*Limerick GAA news/discussion thread*

mickmackey1

Na Piarsaigh Abu!!

commonsense.

As I predicted, Na Piarsaigh running away with this. Cushendall not in their league.

HanaleiJ5N

It's looking good guys! Complacency and the favorites tag have been Limerick hurling's downfall on so many occasions, good to see a team perform when it matters most.

N20

Congrats to Na Piarsaigh - a great win for them and well deserved

washman3

Well done Na Piarsaigh. First Limerick team I've witnessed lift a trophy in C.P.
Super club. Cathal Kings acceptance speech said it all, probably the best I've ever heard from a winning captain and indeed the most modest. Should be replayed to any aspiring club in Limerick. Brilliant.

limmyhulk

congratulations to nap onwards and upwards for limerick hurling

Mehapoy

Great nap performance on the day, they really have forwards above most club teams, some of the point scoring was terrific, I think the fact that a lot of them have had games in croke park before stood to them.
Its good to get a monkey of no club all ireland off limerick's backs, and bring it back to Munster after a long gap. With the conveyor belt of talent they have I wouldn't be surprised to see them repeat the win again soon.

paddy no 11

Well done Na P, excellent speech from cathal king. Great stuff all round

Luimneach abu

paddy no 11

LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Tom Condon, Richie McCarthy, Richie English; Dan Morrissey, Diarmaid Byrnes, Seamus Hickey; John Fitzgibbon, Paul Browne; Barry Nash, Gavin O’Mahony, Cian Lynch; Graeme Mulcahy, Declan Hannon, Tom Morrissey.

Big concerns over that defence

HanaleiJ5N

Defence hasn't been too bad but I'd share your concern for the very simple reason that Clare are a cut above all other team's we've faced in the first 4 games. This is the game that answers many questions we have, the problem as ever with 1B is it won't fully expose weaknesses and even if it does you can still get away with it.

A predictable team, only one I didn't see coming was Fitzgibbon, I honestly expected that would go to James Ryan. I'm hoping Fitzgibbon was selected based on more than scoring 1-14 (0-9 frees) against Laois, sadly Laois were the worst they've been since we hammered them in 2012. The game didn't really tell us anything.

Hopefully Dowling and Downes are on the bench, I know they're probably due a bit of a rest I'd much prefer to call on them if changes are required up front, otherwise we're seriously lacking in attacking depth.

Fireball07

U-21 footballers dreadfully unlucky down in Tralee. There is still plenty of talent there in Limerick football, but we have to get the most out of it at senior level. Too many players becoming disheartened and dropping off, whether for soccer or hurling or rugby or just don't want to put in the effort. It's easy to criticise, I suppose but it's a huge commitment. But I believe we have the potential to make an impact at a higher level than we are currently operating and upon the Championship in general.


Great win for Na Piarsaigh, by far the better team on the day. How Alan Dempsey isn't on the Limerick panel, I have no idea.


As for the team against Clare, I don't think defence is the biggest worry. For personnel, it isn't too far off our strongest. It's how we organise it really. Hickey is out of form though, which is a worry. Half-back line has been an issue for a good few years now. Midfield with Fitzgibbon there looks weak too.

paddy no 11

Im backing fitzgibbon to have a good game, hickey a concern

if richie is left isolated..............

Fireball07

None of us are overly confident after last year and the league campaign so far, where it's been up and down at best. We've been way better than any of the other teams, we blew Wexford away in the first half before sitting back, similar against Kerry although we hadn't dominated to the same extent. Did enough to beat Offaly, without being convincing, and then destroyed Laois.


Clare aren't great atm, but they are a still completely different proposition. They are still a top tier team despite not offering much since 2013. They still have huge talent and it will be a good achievement to beat them. I know we beat them last year and it ended up being a bit of a false dawn, as although we were the better team, we were way off the pace of real contenders.

But our work rate, intensity, physicality last year was sub-standard, as well as tactics. The year before we beat Tipp, and ran Kilkenny close based upon a frenetic work rate and moving the ball quickly into our forwards. That evaporated last year.



