Limerick v Cork - Round 4 Football Qualifier

grenache

v

Kindly co-hosted by yours truly and Orizio

Saturday 24 July, Gaelic Grounds, Throw-in 7pm, Live on RTE 2.




Match Odds: Limerick 7/2 Cork 1/4 Draw 9/1



LIMERICK

Possible Team:

Scanlon

O'Riordan
McCarthy
Lane

Lavin
Lucey
Ranahan

O'Donovan
Galvin

Browne
J. Ryan
Buckley

Collins
I. Ryan
Kelly

Watch Out For:

In the forwards department Limerick rarely line out as selected. Stephen Kelly is once again likely to operate in the half forward line from where he can make those trademark surging runs, no doubt he will also be expected to negate the runs from deep of the Cork half backs. James Ryan, while likely to be named at centre forward, will again drift between there and midfield, looking to claim the breaking ball from kick-outs.

Limerick will deploy a two man full forward line, hoping to isolate the in-form Ger Collins, a ploy which worked well in the Munster Final. Should Cork's bulky No. 14 Ciarán Sheehan be causing havoc around the square, Stephen Lucey will most likely switch to full back to stop the rot. Corner back Mark O'Riordan will also be put on man-marking duties to monitor danger man Goulding.

Players To Watch:

Stephen Kelly and Ger Collins. Kelly posed many problems to the Kerry defence earlier this month, so much so that he came in for some very special attention from a certain Kerry No. 5. His willingness to run and drag opposition backs out of position will be key to Limerick's fortunes, though small in stature, he has bulked up enormously through his time spent with Shannon RFC. If Limerick half backs can supply enough early ball to Ger Collins, then he will get the scores.

Strengths:

Midfield - its well documented that Limerick have a strong pairing in Galvin and Donovan, two excellent fielders of the ball and very intelligent footballers. Winning midfield is the very least Limerick will need.

Weaknesses:

As sure as the sun will rise and set, Limerick will fall asleep in the opening twenty minutes of the second half. Its a hallmark of both Mickey Ned's and Liam Kearns' tenures. Kerry stuck them for 1-7, Cork hit them for 1-4 last year. Cork will need to take full advantage during this period. Sideline tactics will be crucial and knowing when and where to make the right decisions was Limerick's downfall against Kerry i.e. hitting two 45 kicks wide against a strong breeze.

Injuries:

Stephen Lucey and Seanie Buckley are both carrying knocks, neither trained yesterday but both are expected to line out.



CORK

Possible Team:

Quirke

Carey
Canty
J. O'Sullivan

Miskella
Shields
Kissane

A. O'Connor
Walsh

Gould
P. O'Neill
Kelly

Goulding
Sheehan
C. O'Neill

Watch Out For:

A number of changes before kick-off or early in the game if things don't start well. The above 15 is likely to be listed tomorrow night but there wil probably be positional and personnel changes - Canty is likely to drift out to the center back line, leaving either O'Sullivan or Shields on the square, while a tight man-marker will have to be earmarked for Kelly. Similarly, Nicolas Murphy is back and in good form, although its difficult to see who he will start for in midfield.

Tactically, Cork will have to keep the ball away from midfield, which will mean an varied kick-put policy based around short balls and long ones away from Galvin and towards Pearse O'Neill dropping from 11. Any ball that does go near Galvin will have to be broken, which will play into Cork's considerable ability to win breaking ball around midfield, something the likes of Patrick Kelly and John Miskella excel at.

Players To Watch:

Nicolas Murphy and John Miskella. Neither player was match-fit for Kerry but with both back Cork now have two of their more purposeful and experienced players to use. Murphy may of may not start on the bench but if Galvin bosses things in midfield as is likely then Murphy will be the only person to stand toe to toe with him. Similarly, a fully fit and confident Miskella offers the kind of drive, vision and aggression from wing-back that was badly missed for the Kerry games.

