When I watched on at the events that unfolded in the Gaelic Grounds on 29 April between Limerick and Clare, I said to myself, that's it – that’s the game of the year, we won’t see anything like that again this year in terms of intensity and atmosphere.
As I sat on the wall in the greyhound track in Thurles watching the events in Ennis on my phone between Clare and Cork last Sunday before entering Tom Semple’s field, I again thought, wow, we can’t expect anything more from this, we’ll never get something to match all that, can we?
But the buzz around was that we just might. And as I sank back into my seat at around 5pm, in the middle of the old stand in Thurles, a Limerick fan turned around to me – we’d both voiced our opinions fairly strongly throughout the game, so I wasn’t sure what was coming, but he didn’t need to say a word – he simply put out his hand and we shook, both mentally drained, both knowing we had witnessed something incredible, something special from the teams we love and what a joy it was to be there to see it all.
We were wrecked watching. God Almighty, how did the players feel after it all?
When I was 10, I wanted a Sega Mega Drive more than anything in the world, and for Christmas the great man from the North Pole delivered. What the Munster Championship has been this year is the gifting of the Mega Drive, but Santa has set it up in the sitting room and has waited around for a game with you.
It just keeps on giving and I don't know if can we ask anymore of it this weekend, but of course like the greedy beings we are, we will expect more and the potential outcomes in both provinces are setting this up nicely for us mere mortals watching these idols go to battle once again.
In one province it’s all about who’s going through whilst in the other, the main attraction is all about who’s going down.
Limerick and Tipperary treated our columnist to a cracker on Sunday
This year isn't like previous years for this Limerick group. For the first time in this format, Limerick are playing a knockout game as their last game. Also to note, this is the first time they will play their last game at home in the Gaelic Grounds rather than on the road. Every other year, their path to the All-Ireland series has been decided before the final group game, meaning victory wasn’t a must but rather a fixture that had to be fulfilled.
But they are not the same force, and the Rebels will sense this and see this as a golden opportunity to not only advance to the All-Ireland series, but also to knock the champions out and send out a new sense of hope to several other counties that this could really be their year to lift Liam MacCarthy.
The signs of this slippage are clear to see, no more so than when two former players of the year were substituted in the 50th and 57th minute in Thurles last Sunday.
Cian Lynch and Gearoid Hegarty are lads who will go down as two of the best to ever play the game, but they just can't find that form right now. A case in point was the effort Hegarty had in the 48th minute. For me, it was neither a shot at goal or for a point, but that of a player who was confused as what to do and in the end took the shot in between two minds.
Compare that to his goal in the All-Ireland last year – a touch of class, spin away and bang in the top bins of the Davin-end goal past one of the best goalies ever. The difference? He didn’t think, he just acted because of the self-confidence he had, because of the way he was hurling.
When you are in full flow and in the zone and people ask you what you were thinking, athletes all say the same thing, "nothing". When you have to think in hurling, it’s already too late.
Watching this Limerick team in full flow is a joy that we won't fully appreciate for some time. Their passing and their movement are all just second nature and all so natural – very little thinking on game day as they are all just in that zone as a unit.
This year, they are not all in that zone. Some are and are trying their best to keep it going, maybe none more so than the son of Ahane, Tom Morrissey. Four points again last Sunday and he even looks like a superhero now with that long flowing hair coming out of the yellow helmet.
But the group as a whole look tired and if there was a game that the energy levels should have and could have been through the roof for, it was this game against Tipp after a three-week break. Why you ask? This group have done some hurling since 2017 and when you look back, it has been the same 15 or 16 guys for the majority of that journey that have done the most hurling.
Of the 15 players that started the All- Ireland in 2018, 14 of them were on the field last Sunday, and it would have been 15 only for Sean Finn’s injury. The only change really to the consistent 15 has been the introduction of the brilliant Barry Nash. The group are now being asked to do it one more time. Can they do it?
Absolutely, they haven't lost a knockout game since 2019, but that was four years ago and a lot of miles have been put on clocks since, and I have no doubt that Cork will sense blood and will hope to utilise their strength – which is their pace – and aim to pull this Limerick team around the Ennis Road on Sunday, back them up against the ropes and wait for their chance to deliver that fatal blow.
They must take it as they won’t get too many opportunities against a Limerick team that has only conceded one goal in the championship this year, compared to a team who have conceded 10, but yet are in the Munster final already. It’s at the other end that the issue is this year for Limerick, where scores have become harder to come by.
So, hypothetically speaking, you're chatting to Pat Ryan last February and you say to him, listen Pat, I’ve seen into the future here and I’m going to make a deal with you. You’ll have a chance to get through to the All-Ireland series, but it will come down to the last day and you must beat Limerick, but if you beat Limerick they are out.
I’d say he would have taken that deal. The Rebels will feel this is their time but Limerick, as always, will give everything inside them. I feel they may have given too much already in just getting to this stage and I think it will be Cork’s time on Sunday.
Westmeath shocked Wexford on Sunday
In Leinster, the main interest will be at the bottom of the table because of the events that unfolded last week in Wexford Park, and the historic victory for Joe Fortune's men from Westmeath. As the word filtered through to Thurles last Sunday, people couldn’t believe the result.
When we heard what the half-time score was, most people thought the Wexford lads just headed to the beach for the second half. Looking back on the highlights, it seems as if the majority did and were only there in spirit as they watched Westmeath put 4-13 past them in a half of hurling.
Tom Dempsey issued a plea for support this week and has tried to rally the troops to get behind these players for their do-or-die clash now against their old enemy Kilkenny in Wexford Park on Sunday.
For me, do or die is exactly what it is. 'Do' and they stay at the top table of hurling, where many feel they belong. However, you have to earn the right to stay there, regardless of the county you are and what went before you.
'Die' and that could mean exactly what it sounds like – death for Wexford hurling. Dropping down to Joe McDonagh and it's not just as simple as saying, ah sure, we'd be back up straight away.
Dropping down into a competition that is fiercely contested at present, with games only to be matched by the Munster Championship in terms of intensity and excitement and who’s schedule is very demanding on all those involved.
Darragh Egan and Darren Gleeson are two of the managers in the centre of all this excitement, two great friends, but neither will be hoping the other succeeds on Sunday. Neither will be looking for a favour from the other.
They both know they must win, they both know what's on the line here. Darragh will hope the Purple & Gold faithful will flood Wexford Park on Sunday and that the Wexicans will be in full voice and help drive their team to victory because I’m sure the people of Kilkenny won’t have any sympathy for their neighbours, while Darren will hope that his troops can reach those levels of performance from the Dublin game and more in Mullingar.
It's all shaping up for that final day drama in both provinces. Who’s going up? Who’s going down? Surely we can’t get the same excitement again, but maybe we can. Maybe Santa will hang on for one quick game of FIFA before he heads off! I wait in hope.
Watch the Joe McDonagh Cup final, Carlow v Offaly, live on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow updates on all of the day's GAA action on the RTÉ News app, RTÉ.ie/Sport or radio updates on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
Watch a hurling double-header, Dublin v Galway and Limerick v Cork, from 1.30pm on Sunday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live radio updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
