Hurling fans have never had it so good. Disciples of the small ball are witnessing some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Their exploits more akin to caped crusaders of the Marvel variety.
So says former Cork goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack after Limerick's sensational second half saw them crash, bang, wallop their way into a fourth successive All-Ireland final at the expense of Galway.
"You have to keep in mind, this Limerick team is one of the greatest teams of all time – and could be considered the greatest, given what happens in a couple of weeks’ time [in the All-Ireland final] and some of their players are generational players," Cusack said on RTÉ’s Saturday Game Live after Limerick turned a one-point half-time deficit into a comfortable nine-point win at Headquarters.
The panel discuss just some of the traits that make the Limerick juggernaut so relentless. pic.twitter.com/JuPnY1INiD
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 8, 2023
Like Dublin footballers, a team so hell-bent on world domination must often make peace with being cast in the role of villain. Familiarity can breed contempt. But John Kiely’s Treaty are no Jokers, according to Cusack.
"I was at the league final down in Cork. I was watching them march behind the band and I was saying to myself that those are players that, right throughout the history of the game, what we’re looking at here are some of the top players," Cusack added.
"This is inter-county hurling, the semi-final of the All-Ireland, it’s like something out of a comic book.
"Everything good that we’ve seen about Limerick. Getting possession, lifting the head… getting the ball into their dangermen inside."
Cusack also pointed out that manager Kiely could scarcely be in a better place. His star performers are performing like, well, stars. And their supporting cast are jostling for position ahead of their latest All-Ireland showpiece in two weeks’ time.
Should one of Kiely's Avengers fail to hit the heights, the Limerick boss can simply light the bat signal and summon the next superhero up. Every green jersey will be hard earned come Sunday 23 July.
"John Kiely is in a great position. He’s so capable, he can say all of the right things… he’s saying he was delighted with the subs today. That’s giving out the message over the next couple of weeks that there are All-Ireland final places up for grabs. It’s a great position for him to be in, but rightly so.
"They’ve been outstanding champions over the last number of years and, of course, he’s been a huge part of that."
