Hurling championship 2021

[gallsman]

It's too easy to say say they're like the Kilkenny team because of the dominance, but Kilkenny, as ridiculous as it sounds, were never this far ahead of the pack. Limerick are on a different planet to every other county bar none. It could be years before anyone catches them.

Kilkenny just got some great players all at the one time. (Plus a great manager). As can be seen some of them were irreplaceable. Limerick are a bit like the dubs and have a factory line and a "process" in place. They are just streets ahead of the rest.

Cork need to do a load of conditioning work to get to that level. Too many wee light boys.

Nah, Kilkenny kept the team successful and refreshed largely from 1998 through 2016. Everyone was replaceable, and replaced, until the last half decade or so. With the exception of the 2000 (Offaly were finished at that stage) and the 2008 final, where they were given added impetus by Davy being a twat, they weren't close to being as far ahead of the pack as Limerick are currently. In 2006 Cork were expected to do the three in a row and were caught on the hop, they had two all time classics with Tipp in 2009 and 2014, and another draw with Galway thrown in for good measure in 2012. Playing at their absolute peak, teams still gave them a game.

Limerick are simply on an absolutely different planet at the minute. If they play like they did today, there's not a team in the country who has a sniff of a chance against them.

[hoynevalley]

Semi professionalism is a truly unhealthy thing for Gaelic Games

Are you saying limerick lads are getting paid?

[lenny]

The current Limerick side is probably the greatest hurling team of all time. So far ahead of the rest, there has never been such a gulf between one team and the rest. I can't see any team getting up to their level for the next 2 or 3 years.

[Helix.]

Miles ahead of everyone else. Great team , every aspect of them from physical prowess to skill

Can see Horgan retiring for Cork after today. That was demoralising on Cork today. Very open in the backs but an incredible outfit up against in fairness.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Brian Cody step away from Kilkenny as well. Not within an asses roar of an Ireland in next 4-5 years. I'd be surprised if Limerick don't win next year at a canter like they did today.

[Captain Obvious]

[thewobbler]

Semi professionalism is a truly unhealthy thing for Gaelic Games

Are you saying limerick lads are getting paid?

Like Dublin footballers, they've a commitment to strength and conditioning, and an understanding of integrated team play and tactics, that just seems to be too advanced, too dedicated, for men who would have to prioritise "real world" commitments over sport.

Am I saying they're getting paid? No. Am I saying that they must have an work / life balance that is unusually enabled, to allow this? Yes I guess I am.

[rodney trotter]

They are well backed by local by JP McManus and goodlucknto them that they could avail of a local businessman

The Dublin footballers were well backed by the GAA which is different

[Dougal Maguire]

Was Mike Ashley at the match today?

[seafoid]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/nicky-english-writing-on-the-wall-for-cork-as-limerick-bring-their-a-game-1.4653524
)Nicky English: Writing on the wall for Cork as Limerick bring their A game
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Staying afloat in the face of Limerick's sheer physicality was just too much to ask for
about 2 hours ago
Nicky English


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Limerick's Aaron Gillane celebrates his goal at Croke Park on Sunday. Photograph: Tom Honan


