Clash Preview: Limerick's Se seventh Title at Risk in Senior Hurling Championship Final Against Cork, Seeking Divine Performance to Secure Victory
In this re match, Limerick were looking a bit shaky, but they quickly regained their dominance.
Tipping them off early were those pesky Tipperary and a close call against a rebuilding Tipperary in the opening round. spectators wondered aloud if the engine was starting to wear in the Green Machine.
But don't worry, Limerick isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
A comprehensive win over Waterford and a 16-point crushing of the Cork side that had bested them twice last season seemed to put all fears to bed. Yeah, they did take a loss to Clare in the last round, but let's be real, they had already secured their place in the finals by then. Plus, they were making changes and facing eliminated All-Ireland champions.
Cork will surely improve on their performance, but the question remains: will it be enough, back on enemy territory? Even if the crowd is evenly split?
Reigning champions, Limerick have set a new record of six consecutive Munster Senior Hurling Championship titles and are hot favorites to extend that to seven tonight.
Haters be hating, but Limerick have developed quite the strength-in-depth. John Kiely even threw Aidan O'Connor, a first-time Limerick starter in a Munster final, into the mix. Shane O'Brien, who had put up 1-08 in the first two games, found himself reduced to an impact player.
Still, that's not all Limerick's bench has to offer. They have a whole squad of former All-Stars and multiple All-Ireland winners just waiting to bring their A-game.
One of the keys to Limerick's gameplan is retaining possession, but they'll have to be careful with their handpasses. Ref Thomas Walsh made sure to keep them in check during the draw with Tipperary.
All the talk of Cork's glory days has been nothing but hot air. Tipp were swatted aside in the league final, but in fairness to Pat Ryan, he wasn't the one peddling the Corkness nonsense.
Limerick's record against Cork in recent years speaks for itself, and even though things might look a bit brighter for Cork, they are missing some key personnel due to injury, especially in defense. Captain and center-back Rob Downey, corner-back Niall O'Leary, and Ger Millerick are all out.
Veteran Damien Cahalane will have his work cut out facing off against either O'Connor or Gillane. Cork stand-in captain Shane Barrett will surely try to test Kyle Hayes, but he'll need all the help he can get to get away from Will O'Donoghue and Cian Lynch.
If Cork can manage to compete with, and beat Limerick, again, they might have a chance, but it's looking more and more like it's gonna be business as usual for Limerick.
Tune in to RTE 2 and RTE Player to watch the Munster SHC final live from 5.15pm Saturday. You can follow a live blog on our website/sport or the RTE News app, or listen to commentary on RTE Radio 1's Saturday Sport. Let's see if Limerick can extend their dominance to seven titles!
Limerick's strong bench, filled with former All-Stars and multiple All-Ireland winners, suggests they might maintain their dominance in sports, even with changes in the lineup. The question remains if Cork, despite their improving performance, can compete with Limerick in this year's Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.
