All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final: Kilkenny 1-21 Limerick 2-17
From Brendan Crossan at Croke Park
WHEN Brian Cody finally emerged from a side door to meet the press on Saturday evening we didn't know whether to genuflect or applaud.
Feeling slightly awe-struck by his latest trick, we wore goofy smiles instead.
But it was okay because the Godfather of hurling smiled back at us as he settled back into the chair with his match-day cap still firmly in place.
He would never admit to it - Cody doesn't do self-indulgence - but Saturday's epic one-point win over defending All-Ireland champions Limerick must have felt like his finest hour on the sidelines.
His broad smile suggested as much, even if there was no silverware to show for his side's mesmerising efforts.
Saturday’s unforgettable encounter was Cody’s 11th straight All-Ireland semi-final win dating back to 2005.
There will be coaches all over Ireland currently editing and cutting Kilkenny’s magnificence into small, goose-bumped DVD segments to show their young, wide-eyed students what hard graft and teamwork looks like in its purest form.
Since his appointment as Kilkenny’s senior hurling manager in November 1998, Cody’s core philosophy has never changed.
It is as simple as it is profound – and obviously has greater resonance on balmy days like Saturday.
“Look,” he said, “it’s either in a fella or it’s not. You can’t say to fellas: ‘Hurl with your heart and soul’, and they may never be able to do that.
“The basic thing is you go out with total honesty. You can talk about all the other things all you like...
“They’re in the county panel because they’re good hurlers and have plenty of skill and all the rest of it, and then it’s the application and the honesty they bring and the sense of team that they bring.
“You have to bring yourself to the game and to have the nerve to do it. Nerve is important. Your head dictates so much what happens out there.
“You just have to go out and take on the game in front of you. It’s not simple by a long shot; you just have to be really, really honest to take it on – and thanks be to God that’s what they did.”
After scything through Munster buttressed by 20-point, 18-point and 12-point victories, Limerick looked an even better team in 2019 than when they clinched last year’s All-Ireland crown after a 45-year wait.
Kilkenny, by contrast, were deemed a work-in-progress with a raft of rookie hurlers who had many rough edges yet to be planed away before even contemplating playing in an All-Ireland final.
All the pre-match indicators suggested Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final was Limerick’s to lose. But what they faced in the opening 15 minutes was like being hit by a train at 100 miles per hour.
One of Limerick’s mantras has been that nobody can out-work them. Entering their middle eight is like disturbing a hornets’ nest. You simply don’t survive.
But Kilkenny turned the tables on the All-Ireland, Munster and League champions in dramatic fashion.
Limerick were well and truly spooked by Kilkenny’s ferocious tackling.
Kilkenny managed to pull off that rare illusion in field sport where no matter the location of the ball, there was a swarm of black and amber jerseys surrounding it, beseeching their opponents to surrender possession.
And for the first 20 minutes, Limerick did exactly that.
The irrepressible TJ Reid landed two early frees and clipped over a sublime sideline ball that Open champion Shane Lowry – paraded in front of the 55,000 crowd before throw-in – would have been proud of.
And when he wasn’t hooking and blocking and making an absolute nuisance of himself to the Limerick half-back line, Walter Walsh was swinging two marvellous efforts over the champions’ bar.
At the back Padraig Walsh produced a towering display for the Cats as the Kilkenny half-back line held their shape when Limerick's much-vaunted half-forward line of Gearoid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes and Tom Morrissey retreated into defensive, ambush positions that never really materialised.
And what a gem of a hurler Adrian Mullen of the Ballyhale Shamrocks club is, who showed nerveless skill in bagging four majestic points from play on Saturday evening – his last of which coming on the hour mark being the pick of the bunch.
Limerick stuck with their tried and trusted process of playing through their midfield but, given Kilkenny’s insatiable work-rate and desire to make physical contact at every opportunity, it was a tactic that seemed doomed to fail.
As he did against Cork in the quarter-finals, full-forward Colin Fennelly brushed aside Sean Finn’s challenge to slap the sloithar home in the 14th minute from close range to put the underdogs 1-7 to 0-2 ahead before another flawless TJ Reid free was converted to compound Limerick’s misery.
Aaron Gillane, Limerick’s most potent attacker, burst out in front of Kilkenny’s young full-back Huw Lawlor to nail two brilliant points in the seventh and 24th minutes as an offer of angry resistance.
Graeme Mulcahy (0-2) and Peter Casey (0-1) eventually found their radar but the wide count kept climbing for Limerick (15 in total to Kilkenny's eight) as many of their shots were under fierce pressure.
“When you’re 10 points to two down after 17 minutes you’ve given yourself a mountain to climb,” acknowledged Limerick boss John Kiely afterwards.
“It took us a while to settle into the game. Kilkenny brought a ferocious intensity to the breaking ball and got on a platform that they were very efficient with and gave themselves a bit of a head-start if you like.”
After removing Huw Lawlor from his back, Aaron Gillane dusted himself down to thump home an unstoppable penalty on the stroke of half-time before Richie Hogan replied immediately for the Cats.