The writing was on the wall at an early stage. We knew that this final was going to be about Limerick because if they brought their best, their A game, Cork wouldn't be able to live with it because no other county could live with it.
Gearóid Hegarty set the tone with a goal in the second minute, and although the response was commendable and immediate, Shane Kingston's well-taken goal was already about keeping Cork afloat, and the signs were ominous as early as the opening 10 minutes.
Limerick were hugely physical, as expected, and that impacted everywhere. The Cork puck-out was smothered, with the backs getting into trouble – their touch letting them down a little bit on occasion – and that forced Patrick Collins to go long and those restarts were simply eaten up by dominant opponents.
Lynch was exceptional, scoring 0-6 from play and giving two beautiful passes for the Hegarty goals. His touch, awareness and bravery make him a phenomenal hurler
There was consensus in the lead-up that Cork needed goals because they wouldn't get enough ball to win by scoring points, but you also need the ball to score goals. In the first half, Limerick maintained the pattern of the second half of the Munster final and the matches since, playing unbelievable hurling.
They were on top in all areas of the field. The defence settled down, Seán Finn and Dan Morrissey, their half backs, began to dominate and Will O'Donoghue and Darragh O'Donovan worked hard to set up link play and up front Cian Lynch was Cian Lynch.
Cork had a problem as anticipated: what were they to do about him? Mark Coleman likes to stand off him and play hurling but you can't afford to stand off Lynch. Now, I don't know who they had to mark him. I think they probably didn't have anyone – but really, no one has anyone to do that job the way he's playing.
He was exceptional, scoring 0-6 from play and giving two beautiful passes for the Hegarty goals. His touch, awareness and bravery make him a phenomenal hurler.
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He's only 25 but he has three All-Ireland medals and is on course to become one of the greatest hurlers ever seen, fulfilling the immense promise he's shown all the way up through his Fitzgibbon Cup days with Mary I.
Cork's Seán O'Donoghue and Aaron Gillane of Limerick in action during the GAA All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park on Sunday. Photograph: Tom Honan
Yesterday he was conducting the orchestra, running the show. When they have been under real pressure this year and particularly in the first half of the Munster final against Tipperary, when the ship was in danger of running aground, he was the one who kept it off the rocks. Hurler of the Year – without a shadow of a doubt.
You'd have to say that it was one of the greatest first halves in an All-Ireland final by any team. The only blot was the injury to Peter Casey, who might have been up for Man of the Match himself after a display scoring 0-5 and, but for having to go off, would have pressed his claims further.
There were huge performances everywhere: Gillane, Tom Morrissey, Gearóid Hegarty with 2-2 despite not being at his very best, Declan Hannon directing at the back. In my lifetime, they're up there with the very best, bearing comparison even at this stage with the great Kilkenny team of the recent past.
It's hard for Cork to find positives. Their game broke down under the stress
But for an aberration in an All-Ireland semi-final in 2019 – against Kilkenny – they could be a four-in-a-row team now. If they keep hitting those levels, it's hard to see who's coming to challenge them.
From a Cork perspective they needed to go off-script and really fire up the Cork crowd, who created unbelievable noise for a half-capacity crowd of 40,000, during the pre-match parade. I hadn't heard that sort of clamour before.
If they had been able to harness that, they might have been able to get to Limerick, but that was simply asking too much after a semi-final when they had effectively drawn with Kilkenny and bearing in mind the clear edge Munster hurling has had this year against Leinster counties.
Ultimately that probably wasn't good enough form.
It's hard for Cork to find positives. Their game broke down under the stress. Their puck-outs struggled and they couldn't get enough possession. Simple hand passes went astray. We saw Luke Meade and Damien Cahalane, with opportunities to get hand passes away and create some forward movement, fail to execute under pressure from Limerick.
Whether Cork were the second-best team in the championship is in a way irrelevant, such is the gulf that now exists between Limerick and the rest
Effectively their spirit was broken and the second half became a face-saving mission. They had two chances of a second goal but there wasn't much conviction left. They had skill and they had pace but couldn't match the physical power of the champions and the pressure exerted in the middle third.
Flanagan and Gillane also exerted huge pressure on the short puck-out and, combined with the poor touch and nervousness, made it really hard for Cork to clear their lines. Corner backs in particular have no chance defending the quality of ball that was coming in.
It was a tough finale for Cork. Whether they were the second-best team in the championship is in a way irrelevant, such is the gulf that now exists between Limerick and the rest. The sense of renewal you get after an All-Ireland and the looking forward to next year isn't as obvious this year.
You have to congratulate an outstanding team with outstanding management, playing textbook hurling. The bar has been set very high.

[TheGreatest]

How do you stop a player like that, a giant, with bundles  of skill and ability and athleticism. A joy to watch.

Possibly unstoppable , damage limitation exercise.   

[TheGreatest]

They are well backed by local by JP McManus and goodlucknto them that they could avail of a local businessman

The Dublin footballers were well backed by the GAA which is different

Unreal.... Dublin GAA, the county get funding for the promotion and development of the games and players for underage, usually mini leagues/ primary school.

