Big game looming for Tipperary's sole championship survivors
Minor hurlers face Cork in All-Ireland semi-final
If the Munster final was dramatic, as indeed it was, then the Leinster equivalent belonged more to the anti-drama genre. Galway unpicked Dublin with leisurely ease while Limerick needed all their match-winning guile to squeeze past Cork. Two finals, but worlds apart.
John Kiely’s seventh Munster final win from eight attempts is truly remarkable. Indeed, given the competitive cut-throat nature of the province, it’s utterly sensational. This was one of the hardest-earned of the lot, trailing for most of the trip but finding a way somehow in the chaos of the ending.
It wasn’t the prettiest of finals but it was compulsive viewing. Two heavyweights slugged it out in the rain, neither giving an inch before the split decision fell Limerick’s way. The rivalry between the pair is intense and may well have one final episode to play out later this year.
There was so much to this game that you could write reams about it and still omit much of what was important. The referee has become an unwelcome focus, taking flak from all corners. James Owens would do well to skip all media coverage this week.
But was it all his fault? 31 frees is a lot of stopping in a game and sounds extreme but the vast majority of his calls were correct. Conditions didn’t help but there was a lot of fouling and the referee decided not to ignore infringements.
It’s a curious aspect of our games where referees regularly get praised for ignoring the rules in the interest of “letting it flow”. Why bother with rules if you’d prefer a lawless game? It’s not the referee’s function to facilitate free-flow at the cost of rule-breaking.
There were some decisions that James Owens will have to take a hit on. He awarded a penalty against Kyle Hayes for an alleged pull-down of Brian Hayes near goal. Soon after he ignored a very similar incident at the other end, where Shane O’Brien appeared to be pulled down by Niall O’Leary.
The first penalty decision was debatable, with the forward backing into the defender. It’s a trend that referees need to be more alert to. Umpires too need to be educated on this trend and should be of more assistance to the referee. However, once that penalty call was made, it was difficult to understand why an almost identical incident at the other end was ignored.
Actually, I thought the Shane O’Brien one was a more obvious foul, so Cork definitely got the break there. Everything considered, Liam Sheedy, the pick of the TV pundits, summed it up best: either two penalties or none.
The ending of the match was what rankled most with Cork. It was a confused ending. The game was over seven minutes into added time when Cork played a short free in a bid to get within striking distance. But the final whistle sounded as Tim O’Mahony wound up for the last shot.
Had O’Mahony’s shot gone over the bar then a major controversy would have ensued. In any case the normal practice would have been to allow that final shot and then blow off when play broke down.
There were other items too where the referee faced criticism. Gearoid Hegarty, already on a yellow card, should have collected a second for his frontal tackle on Tim O’Mahony. In the manic maelstrom of a game like this there were many incidents you could focus on but blaming James Owens for the stop-start nature of the play is unfair.
Limerick deserved to win – just about. They got off 42 shots against Cork’s 23, which tells its own story. Normally the side with those figures wins, but Cork’s more efficient use of chances counteracted the imbalance somewhat.
Still, when that game came down to the edge in the final moments, Limerick looked the more likely winners. The decision to withdraw Gillane after 50 minutes was brave but correct; he had little impact, even failing to score. Adam English added freshness and set up Hegarty for what would have been a crucial goal but for a brilliant intervention by Patrick Collins.
Positioning Hegarty closer to goal was a telling move too. He tends to draw attention, creating space for others around him. Peter Casey benefitted most, nabbing the crucial points that got them over the line.
Worrying for Cork was their failure to score from play in that final quarter. On a day when neither Shane Barrett nor Alan Connolly hit the target from play, Barry Walsh was also stymied and eventually replaced. The loss of Darragh Fitzgibbon was immense.
On a messy day for hurling, goalies excelled. Collins’ save from Hegarty was one such instance but Nicky Quaid’s brilliance was man of the match stuff. Twice the Limerick goalie pulled off unbelievable saves. Those were the type of stops we could have done with this year in our hour(s) of need.
Overall, Limerick retain their head-to-head advantage on Cork. This was one of their sweetest titles, won in enemy territory and on a day when massive effort was required. They know how to win the big ones; Cork don’t – yet.
It’s another hard one for the Rebels to take. They’re close but struggling to get the final furlong. It’s inconceivable that this Cork generation won’t win an All-Ireland; the only question is when.
Elsewhere, not much to unpack about that Leinster final. Niall Ó Ceallachain, the Dublin manager, laid it on the line after they dumped Kilkenny out of the championship. Back it up now in the Leinster final, was his challenge. Sadly, they don’t appear to do follow-ups.
It was desperately disappointing from Dublin. They were off the pace, out-thought, out-worked and ultimately out-hurled. Galway were at their ease so it’s difficult to assess their true potential.
It was a game of two penalties and black cards, both correctly called, albeit the pull down by Conor Cooney in the lead-up to the second was missed by the referee. The linesman was probably in a better position to catch that one but the blame will always rest with the referee.
I thought Michael Kennedy got some undeserved criticism, especially from someone like Brian Gavin. He got a few calls wrong but a lot right. Even Gavin’s depiction of the Conor Whelan penalty as an umpire call on a reluctant referee was begrudging. If he hadn’t consulted the umpires Gavin would have something else to say.
The yellow card for Conor McHugh late in the game probably should have been red but we regularly see the lesser penalty imposed in those situations, especially where the player quickly releases his hurley and withdraws the hand. It’s one the referees need to tighten up on. Strictly by rule it’s red and that must become a consistent practice.
With regard to the penalties and black card, I find it irksome to constantly hear the television pundits introduce this red herring about defenders being back. You can have half the team back and it doesn’t negate a goal-scoring opportunity. Kilkenny, in last year’s semi-final, had five defenders around Oisín O’Donoghue and it didn’t stop the ball hitting the net. In the ’24 final Mark Rodgers was surrounded by Cork players and still got his shot away for a crucial goal. Can somebody please tell Michael Duignan and company that having defenders back is irrelevant to the rule. Better still, delete that imprecise phrase “goal-scoring opportunity”.
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Meanwhile, this Saturday is a big day for James Woodlock and our minors, our sole championship survivors on whom we depend for some consolation. They take on Cork at the Gaelic Grounds and carry our best wishes in the All-Ireland semi-final. They beat Cork already in the Munster round robin but, as the ad says, past performance is no guarantee of future return. Good luck to them. Galway and Limerick play the second semi.
Finally, the hurling advisory committee, under the chairmanship of John Meyler, is currently undertaking a national survey in order to investigate what’s seen as the game’s problem areas. It’s an opportunity for people to make their views known and hopefully have their concerns taken on board, as the committee puts together its report.
It may be the last chance for some time to tackle problem areas such as the handpass, so I’d encourage people to log on and do the survey. The window closes this week, I think.