Match Thread - Limerick v Clare All Ireland Hurling Semi Final

Vanhalla

adrian522 wrote: »

I cringe every time i hear about a "champions league type structure"

the Champions league being possibly the most boring competition known to mankind, especially the group stages. I mean who wants endless boring meaningless group games. Give me knockout hurling any day over that.

Limerick played less games as their reward for winning Munster, if Clare hadn't lost to cork they wouldn't have had to play those extra games.

For this I'm surprised how many are going for Clare. i fancy limerick to sneak it. I don't rate Davy's ability to change things around if things aren't going well and if Limerick hit the form they showed in Munster they should win, should be a great game either way.

Ok whatever the new structure might be. doesnt have to be a champions style format. but the way it is at the moment is a joke and there seems to be some change in it every five minutes! it has to be even. thats the main thing. and at the moment it is not. something has to be done. just to make sense of it even!

premierstone

Thinkstoomuch wrote: »

I meant one of their best forwards,a typo error,a mistake.You said harnedy was more or less a work horse.And he was overhyped.My point is,in just four starts ,hes been excellent.

Nine points from play,before you say,lies,lies, that is fact not fiction.Plenty to work on ,and raw,but much better than a workhorse,that is just NOT in the headlines over what Sean Og said.

To say that is otherwise ,as you in your our words is lie,lies,just lies.Sound familar.

With the greatest respect in the world,what you call me is water of a ducks back.
I have no intention of engaging with you,the only reason i did,when you were trying to say,that Galligan was better than kirby in my own words.I never mentioned Kirby.

You were caught talking through your hole again so now its a typo, how convenient.

If you think Harnedy was excellent in the Munster Final I suggest you either take up road bowling or buy yourself a dictionary.

I have never argued that he didn't score 9 points, I fail to see the logic to your argument, I can name more than 6 forwards who have scored more from play, there will be only 6 forwards on the All star team you realise??

As for Kirby, you stated that Galligan was the best forward in Limerick in 1996, as Kirby is from Limerick and was in the height of he's powers in 96 is it not safe for me to assume you were arguing Galligan was better, and better than Damien Quigley for that matter?

I probably shouldn't be so harsh as it is quite clear from both your petty sly digs at Conor Counihan, Frank Murphy and John Allen and from your inability to compose a grammatically correct sentence that you may not be playing with a full deck, best for everyone if I add you to my ignore list - quack quack

slegs

Vanhalla wrote: »

No no no. yes the only province worth a piss is munster but we need to forget about tradition and adopt a new structure that is fair to all teams. and in 50 yrs time this new competion will be tradition!

If you read my post you will see I agreed with you

paddy no 11

The system doesn't have to be even. That's not a be all and end all. A few vagaries and a different route to the semi make it even more intriguing.

Plus local derbies early in c'ship that just wouldn't happen in an effing champions league format.

Thinkstoomuch

premierstone wrote: »

You were caught talking through your hole again so now its a typo, how convenient.

If you think Harnedy was excellent in the Munster Final I suggest you either take up road bowling or buy yourself a dictionary.

I have never argued that he didn't score 9 points, I fail to see the logic to your argument, I can name more than 6 forwards who have scored more from play, there will be only 6 forwards on the All star team you realise??

As for Kirby, you stated that Galligan was the best forward in Limerick in 1996, as Kirby is from Limerick and was in the height of he's powers in 96 is it not safe for me to assume you were arguing Galligan was better, and better than Damien Quigley for that matter?

I probably shouldn't be so harsh as it is quite clear from both your petty sly digs at Conor Counihan, Frank Murphy and John Allen and from your inability to compose a grammatically correct sentence that you may not be playing with a full deck, best for everyone if I add you to my ignore list - quack quack

Keep the personal insults coming,shows your true value, attacks the poster not the post.Man of class.
2 points against limerick and worked himself in the ground in that game,done more than any cork fan could have hoped for in hes second start.

Sty diggs at Counihan and Frank.I dont sit on the fence like you ,i call a spade a spade.

Everything i said about counihan many cork posters agreed with and same with frank.Even up to yesterday some one criticised him.There all wrong too.


What we said was true.
Have the final word by all means,but im not going to deface the thread by engaging in tit for tat with you.

I was a good poster a while back you said ,but just cause i have a different opinion on one subject,you then resort to personal abuse,that shows it all.

Whatever kid,water off a ducks back,have the final word,but i wont be replying to you again.

