Kilkenny

[marty34]

Kilkenny will come up short next day out. I'd be very surprised if Limerick allow themselves to fall into the trap of thinking they are already in the final. Be a tighter game than expected and Kilkenny's win over a fancied (I didn't fancy Cork) Cork team will have refocused the heads and brought them down a level, considering how well Cork handled Limerick this year.

Looking forward to it

Should be good. Looking forward to it also.  Good range of scorers from KK last day out.  First time in a while that they've got such a good range of scorers, outwith T.J. - also he didn't trouble the man in the white suit much from play.  Others standing up now.  Hopefully it'll continue on Saturday evening!

Limerick will be physically strong all over.  KK need to keep Limerick's half-back busy i.e. match them physically and stop quality ball going into Gillane, Casey and Mulcahy srl.

Big difference could be Limerick's bench - good options off the bench.  KK will have no fear of Limerick, especially in Croke Park and in a semi-final.

Should be a cracker!

[johnnycool]

Kilkenny will come up short next day out. I'd be very surprised if Limerick allow themselves to fall into the trap of thinking they are already in the final. Be a tighter game than expected and Kilkenny's win over a fancied (I didn't fancy Cork) Cork team will have refocused the heads and brought them down a level, considering how well Cork handled Limerick this year.

Looking forward to it

Should be good. Looking forward to it also.  Good range of scorers from KK last day out.  First time in a while that they've got such a good range of scorers, outwith T.J. - also he didn't trouble the man in the white suit much from play.  Others standing up now.  Hopefully it'll continue on Saturday evening!

Limerick will be physically strong all over.  KK need to keep Limerick's half-back busy i.e. match them physically and stop quality ball going into Gillane, Casey and Mulcahy srl.

Big difference could be Limerick's bench - good options off the bench.  KK will have no fear of Limerick, especially in Croke Park and in a semi-final.

Should be a cracker!

You'd have to say that the Limerick defence are infinitely better than Corks and won't/shouldn't concede scores and the physical, confrontational battle like Cork did against Kilkenny. Big Walter and Fennelly caused Cork a world of pain. Fennelly might still cause Casey some issues but a deep lying Hannon will need to cut out those balls.
Sean Finn may need to be dispatched onto Reid and that could be worth the entrance fee alone if it does happen. Two players at the top of their games going at it.

Kilkenny will need to prevent the big men like Kyle Hayes and Hegarty running at their defence as they're both deceptively quick and they too will go for the jugular if the Kilkenny defence parts like the red sea.

Kilkenny still haven't found a sticky corner back to curtail the likes of a Guillane as Pauric Walsh was really struggling with Cadogan and TBH Kilkenny aren't getting the best out of him in their either.

Limerick big favourites, but you'd be a fool to write off Kilkenny.

[seafoid]

Daithi Regan on KK

https://mobile.twitter.com/offtheball/status/1154442099304980482

[seafoid]

Codyness

By Eoghan Cormican

The Kilkenny-Limerick All-Ireland semi-final was just over nine minutes old when Tom Morrissey, back inside his own 65-metre line and facing his own goal, came onto a breaking ball and attempted to turn his body in the direction of the Hill 16 End.
First TJ Reid swarmed in, then a John Donnelly challenge stood Morrissey upright and stopped him dead in his tracks. Adrian Mullen and Richie Leahy arrived on scene to complete the gang-tackle, the Limerick half-forward hemmed in by four black and amber shirts.
It was Mullen who performed the pick-pocketing act before sending the sliotar between the posts at the Davin End to move the Cats five clear. If ever a single passage of play perfectly captured — and defined — Cody-ness, then this was it

Codyness

"What do you think?" Cody asks the reporter

"He made contact to the head with his elbow."

"He made contact. So you are very, very definite?"

Reporter nods.

"Fair play to you."

[manfromdelmonte]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

[AZOffaly]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

Crazy stuff. Cathal Barrett must have had repetitive strain injury from all the balls he was catching and pucking out.