So I think the key for this year is to try and get our fitness and work rate very high. That's how you beat the best, look at Galway last year- that was the key difference between them in 2015 to the previous couple of years. Again, matched Kilkenny in the first half, just didn't have the tactical nous or maybe even the top class players to really kick on.


I have faith in the Limerick players but players not showing form should be dropped, I think we do have depth in the county now. The addition of the likes of Nash & Morrissey to the forward line is a big boost, they are able to win their own ball and do work really hard to close down backs. Hopefully Byrnes can strengthen our backline, although there are still question marks over that area... Byrnes has a tendency to push very far forward, leaving his full-back exposed.



I think we can beat Clare, I don't think they're any better than us really. Main worry would be if they can expose our full-back line in one-on-one situations but Davy seems to have a fear factor and pulls men out the field, meaning those one-on-ones don't happen too often. And their own backs aren't world-beaters by any means, can be got at.

HanaleiJ5N

No NaP players on bench. Hennessy, SO'Brien, O'Connell, McNamara, PO'Brien, Hegarty, JRyan, PRyan, O'Donovan, Reidy, KO'Brien.

paddy no 11

Serious discrepancy between the pace we're allowed take puck outs and clare are, led directly to the sending off

paddy no 11

Not good, condon is walking the line here.....will need 2 goals to win this and hard to see where they'll come from

paddy no 11

Ah this is shocking

letsseehere14

Handed them so many easy score through frees or just bad play. Seem well off the pace tbh even with the soft goal and the ref desicions against us. Hard to believe we could be well in this game had the goal not been conceded.

paddy no 11

Ok, hope thats everyone convinced we need a new manger

HanaleiJ5N

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Ok, hope thats everyone convinced we need a new manger

Don't think many felt otherwise to be fair.

Vanolder

No surprise today, we are well off the pace and look nothing like a team.... I'm sick of saying it but this team is going no where under TJ Ryan, just get rid now please.

dastardly00

I'm surprised at the negativity on here. As a neutral watching the game I thought Limerick did quite well considering: (a) ye were down to 14 men for more than half the game; (b) ye are missing the NaP lads; and (c) Clare's goal was an absolute joke.

paddy no 11

Stop, we just dragged clare down to a shocking level, it was a terrible match. Clare were missing tony kelly!

Browney7

dastardly00 wrote: »

I'm surprised at the negativity on here. As a neutral watching the game I thought Limerick did quite well considering: (a) ye were down to 14 men for more than half the game; (b) ye are missing the NaP lads; and (c) Clare's goal was an absolute joke.

Not having a go at you by any means here - appreciate the encouragement! -but this is the type of guff that county board wise men and people have been peddling for years and will continue to spout. It rings hollow now because we can't accept these excuses any more if we strive to play at the top level and push for all Ireland's.

We've been in division two for six years now and in fairness it's not easy to get out of it but we've fallen short to Clare, Dublin, Waterford and Cork. 2 years ago (? I'm getting confused with all the times we've screwed up) we only had to beat Offaly and we'd have been promoted yet we fell short. Kerry went to Birr today and won. NAP getting to the all ireland final wasn't exactly a bolt from the blue. Yes it doesn't help but this should all have been allowed and planned for.

The only way we are getting into the top division is if they rearrange the league structure and that's a sad indictment of the situation we are in.

HanaleiJ5N

I was always really pi$$ed off when the powers that be stripped us of the promotion we won fairly and squarely in 2011 but the simple depressing fact of the matter is we now finish for the 5th season in a row as the league's 8th best team. Unfair and all as stripping us of promotion was, we haven't shown anything to suggest we're worthy of being in the top division anyway. As soon as one of the big 7 drops down they just win promotion back straight away. People love to trivialise it and act as though it doesn't matter and throw out that old bull$hit line "We're a championship team".