InchicoreDude

Limerick beginning to pull away in the poll. I wonder why, as nothing has changed in the last few days

Fireball07

InchicoreDude wrote: »

Limerick beginning to pull away in the poll. I wonder why, as nothing has changed in the last few days

I was confused as to why Clare were favourites early on :P

G2ECE

Who said GAA songs were ****e??? this is pure gold!

Clare by a goal Sunday, Richie Mac to struggle against Honan.

Clareman

Clare announce an unchanged team also, which is great cause it means I don't have to change the Op

Mountainlad

Clareman wrote: »

Clare announce an unnamed team also, which is great cause it means I don't have to change the Op

That must have been difficult

Benny Cake

Thinkstoomuch wrote: »

I'd agree,Limerick are too predictable,and they shoudnt be as they have some fantastic players.

I'd take a predictable All Ireland no problem...

grenache

G2ECE wrote: »

Who said GAA songs were ****e??? this is pure gold!

Clare by a goal Sunday, Richie Mac to struggle against Honan.

I had forgotten about that one. Clare FM had it playing on loop throughout August and September of that year. Good ditty though as hurling tunes go, even if its a complete rip-off of a Seamus Moore song!

PTH2009

it would be a good personal achievement for Davy Fitzgerald if Clare win on Sunday. He would of managed 2 teams to all ireland finals in 5 seasons.

One_More_Mile

PTH2009 wrote: »

it would be a good personal achievement for Davy Fitzgerald if Clare win on Sunday. He would of managed 2 teams to all ireland finals in 5 seasons.

Or you could have John Allen , managing 2 teams to 3 Munster titles & 1 AI & 3 all Ireland final appearances in 4 seasons as a manager.
Limerick by 6.

Clareman

Mountainlad wrote: »

That must have been difficult

Oops, I was a bit tired last night, unchanged :pac:

Mountainlad

adrian522 wrote: »

I cringe every time i hear about a "champions league type structure"

I swear if I hear it one more time I'll fire my laptop out the window :mad:

Rightwing

champions league structure has it's merits.....:pac:

Mountainlad

Rightwing wrote: »

champions league structure has it's merits.....:pac:

RHunce

Does anybody have a link that I can watch this from the states please?

The_Kew_Tour

fair quite in here

marco_polo

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

fair quite in here

Working on the pre match hangover I expect, something I am heading out to do myself right this minute.

Copper_pipe

Iv a Hill 16 ticket for tomorrow, should be good! Luimneach abu!

cabledude

This just popped up on Facebook.......

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1173859_549872441733122_713769569_n.jpg

Fireball07

Well lads, this is it. About 16 hours to throw-in and I am a nervous wreck, the switch between unbelievably optimistic and completely doubting seems to be every 5 minutes. It will undoubtedly be a very tight game, decided by the smallest of things..... goals will be crucial and if either team makes individual mistakes, then they are likely to be punished.


I have said all along that I think the key is Tony Kelly and Podge Collins and how Limerick deal (or don't deal) with them. Both players are incredibly skilled, lovely hurlers, with loads of energy. They cover a lot of ground, drop deep into their own half and are the go-to men to collect the ball and direct play. Honan and McGrath inside generally rely on delivery from these two, and maybe Galvin aswell and the half-back line also rely on them, as they look to offload the ball to them. Hickey performs a similar role for Limerick and while he mightn't score as much as them or be as clear a standout player, he goes through a huge amount of work, and will fight for everything. I expect Hickey will come into contact with Kelly a lot...when Limerick are on the ball, he will try and be the free man and when Clare have it, he will be detailed to mark Kelly and stop him from influencing the game. Think Paul Browne might do a similar job on Collins.

There was talk that someone like Dempsey might start corner-back and would move out the field to mark Collins but I think that would be a mistake. We should leave our full-back line inside, if we go out and let McGrath and Honan isolate our defence, that would be a real mistake, it would open ourselves up. I'd say we'll keep a strong 3...Clare may have an extra man out the field, although Ryan, Hickey and Breen are all likely to come a bit deeper. We're likely to harry Clare out the field, never let them have a clear strike at goal and if they play the ball inside, we should have a sweeper. (Possibly Richie Mc who performed that role in the Munster final).

Clare rely on constant running and movement into space, and we will have to be constantly vigilant. I mean Collins, in particular, is just incredible the way he can drift off a marker and lose them, call for possession in acres of space. Cork showed how to beat them, when they shut off space and marked Kelly out of the game.