Strengths:

Although the Cork bench is generally overrated, its still a strong area, particurly in comparison to Limerick, with Nicolas Murphy, Paul Kerrigan, Eoin Cotter, Donnacha O'Connor and Noel O'Leary to come on.

Weaknesses:

Inability of management to pick the right team - for example Nicolas Murphy should really start midfield on Saturday but it seems unlikely Alan O'Connor will be dropped. Similarly, Cork have problems with free-taking, although Patrick Kelly might solve this problem. Finally, Cork had a habit of lapsing in concentration and failing to pay attention for the enite match, particurly when we go a few points ahead.

Injuries:

Anthony Lynch (possibly retired?).

davedaly7532

some lad from the irish examiner on the sunday game the last night reckoned limerick could be the 4th best team in the country (after kerry, Cork and Tyrone presumably). He must have been on the beer and should probably get the bullet for comin out with such a statement. Without john galvin they wouldn't have a snowballs chance of winnin but even still Cork should win comfortably.

ShamoBuc

Seriously looking forward to this match. Limerick have been getting better in recent years and have been pushing both Cork and Kerry. Cork - if they play well - will win this match but they really do need to play well from the first whistle. If Limerick start making progress early on Cork will be in for a real test of their AI credentials, but they should still come out on top. In case Cork are feely cocky - Doubtful ! - the last two championship meetings in particular will serve to remind them just how good Limerick are. Even though Cork won the last 4 meetings there was an element of luck about some of them - Cork by 4 in the end!

grenache

davedaly7532 wrote: »

some lad from the irish examiner on the sunday game the last night reckoned limerick could be the 4th best team in the country (after kerry, Cork and Tyrone presumably). He must have been on the beer and should probably get the bullet for comin out with such a statement. Without john galvin they wouldn't have a snowballs chance of winnin but even still Cork should win comfortably.

Ah go away outta that, Limerick are more than a one man team to be fair; yes John Galvin is very very important to us, but so are Johnny McCarthy, Jim Donovan, Ger Collins and Stephen Kelly.

flahavaj

Limerick never seemt to get beaten easily even by Cork or Kerry so this could be tight.

DH2K9

If they get a strong crowd Limerick have every chance. Did they get good support for the Munster Final? Gaelic Grounds is big so would need strong numbers for good atmosphere. What are the ticket prices?

davedaly7532

grenache wrote: »

Ah go away outta that, Limerick are more than a one man team to be fair; yes John Galvin is very very important to us, but so are Johnny McCarthy, Jim Donovan, Ger Collins and Stephen Kelly.

they're decent players alrite but gavin is they're only real match-winner and despite him havin an absolute stormer against kerry it still wasn't enough. If he doesn't play somewhere close to his best then Cork should win. Ger Collins started brilliantly against Kerry but he faded badly and can't afford to do the same if they are to get close to Cork

grenache

DH2K9 wrote: »

If they get a strong crowd Limerick have every chance. Did they get good support for the Munster Final? Gaelic Grounds is big so would need strong numbers for good atmosphere. What are the ticket prices?

Stand €25
Terrace €20
Student/OAP €15

Cash taken at the gates.

davedaly7532 wrote: »

they're decent players alrite but gavin is they're only real match-winner and despite him havin an absolute stormer against kerry it still wasn't enough. If he doesn't play somewhere close to his best then Cork should win. Ger Collins started brilliantly against Kerry but he faded badly and can't afford to do the same if they are to get close to Cork

I totally disagree. He was brilliant throughout, scored 0-4 in the first half, didn't touch the ball for the first 20 mins of the second half as Kerry owned it. Then the first ball he did get went over the bar, his marker Tom O'Sullivan was taken off soon after. Any ball that Ger Collins got, he did something with it. The problem was he simply didn't get enough of it. He has totally out-shined Ian Ryan in the last two years. Along with Stephen Kelly he is now our best forward, and our chief points scorer.

flahavaj

Where is Orizio actually?

grenache

flahavaj wrote: »

Where is Orizio actually?

