8 hours ago
Ferocious Rebels figured out how to neutralise Treaty
In keeping with the martial tone of the evening's action, and with the treatment of the Munster Championship generally as an immortal battle between two great forces, Pat Ryan deployed the language of combat in the Gaelic Grounds.
In this instance it was fitting, because Cork came to Limerick with a clear idea of how to win on Saturday night.
The mortification of losing by 16 points to the champions earlier in the provincial campaign may have been a motivation, but no matter what had gone before, the way to defeat Limerick hadn't changed.
Facing down their ferocious physical power was the challenge. Cork did that, aided by extraordinary refereeing that turned the first half into a free-for-all, but the determination not to take a backward step was the key plank in their approach. Cork's Shane Barrett and Brian Hayes celebrates. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
'We didn't fight the last time we came up here and the lads worked really hard, we fought really, really hard,' said Ryan.
'It was vital that we represented the jersey properly and we did. 'From the throw-in, we were engaged. You have to put really, really good teams under pressure and you take your chances, whether you win or not.'
Describing Cork as engaged was an eloquent use of words by Ryan. In truth, they were ferocious, turning every contest into the type of grappling tussle that Limerick have made their own. The Cork captain Shane Barrett leads his players behind the St Patrick's Pipe Band, from Tulla, during the parade before the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship final match between Limerick and Cork at LIT Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
In the 2000s, Brian Cody's vision for hurling was so forcefully implemented by his all-conquering team that it changed not only how the game was played, but how it was officiated, too.
Limerick have taken that Cody template and supersized it over the past decade. Their halfback and half-forward lines are now manned by players who are fusions of power and skill. For most opponents, on most days, it's been an irresistible combination. It might have galled Ryan that in the round-robin meeting between the teams, Cork didn't even get to the point of making Limerick work.
They were blown away from the first Limerick goal two minutes in that day, and any designs they had on turning the game into a physical showdown never got off the whiteboard. But it's certain that their tactics that day had physicality at their core. The difference on Saturday was that they never let Limerick build up a head of steam. Shane Barrett of Cork celebrates after his side's victory in the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship final match between Limerick and Cork at LIT Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
From the start, John Kiely's army were met on the front foot. It rattled them on the field but also on the sideline. Eyewitness accounts spoke of crackling tension, with the Limerick sideline in particular in a state of heightened animation. The stresses burst to the surface at half time as the Cork manager sought out Thomas Walsh, the match referee, only to find Kiely in his way.
'The game is so fast,' Ryan said afterwards. 'Thomas is a fantastic referee. We're fighting for calls. John Kiely's fighting for calls. That's just the nature of it. 'In fairness to the referees that are there at the moment, they're all doing their best.
'They're all trying to do it in a honourable and straight way.
'There were a couple of calls that went against us but I heard John shouting for plenty of scores that didn't go his way. That's just the game.' Cork celebrate winning in the dressing room. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
Equanimity is easily maintained when your team has won, but in the longer term, it's surely unsustainable to have marquee hurling matches become effectively ungoverned collisions between two teams. It's not the fault of any one official, either, but rather the inevitable end-product of a culture that has allowed physical power to become an unchecked factor in contests. That's not a concern for Pat Ryan or his players this morning.
They have a month's wait for their All-Ireland semifinal, with Limerick obliged to play a quarter-final that will hardly long detain them. For Ryan and his players, meanwhile, there is one certainty: if they meet Limerick again this summer, which is more than a remote chance, they will know what's coming. And it will be fearsome.