But to trail by just three points at the break [1-12 to 1-9] was a victory of sorts for Limerick.
Indeed, while Limerick’s game-plan malfunctioned – the half-time loss of sweeper Declan Hannon due to injury didn't help – it was testament to their character that they were never out of this All-Ireland semi-final.
Asked if Limerick were sufficiently tested on a physical level in Munster this year, Kiely changed the premise of the question.
“Listen, when you’re playing Kilkenny you know what you’re going to get.
“We pride ourselves on our work-rate; Kilkenny pride themselves on their work-rate. Our boys would never shy away from that level of intensity and I think we responded.
“We refused to go away throughout the game. There were periods in the game where we could have downed tools and said: ‘We’ve enough done’, but the boys dug in and they fought and fought and fought to the very end. On another night it could have gone to extra-time but it didn’t.”
Gillane kept taking the fight to the Kilkenny backs, while at the other end Adrian Mullen was proving the coolest man in Croke Park, hitting three second-half points to quell Limerick's brave uprising.
And with Kilkenny stretching their second-half lead out to five points with seven minutes of normal time remaining, Na Piarsaigh's mercurial Shane Dowling popped up to score a technically brilliant goal to make it a two-point game before impressive substitute David Reidy inched the champions closer again.
It was knife-edge stuff as Kilkenny substitute James Maher carved out two points of daylight again for the Cats entering stoppage-time.
Limerick kept pressing for that elusive equaliser that ultimately never came.
Diarmaid Byrnes landed a ’65 in the 73rd minute for Limerick and with a last-gasp sideline cut from substitute Darragh O’Donovan the ball was deflected wide – but referee Alan Kelly’s linesman beneath a baying Cusack Stand did not see it and the ’65 that could have forced this titanic clash to extra-time was never awarded.
With five minutes of stoppage-time played Eoin Murphy launched his final puck-out of the evening high into the evening skies over Croke Park before Alan Kelly brought this memorable All-Ireland semi-final to a close.
No-one will forget what happened on the famous turf on Saturday evening, especially the 55,000 supporters who were lucky to witness the drama.
“That defeat won’t define this group,” insisted a defiant Kiely.
“I think it will strengthen their resolve. They are a young bunch, they are very ambitious, they’re very united and I’ve no doubt they’ll challenge again in the future.”
Just when Kilkenny’s light was flickering in the early part of 2019, they find themselves in yet another All-Ireland final.
“Everything that happens,” said Cody, “happens on the field. The players are the ones on the field. The ones on the sideline are just there, we’re there; we’re looking on. Everything that happened was huge credit to the players. The players always win the match.”
For as long as Cody is “just there”, Kilkenny’s obituary can never be written.
Kilkenny: E Murphy; P Murphy, H Lawlor, J Holden; C Fogarty, P Walsh (0-1), P Deegan; C Browne, R Leahy; J Donnelly (0-1), TJ Reid (0-8, 0-7 frees, 0-1 sideline), W Walsh (0-2); A Mullen (0-4), C Fennelly (1-3), R Hogan (0-1) Subs: C Buckley for R Leahy (34), B Sheehan for R Hogan (46), B Ryan for J Donnelly (51), L Blan–––chfield for C Fennelly (64), J Maher (0-1) for C Fogarty (67)
Blood substitution: C Delaney for J Holden (67-70)
Yellow cards: C Buckley (38)
Limerick: N Quaid; S Finn, M Casey, R English; D Byrnes (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 ‘65, D Hannon, D Morrissey; C Lynch, W O’Donoghue; G Hegarty, K Hayes, T Morrissey (0-1); A Gillane (1-9, 1-0 pen, 0-6 frees), G Mulcahy (0-2), P Casey (0-1) Subs: B Nash (0-1) for D Hannon (h/t inj), S Dowling (1-0) for G Hegarty (56), D O’Donovan for W O’Donoghue (58), D Reidy (0-1) for T Morrissey (64), P Ryan for P Casey (67)
Yellow cards: S Finn (17), G Hegarty (25)
Referee: A Kelly (Galway)
Attendance: 55,001
Kilkenny ratings
Eoin Murphy: Made a crucial stoppage-time save to deny David Reidy. No chance for Aaron Gillane’s first half penalty and didn’t complicate his puck-outs. 7.5
Paul Murphy: Peter Casey’s movement troubled him early on but the Limerick forward never punished Murphy on the scoreboard. The experienced corner-back improved as this semi-final wore on. 7
Huw Lawlor: Conceded a penalty and Aaron Gillane grabbed three points from play. But Kilkenny’s rookie full-back has a heart like a lion. Quietened Gillane in the second half and cleared the goal danger in stoppage-time. 7
Joey Holden: Graeme Mulcahy should have hit more than two points against Holden, but the Ballyhale Shamrocks man defended really well as the match progressed and emerged from rucks with the ball. Hit some brilliant passes too. 8
Conor Fogarty: Great block down on Peter Casey, his distribution was of a high quality and was good under the high ball from Limerick’s puck-outs. 7.5
Padraig Walsh: Absolutely immense. Nothing got past the 27-year-old centre-back. Brilliant under the high ball, anticipated danger and grabbed an important first half point. Man-of-the-match contender. 8.5