Probably berating some poor fresher over on the UCC forum

yerayeah

Would have loved to pop into this if it was on in Killarney but looking forward to watching it on tv now. I think Limerick have a real chance here, especially since it's their home patch, but I still think Cork will pull through.

I've a theory that the only way Cork will win an AI is if they can go the whole way without ever being in a close fought game that goes down to the wire. They just don't seem to have the heart, as well as a lack of real leaders in such situations. If Limerick can stay in the game until the final ten minutes then I fancy them to pull off a massive upset. Saying that though, they could never find the score to go in front against Kerry, they will have to have a little more composure when it matters most on Saturday.

No doubt Mickey Ned will have something up his sleeve but ultimately, my gut feeling is that Cork will pull away in the second half and drive on and win by 4 or 5 points. Should be a cracking game!:)

wonka

Limerick really need to win this one - to get over that barrier of beating Cork when it really counts. Will have to contend myself with watching it the local (in Cork). Just really worried that Limerick seem to have this mental block of closing games out in the last 10 minutes. Mickey Ne(e)ds to use the subs when it matters - how Conor fitz didn't come on in against Kerry I'll never know.
At least we won't have to put up with any 'professional' play from Kerry.

C'mon the Shannonsiders.....

panda100

DH2K9 wrote: »

If they get a strong crowd Limerick have every chance. Did they get good support for the Munster Final? Gaelic Grounds is big so would need strong numbers for good atmosphere. What are the ticket prices?

Support was excellent at The Munster final. The weathers set to be nice for this Sat eve so I expect a really good turnout from Limerick supporters.

I wonder If Shane Gallagher will start?He made a good impact in the Kerry match.

Conor Fitz has to be brought on this time too, Mickey Ned take note!

Pappy o' daniel

Limericks Midfield has gotten the better of Corks in recent years, I think that will change this time, Aidan Walsh is someone im very impressed with and him and Murphy could be a pairing to dominate the midfield aggainst any team.
It will be interesting how Corks Full Forward line gets on with all of them being left footers.

Miskella and Canty are back to last years form. I think Cork by 3 or 4.

soccymonster

Lads, I can really see Limerick winning this one if most of the forward line can really step up to the plate and boot over the scores. Mickey ned, he really needs to make some good substitutions. If Conor Fitz isn't introduced (if he's actually needed which more then likely he will be) so help me God hopefully, the atmosphere will be dacent seeing as the munster final's was electric. Just need to close out this game like not having done previous. It may prove a hard task seeing as they're up against one of the best teams in the country but it's Definitely not impossible!

I'm excited now. Limerick by 2. Cmon Limerick!!!

Aidric

soccymonster wrote: »

Lads, I can really see Limerick winning this one if most of the forward line can really step up to the plate and boot over the scores.

Ian Ryan really needs to step up to the plate in this one. He has gone missing when most needed against Cork in last years Munster Final and against Kerry in this years. If he could reproduce that Meath performance from a couple of years ago at the Gaelic Grounds then we could be in for a great night.
I'm going with Limerick by a point.

megadodge

some lad from the irish examiner on the sunday game the last night reckoned limerick could be the 4th best team in the country (after kerry, Cork and Tyrone presumably). He must have been on the beer and should probably get the bullet for comin out with such a statement. Without john galvin they wouldn't have a snowballs chance of winnin but even still Cork should win comfortably.

So, what team outside of the top three would you say definitely would beat Limerick?

I really think this will be a very tight game. The results between them from the last two years could very easily have been 2-0 to Limerick instead of the other way round. This Limerick team does not fear Cork and while I think Cork will scrape through in the end, I would not be surprised at a Limerick win.

Gav Celt

davedaly7532 wrote: »

some lad from the irish examiner on the sunday game the last night reckoned limerick could be the 4th best team in the country (after kerry, Cork and Tyrone presumably). He must have been on the beer and should probably get the bullet for comin out with such a statement. Without john galvin they wouldn't have a snowballs chance of winnin but even still Cork should win comfortably.