The Dublin senior Footballers get nothing from the GAA.

JP McManus is not a local business man in the traditional sense sponsoring a local Junior football team, he is a Billionaire tax exile that has pumped huge amounts of money into Limerick.

[Milltown Row2]

They are well backed by local by JP McManus and goodlucknto them that they could avail of a local businessman

The Dublin footballers were well backed by the GAA which is different

Unreal.... Dublin GAA, the county get funding for the promotion and development of the games and players for underage, usually mini leagues/ primary school.

The Dublin senior Footballers get nothing from the GAA.

JP McManus is not a local business man in the traditional sense sponsoring a local Junior football team, he is a Billionaire tax exile that has pumped huge amounts of money into Limerick.

His local club is South Liberties GAA, the colours are used by his racing horses. He's a club member. What's not local? There are plenty of wealthy members who 'look after' their clubs. Dublin doesn't have the monopoly on rich members pumping money in

[TheGreatest]

They are well backed by local by JP McManus and goodlucknto them that they could avail of a local businessman

The Dublin footballers were well backed by the GAA which is different

Unreal.... Dublin GAA, the county get funding for the promotion and development of the games and players for underage, usually mini leagues/ primary school.

The Dublin senior Footballers get nothing from the GAA.

JP McManus is not a local business man in the traditional sense sponsoring a local Junior football team, he is a Billionaire tax exile that has pumped huge amounts of money into Limerick.

His local club is South Liberties GAA, the colours are used by his racing horses. He's a club member. What's not local? There are plenty of wealthy members who 'look after' their clubs. Dublin doesn't have the monopoly on rich members pumping money in

Yeah I know he is ,  My point was on wealth, you know what i meant, its not just Jim and Bros Building company sponsoring the local team down the road, its a Billionaire business man pumping millions into it.

I have no problem with it myself, again just pointing out the hypocrisy of it all, its ok in one sense, but when its a certain team its not ok, whether its AIG, JP McManus, Elverys or Kerry Group, whether you train in state of the art facilities or in the local slanty pitch in Kinsealy.

[Milltown Row2]

They are well backed by local by JP McManus and goodlucknto them that they could avail of a local businessman

The Dublin footballers were well backed by the GAA which is different

Unreal.... Dublin GAA, the county get funding for the promotion and development of the games and players for underage, usually mini leagues/ primary school.

The Dublin senior Footballers get nothing from the GAA.

JP McManus is not a local business man in the traditional sense sponsoring a local Junior football team, he is a Billionaire tax exile that has pumped huge amounts of money into Limerick.

His local club is South Liberties GAA, the colours are used by his racing horses. He's a club member. What's not local? There are plenty of wealthy members who 'look after' their clubs. Dublin doesn't have the monopoly on rich members pumping money in

Yeah I know he is ,  My point was on wealth, you know what i meant, its not just Jim and Bros Building company sponsoring the local team down the road, its a Billionaire business man pumping millions into it.

I have no problem with it myself, again just pointing out the hypocrisy of it all, its ok in one sense, but when its a certain team its not ok, whether its AIG, JP McManus, Elverys or Kerry Group, whether you train in state of the art facilities or in the local slanty pitch in Kinsealy.

I think 'their' problem is that Dublin has the bigger numbers from a school age up, those numbers need to be facilitated by the gaa to reflect the numbers attending the clubs and schools, it will always be more financed than Mayo or Tyrone, what other posters were complaining about was the money being 'given' to the Dublin senior team directly or indirectly by the GAA HQ..

I don't know fully the ins and outs of that side of things in fairness, and I'd assume most don't but will have a say about it anyways. But when you have that amount of people playing within Dublin then its always going to reflect on performances and Dublin have taken advantage of having a bigger and better pool of players

[gallsman]

Thoughts on the Cian Lynch judo throw? I've seen lots of Dubs on Twitter, including barely literate ones like Johnny Magee, try to turn it into an "if that was John Small..." type story.

FWIW, I think Lynch was perfectly entitled to defend himself after having the hurley wrapped around his neck but his reaction was reckless, dangerous and could have severely injured his opponent. Red all day long for me.