*Limerick GAA news/discussion thread*

sheff the ref

Graham Mulcahy will have to be man marked. Cathal King was moved back to the corner to do that job in the Semi Final and was doing it quite well and somewhat cynically and with quite an amount of streetwiseness but was switched to midfield after 20 minutes. When that happened Graham did what he liked. Stephen Lavin is probably the man for Mulcahy

paddy no 11

The wether looks fair bad for sunday. shame. The adare backs will play a lot tighter than Na P for sure, kilmallock should have the scoring power to see them through though. Adare will have to make it as physical as possible and use the weather conditions to keep the scores tight.

Tipperary animal lover

Well lads, so we'll meet ye next year again, what do ye think?? Ye should have a great chance in limerick to avenge the loss in thurles ....

sheff the ref

Adare have three Limerick Under 21 forwards and a former All Ireland winning Under 21 Captain. Some of the Adare players have 5 County Medals in their back pockets. It would be foolish to underestimate them.

Fireball07

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

Well lads, so we'll meet ye next year again, what do ye think?? Ye should have a great chance in limerick to avenge the loss in thurles ....

I wanted to avoid Tipp, of all the teams. We were better than ye in the game this year but still ended up losing by 4 points. Tipp have more experience than us and have some real quality players + a bigger panel.

Limerick did well enough this year but to push on, we have to win in Munster. I'd love to win the title... We have some very talented young players, I think if we have a full panel available we can win that.


Of course we don't know what effect O'Shea will have on Tipp either...can't judge at this stage really.

grimbergen

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

Well lads, so we'll meet ye next year again, what do ye think?? Ye should have a great chance in limerick to avenge the loss in thurles ....

Not the best draw obviously as really rate eamonn o'shea as a manager. That said playing Tipp in the Gaelic Grounds really gives some focus for the season and players should be really should be up for it. Should be some munster championship next year, any one of 5 teams with a genuine chance.

paddy no 11

worst possible draw for us i think. we'd be 50/50 against the rest of the sides but tipp should be good enough to beat us which means back door. we really need to get to a munster final.





And yes sundays final will be close

jordainius

sheff the ref wrote: »

Adare have three Limerick Under 21 forwards and a former All Ireland winning Under 21 Captain. Some of the Adare players have 5 County Medals in their back pockets. It would be foolish to underestimate them.

A lot of people are reading way too much into the Kilmallock v Na Piarsaigh game, this game will be nothing like that. Adare under O'Loughlin from 2007-2009 were specialists in smothering the life out of teams, one case in point being an awful semi final v Kilmallock in 2008. Not suggesting that Adare are at the standard they were then but they have gotten better as the year has gone on and have a habit of unleashing their best performance of the year on county final day...

This will be an awful game, I'm expecting a low scoring affair with Kilmallock just squeezing through by a couple of points. Some people are suggesting that Adare have no chance, very foolish talk indeed...

Fireball07

Kilmallock champions...Adare kept it tight as expected but Kilmallock had too much in the end.

paddy no 11

Went as widely predicted, glad kill won out.

Hannon is county centre forward for sure.


Egan had another stormer and was probably my MOTM. he was the physical element that could compete with the bigger adare side, the watching john allen couldnt have missed him.

Paidi dwyer got on a load of ball, 3 wides off the left, 3 points off the right, made his pace count all day.


A forward like mulcahy who'll fight like a terrier for every ball is worth his weight in gold.

shawnee

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Went as widely predicted, glad kill won out.

Hannon is county centre forward for sure.


Egan had another stormer and was probably my MOTM. he was the physical element that could compete with the bigger adare side, the watching john allen couldnt have missed him.

Paidi dwyer got on a load of ball, 3 wides off the left, 3 points off the right, made his pace count all day.


A forward like mulcahy who'll fight like a terrier for every ball is worth his weight in gold.

Well done to Kilmallock , Robbie Egan is a real talent , whether he has the class and skill for intercounty remains to be seen, he deserves his chance. Stephen Lavin held Graeme Mulcahy scoreless and Lavin couldn't hold his county place ?;)

paddy no 11

shawnee wrote: »

Well done to Kilmallock , Robbie Egan is a real talent , whether he has the class and skill for intercounty remains to be seen, he deserves his chance. Stephen Lavin held Graeme Mulcahy scoreless and Lavin couldn't hold his county place ?;)

Yeah fair point, he was poor at u=21 this year but then so was eveyone on the night.

Kilmallock, made an AI final and semi in the early 90's, this team will be hard to beat this year, can they go one better?

jordainius

shawnee wrote: »

Well done to Kilmallock , Robbie Egan is a real talent , whether he has the class and skill for intercounty remains to be seen, he deserves his chance. Stephen Lavin held Graeme Mulcahy scoreless and Lavin couldn't hold his county place ?;)

Well Lavin was never going to hold a county place when Richie Bennis for some strange reason insisted on playing him at wing forward! He has been one of the most solid/consistent corner backs in the county for a very long time, pity Bennis never picked him in his proper position.

The game didn't go as expected as if it did this would have been an easy and comfortable win for Kimlallock based on a lot of what I've read online and heard in real life. Adare looked likely to win for a lot of the game and in the end they weren't all that far off, Kilmallock deserved their win in the end.

I was expecting an awful game, thankfully I was wrong, best final in a long time in Limerick, both teams turned up for once!

paddy no 11

Anyone want to offer up a starting 15 for next years championship, be more interested in what people hear have as a starting 15 rather than what they think Allen will pick.