[seafoid]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

[north_antrim_hound]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

I thought most teams have people on the sideline for that sort of thing

[seafoid]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

I thought most teams have people on the sideline for that sort of thing

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/jackie-tyrrell-kilkenny-s-leaders-delivered-right-on-cue-1.3960660
"When the need is greatest, the leaders step up. No matter how they are performing up to that point, they hunt the ball down, make something happen"
....When I played for Kilkenny, we always prided ourselves on going for the jugular when the chance arose. Go out, score early, score early after half-time, kill teams off. All of it designed to fulfil the pre-game doubts that opposition teams had when they played us."

So they don't have the leaders . Not yet

[north_antrim_hound]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

I thought most teams have people on the sideline for that sort of thing

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/jackie-tyrrell-kilkenny-s-leaders-delivered-right-on-cue-1.3960660
"When the need is greatest, the leaders step up. No matter how they are performing up to that point, they hunt the ball down, make something happen"
....When I played for Kilkenny, we always prided ourselves on going for the jugular when the chance arose. Go out, score early, score early after half-time, kill teams off. All of it designed to fulfil the pre-game doubts that opposition teams had when they played us."

So they don't have the leaders . Not yet

TJ has probably been the stand out leader of the season but if he's getting cleaned out by Heffernan and Maher and the ball is dropping in short Barret was free to sweep it up. Once they went a man short on Sunday they went short twice from the puck out and it lead to scores, they went long 23 times and it yielded two scores.
The sideline didn't react like sheedy and tommy dunne did in the first half (swapped Seamus Kennedy and P Maher) which turned the game to advantage Tipp
Did Cody not watch the semi when Wexford worked the ball through the lines they had Tipp on the rack, then went 5 up with a spare man but there midfield blew up and they went long Tipp just gobbled them up.
Cody's arrogance that TJ and Fennely could win ball against Tipp when they had an extra body blew any chance of a revival. All this Kilkenny don't do tactics has bit them in the ass

[clonadmad]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

The KK 15 team that took the pitch had 40 all ireland medals between them,dont be swallowing the inexperienced or rebuilding line,their tactics were laughable to say the least.

[manfromdelmonte]

Tipp made a concerted effort not to foul TJ when he had possession and never used their free hand to grab him and allow him generate a free, they generally kept him with his back to goal during the game too. How many times did he get the ball going forward?
Limerick were guilty of fouling him numerous times in the semi

[north_antrim_hound]

Tipp made a concerted effort not to foul TJ when he had possession and never used their free hand to grab him and allow him generate a free, they generally kept him with his back to goal during the game too. How many times did he get the ball going forward?
Limerick were guilty of fouling him numerous times in the semi

Couldn't agree more
Tipp defenders attacked the ball so TJ couldn't buy the free when he wins possession. One of the best in the game but he doesn't mind going down easy and popping over a dead ball

[seafoid]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

The KK 15 team that took the pitch had 40 all ireland medals between them,dont be swallowing the inexperienced or rebuilding line,their tactics were laughable to say the least.

They had more than a few young players who never played in an AIF before.
Winning is about building a cohesive team that plays to a system and gets into the right rhythm. It doesn't matter how many medals the older lads have if the young lads can't perform under pressure. When a team loses a few players have off days .

[clonadmad]

thought they completely ran out of ideas yesterday

launching long ball after long ball in, in the hope Fennelly or TJ might get onto it
Heffernan cleaned up

They don't have much experience as a team, I suppose
The previous version of KK would have known what to do . Shefflin  would have dragged them back into the match , for example.
Although 14 on 15 is a hard ask at the best of times

The KK 15 team that took the pitch had 40 all ireland medals between them,dont be swallowing the inexperienced or rebuilding line,their tactics were laughable to say the least.

They had more than a few young players who never played in an AIF before.
Winning is about building a cohesive team that plays to a system and gets into the right rhythm. It doesn't matter how many medals the older lads have if the young lads can't perform under pressure. When a team loses a few players have off days .

It wasn't the young players that let them down,a lot of the older crew simply didn't perform or weren't up to it,that and Cody's caveman tactics contributed to them getting a trimming.

He stood looking in 2016 as the Tipp Full Forward line scored 2-21 and did nothing either.