked flat and tentative, lacking their trademark physical dominance and failing to deliver accurate ball to their half forwards. In the picture below, we see Sean Finn overhit a pass to Tom Morrissey, which was symptomatic of their overall performance. Sean Finn had time to look up and pick his pass In the next screen shot, the ball is now caught by Conor McHugh and the turnover leads to another scoring opportunity for Dublin. But Finn's delivery was poor, flying over Tom Morrissey's head Despite being down to 14 men after the 14th minute, Dublin executed an intelligent puckout strategy, ensuring they retained momentum. Their shot selection and puckout retention underpinned their half-time lead and laid the foundation for victory. The red card actually marked the start of Dublin's most productive phase. In the 10-minute spell that followed, Dublin outscored Limerick by 7 points to 3, flipping the momentum of the game entirely. Limerick's lost a lot of their puckouts that went long, while Dublin's defence helped keep the score down with hooks and blocks Dublin goals wrestle back control Limerick briefly took the lead on 51 minutes (0-19 to 0-18) after a four-point run in which Aidan O'Connor and Adam English impressed. However, two goals from John Hetherton and Cian O'Sullivan in quick succession exploited Limerick's defensive vulnerability, and swung momentum back to Dublin. Hetherton created chaos inside and was an important outlet for the Dublin attack. John Hetherton's wonderful goal put Dublin back in front after a push by Limerick Tactically, Limerick never exploited their numerical advantage. They often allowed Dublin to play through the press, especially on puckouts, and failed to sustain pressure. While their shooting efficiency improved in the second half, they ultimately came up short — two points off their usual 30-point target. Dublin's win was built on composure, resilience, and leadership from Burke and Seán Currie. Despite the extra man, Limerick left space for Dublin on puckouts. Ronan Hayes found room here, leading to the second goal. A late Limerick surge closed the gap, but Currie's long-range frees and solid defending secured the result. Dublin's varied and effective second-half puckouts, supported by a strong midfield press, maintained their rhythm and denied Limerick momentum. Meanwhile, the shot map (left panel) illustrates Dublin's high shot volume and variation, including two well-taken goals. While not all were chances were converted, their relentless threat stretched Limerick's defence and forced them to commit numbers backward, limiting their transitional play. Dublin continued to pass up chances going forward, but the goals and their excellent puckouts carried them to victory Brennan's save defined Limerick's second half Seán Brennan made a brilliant save from Aaron Gillane with 10 minutes to go to help Dublin stay in front In the second half, Dublin dropped off Limerick's puckouts (green nodes below), but their defensive structure blocked goal routes. Limerick were forced into tighter angles (white nodes), and when they did break through, Dublin's 1v1 defending stood strong — with key interventions from Bellew, Smyth, and Hayes. The black nodes (blocks/hooks) reflect Dublin's resilience in shutting down a tired Limerick. Limerick went short from their puckouts as Dublin stepped off, while Dublin's defence made key blocks close to goal Despite their improved second half, Limerick failed to capitalise on Dublin's red card. Their passive zonal defence persisted, and Declan Hannon's impact was limited when introduced. Dublin's goals proved decisive in a win built as much on character as their sensible tactical approach. Jeffrey Lynskey managed Galway to three All-Ireland minor hurling titles. He is also a former Galway under-20 manager and is currently an MSc student in Sports Performance Analysis at Setu Carlow.