John Galvin is not the only player on the Limerick squad and Limerick have other great players like Ger Collins

Gav Celt

soccymonster wrote: »

Lads, I can really see Limerick winning this one if most of the forward line can really step up to the plate and boot over the scores. Mickey ned, he really needs to make some good substitutions. If Conor Fitz isn't introduced (if he's actually needed which more then likely he will be) so help me God hopefully, the atmosphere will be dacent seeing as the munster final's was electric. Just need to close out this game like not having done previous. It may prove a hard task seeing as they're up against one of the best teams in the country but it's Definitely not impossible!

I'm excited now. Limerick by 2. Cmon Limerick!!!

If Limerick play like they did in the munster final against Kerry apart from the 15 or 20 minutes when we lost the midfield then Limerick should win by a good few points

Bill2673

davedaly7532 wrote: »

some lad from the irish examiner on the sunday game the last night reckoned limerick could be the 4th best team in the country (after kerry, Cork and Tyrone presumably). He must have been on the beer and should probably get the bullet for comin out with such a statement. Without john galvin they wouldn't have a snowballs chance of winnin but even still Cork should win comfortably.

I seen that and it was an interesting comment. To be fair, Limerick have come a lot closer to beating Cork than say Tyrone did last year. Also interesting was Darragh O'Se's comment on the same program that 'in all fairness to the Sligos, Antrims and Longfords, I don't think Kerry would have bothered this year if they had to go through the qualifier route again'....its hard to know how good Limerick are until they start winning games.

If you took a pool of Dublin, Meath, Down, Limerick, Monaghan, Kildare......any of these could be contenders for fourth best team. But none of them are making a strong claim for it. Personally, I'd pick Kildare as the most likely from outside the top 3 to make the all Ireland final this year.

ps sorry for going off topic.

aidan24326

davedaly7532 wrote: »

some lad from the irish examiner on the sunday game the last night reckoned limerick could be the 4th best team in the country (after kerry, Cork and Tyrone presumably). He must have been on the beer and should probably get the bullet for comin out with such a statement. Without john galvin they wouldn't have a snowballs chance of winnin but even still Cork should win comfortably.

The lad from the examiner might have been going a small bit overboard but you on the other hand are greatly underestimating Limerick. They've pushed Cork right to the wire in recent years and had them beaten a couple of times only to blow it at the finish. If they've learned their lessons from those games they are in with a good chance. I really think this is a draw Cork would rather have avoided, as Limerick have been getting very close to Cork and Kerry in recent years and you have to fancy that they'll win one of these games sooner or later. Cork go into this game as favourites and rightly so, but Limerick are not out of this by any means and it has the makings of a good game. In fact all 4 of this weekends qualifiers could go either way, I don't think you could honestly put your house on any of the 8 teams involved.

grenache

Bill2673 wrote: »

....its hard to know how good Limerick are until they start winning games.

This is the point, we can all speculate as to how good Limerick are, but we wont really know until we beat a team of real substance. No better opportunity than tomorrow night. Its no coincidence that the last time we had an extended run in the qualifiers in 2002, we went on to beat Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh the following May. Another run would do wonders for their self belief.

Derryleigh

THis is going to be the shock of the year. Limerick will take Cork. Wait til you see.

starlit

say it be a tight match whatever the result! come on limerick but still think cork are game and likely to win!

Limerick_Lass

Derryleigh wrote: »

THis is going to be the shock of the year. Limerick will take Cork. Wait til you see.

I like your optimism.... C'mon Limerick
And lets get everyone out to the Gaelic Grounds Saturday night

aster99

Cork by 4 points i reckon

Browney7

Come on Limerick. No regrets tomorrow night.

davedaly7532

aidan24326 wrote: »

The lad from the examiner might have been going a small bit overboard but you on the other hand are greatly underestimating Limerick. They've pushed Cork right to the wire in recent years and had them beaten a couple of times only to blow it at the finish. If they've learned their lessons from those games they are in with a good chance. I really think this is a draw Cork would rather have avoided, as Limerick have been getting very close to Cork and Kerry in recent years and you have to fancy that they'll win one of these games sooner or later. Cork go into this game as favourites and rightly so, but Limerick are not out of this by any means and it has the makings of a good game. In fact all 4 of this weekends qualifiers could go either way, I don't think you could honestly put your house on any of the 8 teams involved.