Paddy Deegan: Defended brilliantly and was tigerish in the tackle. Gearoid Hegarty retreated into his own half-back line too often as Deegan held his position. Never put a foot wrong. 8
Conor Browne: His main job on Saturday was to blot out Limerick’s midfield general Cian Lynch – and he did that with aplomb. Didn’t get on the ball a lot but denied the green shirts space every time. 7.5
Richie Leahy: William O’Donoghue made a couple of powerful charges in the early stages and Brian Cody didn’t hang about making a change at midfield before half-time. 6
John Donnelly: Doesn’t score highly for his shooting but more than made up for it with his insatiable appetite for hard graft. His hooking and tackling was key to Kilkenny’s success. 7.5
TJ Reid: Made some unbelievable catches in both halves despite being under some serious Limerick pressure. Set up Fennelly and Mullen for important second-half scores and was near-perfect from placed balls. 8.5
Walter Walsh: Fantastic first half. Kilkenny’s preferred outlet for puck-outs, the towering wing-forward hit two first-half points and tackled ferociously. Work-rate remained high in the second half. 8
STAR MAN: Adrian Mullen: What a hurler - the undoubted find of the season for Kilkenny. Mullen’s stick-work and composure are on a different level. Hit four nerveless points from play. A wondrous talent. 9
Colin Fennelly: Doesn’t care for the game’s aesthetics as he bulldozed his way past Sean Finn to goal early on, which was a carbon copy of his major against Cork. Also hit three vital second-half points. 8.5
Richie Hogan: Took a couple of wrong options in possession and was pushed to the periphery, though he replied immediately with a point after Aaron Gillane’s penalty conversion. Replaced after 46 ineffective minutes. 6
Subs:
Cillian Buckley: Improved Kilkenny around the middle although he lost possession that led to Limerick’s second-half goal. 7
Billy Sheehan: Not the impact he had against Cork. 5
Billy Ryan: Same as Sheehan – not as effective as the last day coming off the bench but worked hard. 6
Liam Blanchfield: Came in for the tiring Fennelly late on. 5
James Maher: His stoppage-time point put Kilkenny two ahead. 6
Kilkenny ratings compiled by Brendan Crossan
Limerick ratings
Nickie Quaid: Had little chance with the goal as Colin Fennelly batted over his shoulder. Was seldom called upon to make a worthwhile save. Put under pressure with the puck-outs. 7
Sean Finn: Received an early yellow card. Found the early Kilkenny attacks a real handful but improved as the game went on. 7
Mike Casey: Struggled a bit with the direct attacking style of Colin Fennelly, Not as confident as usual in front of goal. 6
Richie English: Made some timely interceptions particularly in the second half. Drove out of defence with some daring clearances. Showed well all through. 8
Diarmuid Byrnes: Got his hands on the ball quite a lot but put under severe pressure. Missed a couple of placed balls. 7
Declan Hannon: Struggled in the opening half when faced by TJ Reid. Up against the best attacker in the game, but injury severely curtailed him and never appeared for the second half. 6
Dan Morrissey: Restricted to more of a defensive role as Kilkenny applied the pressure game. Persisted manfully but unable to apply his usual attacking game. 6
Cian Lynch: Didn't make his usual impression. Had to work back deep in defence leaving him to only threaten occasionally up front. 6.5
Will O'Donoghoe: Did his best work early in the game but became less effective as the game wore on. Replaced in the second half. 7
Gearoid Hegarty: Won a few breaks early on but the yellow card seemed to impact on his game. Never escaped the tough defending of Paddy Deegan. 6.5
Kyle Hayes: Struggled in the first half. Won some early second half ball but too deep to threaten. Showed some nice touches as he filled in at centre-back to mind TJ Reid. Set up Dowling for his goal. 6.5
Tom Morrissey: Showed flashes of his ability against Conor Fogarty but was surprisingly restricted in the second half. 6
Aaron Gillane: Showed moments of real class emerging as his side's top scorer. But lacked the necessary support close to goal until the arrival of Shane Dowling. Still a class act. 8.5
Graeme Mulcahy: Scored two excellent first half points. Worked hard but struggled in the physical battle. 7.5
Peter Casey: Scored a fine first half point but was not really involved much in the action although he worked hard. 6
Substitutes
Barry Nash: Came on for Declan Hannon. Brought a real dash to the half-back line with superb work-rate and grabbed an important point. 7.5
Shane Dowling: Took his goal superbly making his usual impact off the bench. Could have been utilised earlier. 7.5
Darragh O'Donovan: Came in for O'Donoghue who has kept him out of the side all year. His sideline cut in additional time appeared to be deflected as they sought an equaliser. 6
David Reidy: Marked his introduction with a point to reduce the deficit to a single point and had a late goal chance saved. 7.5
Pat Ryan: Found the intensity of the game late on tough. 6
Limerick ratings compiled by Brendan Furlong