In fairness Clare had chances that day, Honan and McGrath both missed goal chances and they missed Conlon badly once he went off injured...and they've improved since then, and learned from their mistakes. I would definitely be wary of Honan who has hurt us in the past, on his day, he's very hard to stop. I think the Limerick defence will, and have to, just hold their position. Clare will attempt to drag Wayne Mac out of the centre, to give room for their runners to pour through the middle, and similarly, try and open space inside. Limerick just need to keep their shape, and this is where the likes of Hickey, Ryan and our midfield will come in handy, they will have to stem the tide.

It's hard to know whether Clare will line out exactly as they did against Galway, with Donnellan as the sweeper and Ryan at centre-back...that was there to nullify Canning and it did work to some extent (he scored a good 1-1 from play, and set up the other goal but was poor in general). It's unlikely that they'll need to do the same against Limerick who won't play with a big full forward like that, Hannon will come out around the '40 and drift around. More likely, they'll just keep 3 men inside in the half-back line and use Donnellan or whoever to pick up Hannon and break out of defence.

Limerick haven't scored goals all year but I do feel there is a potential weakness in the Clare full-back line, we got 3 goals against them last year which won us the game. Now I do think they're improved from then but if Mulcahy and Tobin get good ball, they can score. Will Mulcahy and Hannon come to life in Croke Park? I don't know, but I hope so. If we can isolate them 1 on 1 with their markers close to goal, I fancy our chances. Again, the sweeper will favour them.

Both teams have a talented bench, Limerick have obviously used theirs to great effect and Dowling has been great from the bench, Moran destroyed Clare last year, Downes has a very good record against them (hope he's fully fit) while Allis/King/Ryan/Dempsey are all good players to be able to bring in. Clare have Morey, O'Connell, O'Donnell, McInerney, Duggan....so it's not like they're lacking either, although they mightn't have someone with the same impact as Dowling.

Frees will be crucial and it's one worry for Limerick, Hannon has missed a few handy frees this year. He's a good free-taker but not as reliable as Dowling, and Ryan showed last week how crucial free-taking is. We can not afford to miss them. Colin Ryan is generally pretty solid from the '65 on really.






Okay this has been a very long post, consider it my preview of the game, think I've covered most of the main areas.... just needed to get it out of my system :P Now I just hope we win. I am going to be optimistic, and have faith in our players and in John Allen, and say that we will win. Don't think there'll be more than a score in it, I'm going to say Limerick by 3... with Hannon and Mulcahy both stepping up to the mark. Good luck to the minors too, and let's hope all 4 teams who contested Munster finals in the Gaelic Grounds on the 14th July will be in Croke Park on the 2nd week in September, contesting for the All-Ireland!

redzerologhlen

Fireball07 wrote: »

Well lads, this is it. About 16 hours to throw-in and I am a nervous wreck, the switch between unbelievably optimistic and completely doubting seems to be every 5 minutes. It will undoubtedly be a very tight game, decided by the smallest of things..... goals will be crucial and if either team makes individual mistakes, then they are likely to be punished.


I have said all along that I think the key is Tony Kelly and Podge Collins and how Limerick deal (or don't deal) with them. Both players are incredibly skilled, lovely hurlers, with loads of energy. They cover a lot of ground, drop deep into their own half and are the go-to men to collect the ball and direct play. Honan and McGrath inside generally rely on delivery from these two, and maybe Galvin aswell and the half-back line also rely on them, as they look to offload the ball to them. Hickey performs a similar role for Limerick and while he mightn't score as much as them or be as clear a standout player, he goes through a huge amount of work, and will fight for everything. I expect Hickey will come into contact with Kelly a lot...when Limerick are on the ball, he will try and be the free man and when Clare have it, he will be detailed to mark Kelly and stop him from influencing the game. Think Paul Browne might do a similar job on Collins.

There was talk that someone like Dempsey might start corner-back and would move out the field to mark Collins but I think that would be a mistake. We should love our full-back line inside, if we go out and let McGrath and Honan isolate our defence, that would be a real mistake, it would open ourselves up. I'd say we'll keep a strong 3...Clare may have an extra man out the field, although Ryan, Hickey and Breen are all likely to come a bit deeper. We're likely to harry Clare out the field, never let them have a clear strike at goal and if they play the ball inside, we should have a sweeper. (Possibly Richie Mc who performed that role in the Munster final).