Limericks recent qualifier record:
05-beat Carlow then lost to Derry
06-lost to Westmeath
07-lost to Louth
08-beat Meath then lost to Kildare
09-lost to Meath

Evidence for being anything other than mediocre-none

dartbhoy

Traditionally in football Limerick always put it up to Cork big time when they play and in 2008 and 09 Limerick should have won both days. With Limerick having home advantadge Cork will have to play at their very best or else we could see Limerick celebrating this evening. I reckon it'll be very close this evening but I'll go for Cork to scrape home by a point or 2 hopefully!

flutered

the ref will play a major part in deciding the winner, the weaker teams never get the calls, regardless of the sport.

grenache

Just listening to C103 there. They're playing the commentary of the last two games in 08 and 09. This Limerick team must have a lot of pent-up anger and regret from those two games. We owned them for long periods. We must punish Cork tonight when we are on top. I'm fed up of these near misses and hard luck stories.

applehunter

Marty morrissey and that boring fella doing the commentary on RTE.:(

Moist Bread

Cork will punish Limerick and win by 10 points, at least.

Aidric

Oh well done ref, absolute clown of a call. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come from him.

Aidric

Ger Collins picking up where he left off in Killarney.

applehunter

"Limerick, if you hadn't noticed, can play football"

Marty Morrissey you ****ing tool!

MementoMori

Limerick could potentially have 7 points more - goal off the bar, point off the post and the penalty call.

I sense familiar heartbreak ahead for Limerick

JonathanAnon

applehunter wrote: »

Marty morrissey and that boring fella doing the commentary on RTE.:(

"Limerick havent scored since the 20th minute. I know that's only 8 minutes ago..".. stfu Marty...

suitcasepink

applehunter wrote: »

"Limerick, if you hadn't noticed, can play football"

Marty Morrissey you ****ing tool!

JonathanAnon wrote: »

"Limerick havent scored since the 20th minute. I know that's only 8 minutes ago..".. stfu Marty...

I think there should be a book of Marty's quotes, they're actually ridiculous! :P

Aidric

The commentary is a bit all over the place, the boys sound like they've been on the sauce, Morrissey trying too hard and Carney talking in circles.
The game itself has been scrappy. Ger Collins and Steven Kelly aside, the other forwards aren't up to much. Ian Ryan not getting on the scoresheet and Jim O Donovan's clumsy play has cost a few attacks.
Ref has been poor as well.

ShamoBuc

Poor first half from Cork, I would expect alot better in the second half. Lim had a few good chances and will probably live to regret them. Kerrigan will have to go to half forward and go on some of his trademark runs.
Ref is a pedantic prat by the way.

Aidric

Browne should be taken off, adds nothing to the game. Fresh legs needed in to the attack.

445279.ie

The amount of yellow cards has been ridiculous :rolleyes:

applehunter

Good to see big Nic back in the frey.

applehunter

445279.ie wrote: »

The amount of yellow cards has been ridiculous :rolleyes:

Joke.

ShamoBuc

Cork are slowly pulling away - Lim are WAY too slow getting ball out of their defence.

Aidric

Mind numbing drivel from Limerick. 50 short passes and then dispossessed. Quality forward like Collins & Ryan starved of possession.
I despair.

applehunter

11 yellows.

:rolleyes:

Kristopherus

Ref is the busiest man on the pitch. A bad sign. Some of his decisions are bordering on the farcical. Making a bad game worse.

barneystinson

This new "high tackle" booking rule is crazy - fellas are just ducking into tackles and getting people booked - is this doing anyone else's head in, or am I alone here?!

Aug2009

ref seems to love yellow cards today.fairly poor game and I'm from Cork!


BTW: Cork need to improve majorly to get to All-ireland this year. They need more passion.