The festival of hurling did not disappoint. Moments that will go down in Croke Park history and still be spoken of in years to come.
Eoin Murphy's wonder save. Aaron Gillane’s leap, catch and 180 degree turn midair before burying it in the Galway net. Shane O’Donnell’s run, shrug of the defender and top-corner finish. And, of course, what would wonder moments be without TJ Reid and that sideline when the need was most.
It was a pleasure to be there Sunday to witness some of our game's greatest in action. My son Seán Óg will be five soon and I know I will be showing him videos of TJ in the years to come when he is discussing who he thinks the best player is.
What I’d like to discuss here with you today are the lesser moments from the weekend that perhaps escaped many people but had major influences on the outcome of the games.
Kinnerk's Note-taking
It’s been well documented about minute 25 in the Limerick v Galway game and what was happening in the Limerick goalmouth in front of The Hill. Now, before this there was a key moment for me which influenced the overall outcome of the game or the structure it took.
The camera flashes to the sideline to focus on John Kiely, but in the background on one knee is the greatest hurling brain in the game right now, that of Paul Kinnerk, furiously writing on a piece of paper like one you’d rip out of your copybook to pass a note in class.
I have no doubt what was written down here was outlining the structure the Limerick team were about to take in helping to demolish Galway for the remainder of the game and outscore them 1-18 to 0-06.
The piece of paper and what was on it was important, but worthless without the players to carry it. We’re not picking on ye, Limerick, but rather outlining how brilliant your coaches and players are in adapting to adversity in the highest pressure situations.
The Hurley of Casey
First half, 24 minutes on the clock. The ball breaks to Brian Concannon, he shoots, it beats Quaid but there is Mike Casey to the rescue, hurley left down to his right. But for me it was more a case that the ball hit his outstretched hurley rather than him blocking the shot.
That goes in and Galway are up by eight points and Limerick are truly shellshocked. Ifs and buts. The rest is history.
Casey reminded me of the hotdog salesman in the Simpsons following Homer, always in the right place at the right time. The hotdog salesman said Homer was "putting his kids through college" and Casey, by being there at that moment, helped to put his team through to the final.
To many it will look like a simple block by a defender who happened to be on the line, but watch it back and notice how Casey has the awareness to know that this angle of the goal is wide open, even with one of the great goalies in front of him.
Then to be set for the chance of the ball making its way through all the bodies, and after that, it’s down to the gods that Casey’s hurley is left down on the sod of Croke Park in the exact spot where that sliotar is heading.
The Vision of Greats
The whole country, and many around the world, wondered in awe at the athletic ability and skill produced by Eoin Murphy for that wonder save from Peter Duggan. But not many will have seen the genius and braveness shown by the man in the puckout that followed.
Underneath us on the sideline of the Hogan Stand, the Kilkenny management team are waving furiously, beckoning Murphy to land the ball down on top of Wally Walsh & Co, who had loaded that side of the field and who they felt were the ideal puckout to help kill any momentum Clare may have had.
But Murphy had other ideas and while all about were losing their heads, Murphy kept his. He had spotted - what maybe only the greats can - was a better puckout. One hundred yards away, Adrian Mullen was a head over the Clare defender Rory Hayes and with space in front of him.
He pinged the ball inch-perfect into onrushing Mullen's hand. He snapped it, popped it out to Padraig Walsh, and Kilkenny are up by three points again. Everyone will remember the save, but this was just as class and important in terms of the overall result.
The other case of remarkable vision was that displayed by GOAT TJ Reid. Again, all will remember the finish from Eoin Cody, but what made this goal? Firstly, it was a flick from Billy Ryan to dispossess Rory Hayes, and then Reid takes over.
He wins the ball on the ground, secures it brilliantly, takes on the ball, sucking the defender into him and here is the moment, the ball from the handpass. Yes, there was an actual handpass in that game on Sunday, it went straight to hand.
It looks so simple and is a simple skill to execute but to do it at this moment in this game in that part of the field meant Cody had every advantage to score that goal. Ball to hand – it looks simple, but how many of those passes do we see go too high or too low and a touch has to be taken, allowing the defender that split second to get back and get the hook or block in.
Not from Reid, not from the man who became the All-time leading scorer earlier on in the game, who could have taken on the shot and stretched that record out further but who knew what was best for the team and how to execute it.
TJ from the Land
Again, it's well documented and shared online the result of Reid's sideline, sailing over the bar at a vital juncture in this titanic battle as if he were at home in the back garden in a battle with his brothers slotting it over to see who would make a sandwich for the winner.
TJ Reid with a super sideline cut to put Kilkenny 2 in front!#GAANOW pic.twitter.com/yo9EsLYcrZ
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 9, 2023
But what caught my attention, apart from the brilliance of converting this great skill, was the fact that no Kilkenny player stood beside or near the Clare defender who tried to block the effort. Perhaps such was the confidence the rest of the Kilkenny team had in their leader that no human was stopping him when it came to scoring a sideline in Croke Park.
Such was the confidence and belief Reid had in himself that he didn’t feel the need to beckon anyone to come and stand in front of this Clare player, just in case he mishit it, that never crossed his mind. Us mere mortals watching on, standing open-mouthed at another moment of brilliance from the Ballyhale man.
Next week I will outline where I feel the key battles will be, what both might need to do to win and where I think Liam MacCarthy will be resting this year, but I’d just like to point out some stats outlining why I feel this will be a great contest and a very closely-contested battle.
Sometimes you have to look back to move forward and it’s from last year’s final I am getting these stats to show what could happen in the final on 23 July.
These two teams went head to head in every facet of the game last year.
First-quarter shots and scores: Limerick 12 shots and 9 scores. Kilkenny 10 shots and 7 scores
Final-quarter shots and scores: Both teams took 9 shots, both teams had 6 scores
Scores from turnovers: Limerick scored 0-11 from turnovers and Kilkenny scored 1-08
These show us that they were neck and neck from start to finish in terms of work rate, efficiency and decision making.
The hurt Kilkenny will have from last year will also be a major factor and if I was Derek Lyng, while trying to set up properly for what Limerick will bring tactically, the main thing I would be showing to the group this week is the final whistle after last year’s final and the hurt they felt standing out on that pitch watching Declan Hannon walk up the steps of the Hogan Stand.
I know this because that’s what helped spur us on in 2010 when we were trying to right the wrongs from the previous year. The performance was important. The hurt drove us there.
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