Clare rely on constant running and movement into space, and we will have to be constantly vigilant. I mean Collins, in particular, is just incredible the way he can drift off a marker and lose them, call for possession in acres of space. Cork showed how to beat them, when they shut off space and marked Kelly out of the game.

In fairness Clare had chances that day, Honan and McGrath both missed goal chances and they missed Conlon badly once he went off injured...and they've improved since then, and learned from their mistakes. I would definitely be wary of Honan who has hurt us in the past, on his day, he's very hard to stop. I think the Limerick defence will, and have to, just hold their position. Clare will attempt to drag Wayne Mac out of the centre, to give room for their runners to pour through the middle, and similarly, try and open space inside. Limerick just need to keep their shape, and this is where the likes of Hickey, Ryan and our midfield will come in handy, they will have to stem the tide.

It's hard to know whether Clare will line out exactly as they did against Galway, with Donnellan as the sweeper and Ryan at centre-back...that was there to nullify Canning and it did work to some extent (he scored a good 1-1 from play, and set up the other goal but was poor in general). It's unlikely that they'll need to do the same against Limerick who won't play with a big full forward like that, Hannon will come out around the '40 and drift around. More likely, they'll just keep 3 men inside in the half-back line and use Donnellan or whoever to pick up Hannon and break out of defence.

Limerick haven't scored goals all year but I do feel there is a potential weakness in the Clare full-back line, we got 3 goals against them last year which won us the game. Now I do think they're improved from then but if Mulcahy and Tobin get good ball, they can score. Will Mulcahy and Hannon come to life in Croke Park? I don't know, but I hope so. If we can isolate them 1 on 1 with their markers close to goal, I fancy our chances. Again, the sweeper will favour them.

Both teams have a talented bench, Limerick have obviously used theirs to great effect and Dowling has been great from the bench, Moran destroyed Clare last year, Downes has a very good record against them (hope he's fully fit) while Allis/King/Ryan/Dempsey are all good players to be able to bring in. Clare have Morey, O'Connell, O'Donnell, McInerney, Duggan....so it's not like they're lacking either, although they mightn't have someone with the same impact as Dowling.

Frees will be crucial and it's one worry for Limerick, Hannon has missed a few handy frees this year. He's a good free-taker but not as reliable as Dowling, and Ryan showed last week how crucial free-taking is. We can not afford to miss them. Colin Ryan is generally pretty solid from the '65 on really.






Okay this has been a very long post, consider it my preview of the game, think I've covered most of the main areas.... just needed to get it out of my system :P Now I just hope we win. I am going to be optimistic, and have faith in our players and in John Allen, and say that we will win. Don't think there'll be more than a score in it, I'm going to say Limerick by 3... with Hannon and Mulcahy both stepping up to the mark. Good luck to the minors too, and let's hope all 4 teams who contested Munster finals in the Gaelic Grounds on the 14th July will be in Croke Park on the 2nd week in September, contesting for the All-Ireland!

Great post! I'm shouting from the other side of the fence but I wouldn't begrudge Limerick a day out in September if that's the way it pans out. It's been a great year for the small ball so far and I think we are going to have a few years of closely fought contests ahead of us

Lady Chatterton

jacksie66 wrote: »

I live here in O'Briens Bridge (on the Limerick side of the bridge ). It'll be unreal craic here tomorrow. Cant wait... Come on limerick!!!

O'Briensbridge is Clare, Montpellier is Limerick. Surely, you're living in Montpellier

I can fully understand the rivalry in the O'Briensbridge/Montpellier as I'm in Killaloe and we've great craic on match days with our Tipperary neighbours in Ballina.

I'm supporting Clare today but I must admit that if we're beaten by Limerick today, I'd love to see Limerick win an All Ireland, it would be fantastic for hurling. Anyone but Cork

Come on the Banner!

adrian522

That's some bull**** refereeing at the end of the minor, time was up and there was no free there. if the ref is going to just play for a draw whats the point in playing the game.

Hammer Archer

Hawkeye supposedly malfunctioning and won't be used for the rest of the day.

Senior game delayed for 20 minutes or so due to the draw in the minor game.

Hammer Archer

adrian522 wrote: »

That's some bull**** refereeing at the end of the minor, time was up and there was no free there. if e ref is going to just play for a draw whats the point in playing the game.

To be fair, Hawkeye screwed up with Limerick's first point.

Benny Cake

Hammer Archer wrote: »

To be fair, Hawkeye screwed up with Limerick's first point.

Fact. Justice done, hopefully Limerick can finish the job now...