This is a big problem. The game today, I don't know, as soon as we were down to 14 men we were never going to win. It was just more of the same, carry on as normal, TJ is not the most tactically astute at the best of times, never mind if we go down to 14 men...

And I don't know why he needed today to realise Gavin O'Mahony won't do as a forward at this level, he scored about 5 points from play without making a notable contribution otherwise in 4 games against poorer opposition.

HanaleiJ5N

I feel the referee rode us a bit today, pulling us for taking puck outs before the whistle while not doing the same to Clare, goal should not have been allowed for steps, a lot of soft yellows for Limerick whenever possible, and no card for Tom Condon's helmet being dragged clean off his head (an incident he clearly saw as he saw fit to give us a free), a straight red offence under the rules.

However, even given the above, I still feel Clare were just about the better team, although they still haven't shaken off their tendency towards wastefulness in front of the posts, a fair few poor wides hit by them.

They weren't outstanding, had that stayed 15 v 15 we could conceivably have sneaked it today, they never really put us away, their failure to kill us off combined with some of the wayward shooting could have let us back into that.

However, if's and but's don't win games, as it was we have to say that we didn't really adapt adequately to going a man down, a couple of underperformers were withdrawn but the game-plan was largely the same, and it was irritating to see some of the ball hopefully delivered up to an out-numbered forward unit, the usage of the ball wasn't always that intelligent. I can see Dinny Cahill's influence in terms of how we move the ball about, we're not quite as direct as we were last year but it's very much a work in progress, but we're not clinical enough in execution of passing, a lot more work needed there.

With TJ, it just seems the "plan" is try to keep them happy, give them what they need, get their fitness to the required level, pick the best 15, send them out, get them to play good old fashioned "traditional" Limerick hurling and hope it works out. Tactically, he hasn't got it. Davy Clarke hasn't got it. I was hoping Dinny Cahill could add something in that respect but it seem's he's strictly a hurling coach.

Our only hope is that Cahill's work pays dividends come championship time, O'Connor has them in prime condition and TJ keeps the camp happy. At least then we'll perform, we won't win anything but we won't be annihilated by anyone, and we might even make it as far as the semi final and have a respectable season. That's about the limit of how far we'll ever go under TJ, he is not the man who could take us beyond that.

Nash can't really have any complaints, it was clear at that point that the referee was quite happy to dish out cards to us so he should have been a bit more tuned in to be careful when he was already on one.

Quarter final two weekends time v Dublin but at this stage June is all that matters now. With promotion gone again the league is worthless to us.

Our division 1 exile now continues until at least 2018. I think all bar about 7 of our panel now have never played top division league hurling.

Rightwing

I backed Clare to win this one at Evens. Easy money.

Missing Na P players always meant we were going to be limited up front and
Ennis is always tough place to go.

Clare deserved their win, and ought to have won by more. The positive, we can easily beat Dublin. Some players made dreadful errors today, but TJ Ryan is not the man to lead the team to success. He didn't cost us today, will do so on a bigger occasion.

trg

A few have said it already about looking off the pace. I really think there's a problem there, being harsh perhaps but 2 of the full back line are clearly overweight and there was no speed of thought or execution throughout the team. Today was probably a low point, they've gotten the experience of today's game against good opposition and the Na Piarsaigh lads will be back.

HanaleiJ5N

Ah ffs, I've been rewatching Conlon's "goal".

The only thing I'm uncertain on is whether he took 20 or 21 steps. Shocking decision.

The official rule is 4 steps, generally a bit of leeway of a few steps is given in certain circumstances. But to be allowed take 20 or 21 steps, with the ball in hand, right across the face of the goal, right in front of the umpires, and the referee no more than 30 yards behind? That is utterly unacceptable.


All things being equal, incompetent refereeing in that and a few other instances aside, I still think Clare just about shaded it overall, and that the final scoreline flattered us a little. But, we have every right to be outraged at the allowing of that "goal".

mickmackey1

Let's not fool ourselves, Clare have better hurlers than we have and no manager can change that. TJ out though.