Or rather people on the fringe who should get a run out in the league to see if they can hack the step up.

mickmackey1

The whole midfield/halfback sector is lacking but I don't see anything better

jordainius

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Anyone want to offer up a starting 15 for next years championship, be more interested in what people hear have as a starting 15 rather than what they think Allen will pick.

Or rather people on the fringe who should get a run out in the league to see if they can hack the step up.

Hannon has had a difficult season with the injury but he finally looked back to his normal standard yesterday so a fully fit Hannon will be a major boost.

Hopefully Seamus Hickey will be fit enough to start games next year too.

I'd like to see Aaron Murphy given gametime in goals because Nicky Quaid would make a very good midfielder/wing back, Murphy is a decent keeper with a huge puck out.

James O'Brien of Na Piarsaigh is someone I believe has what it takes to be an important player for Limerick and I'd also like to see Alan Dempsey brought into the panel.

Full back is a position I still feel we need to sort out despite Richie McCarthy having a good year. I think James O'Brien might be worth a look there, maybe Patrick Begley of Mungret might be worth a look. I'd keep McCarthy as a corner back, I'd just prefer to see someone with more of a physical presence in the middle. I couldn't pick an XV for next season, I don't think much will change but the squad overall should be a fair bit stronger next year. The big problem in my opinion is the lack of outstanding candidates for the two central defensive positions and perhaps at full forward.

mickmackey1 wrote: »

The whole midfield/halfback sector is lacking but I don't see anything better

Sorry, can't agree with Hickey at full back, Dublin tore us to shreds in 2011 with him at FB, he's better off in midfield or the half back line.

Fireball07

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Anyone want to offer up a starting 15 for next years championship, be more interested in what people hear have as a starting 15 rather than what they think Allen will pick.

Or rather people on the fringe who should get a run out in the league to see if they can hack the step up.

Well it's a long way off and a lot could happen. I'd re-iterate what jordainus said about the likes of Aaron Murphy, James O'Brien, Alan Dempsey...I think Robbie Egan could be worth a look in a couple of years, if not now and Adrian Breen has been scoring lots for Na Piarsaigh. But I'd go:

1. Nicky Quaid
2. Stephen Walsh (had a good year, solid player)
3. Richie McCarthy (impossible to drop him after a great year)
4. Tom Condon (best corner-back in the county)
5. Seamus Hickey (a class act who we missed this year imo)
6. Donal O'Grady (I reckon it's worth keeping him here)
7. Gavin O'Mahony (either here or at CB)
8. James Ryan (gets through a lot of work)
9. Paudie O'Brien (best midfielder in the county, think he can be a great player for Limerick)
10. Kevin Downes (good in the air, pacy, strong and able to score...think he'd be useful in the half-forward)
11. Declan Hannon (class player, I'd have him in the middle)
12. David Breen (need a big ball-winner in the half-forward line)
13. Graham Mulcahy (probably the best forward in the county)
14. Shane Dowling (think he has a lack of mobility, I'd have him in closer to goal)
15. Seán Tobin (I rate Tobin highly but he needs to impose himself on the game more imo)



Then you've got the likes of Conor Allis, Niall Moran, Wayne Mac, Tomás Ryan, Seanie O'Brien, Tommy O'Brien, Tommy Quaid, David Moloney, Shane O'Neill, James O'Brien, Alan Dempsey...all players who can make an impact.


My other alternative to the team listed would be to put Aaron Murphy in goal, DOG to midfield instead of Ryan, GOM into centre-back with Quaid on the wing. Quaid is such a talented hurler, it always seems like a waste having him in goal. (Although it's yet to be seen whether he's really good enough outfield at intercounty level...2010 isn't the best judge. I reckon he deserves a chance at least though)

paddy no 11

Agree with a lot of that lads, however i dont share yer opinion of hickey, full back is a non starter. He cant man mark and takes too much out of the ball when he gets on it. Not writing him off just he's yet to convince me.

Agree with ye that there's scope to extend the squad and we can have a strong match day 22-23 next year. The problem is outstanding candidates who will start. Hannon is the only obvious one. But we need to give more than one match to murphy in goal, begley at FB, O'Brien at CB, Egan at midfield in the league and give a few others a run out.

Hopefully a fully fit hannon and dowling can give us an edge in the half forward line next year - this really is crucial.

paddy no 11

Plus is Lavin a possibility? Too old, cant play both codes, haven't seen him play much myself, but done well sunday.

jordainius

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Plus is Lavin a possibility? Too old, cant play both codes, haven't seen him play much myself, but done well sunday.

Nah, I like the guy but it wouldn't make sense to bring a 32 year old on to the panel when we have plenty of options at corner back as it stands. I'm still annoyed at Bennis for picking him at wing forward all the time!

Fireball07

jordainius wrote: »

Nah, I like the guy but it wouldn't make sense to bring a 32 year old on to the panel when we have plenty of options at corner back as it stands. I'm still annoyed at Bennis for picking him at wing forward all the time!

I'd agree with this, think he still has something to offer the footballers though.

shockframe

jordainius wrote: »

Nah, I like the guy but it wouldn't make sense to bring a 32 year old on to the panel when we have plenty of options at corner back as it stands. I'm still annoyed at Bennis for picking him at wing forward all the time!

Our full back line that time included Reale,Lucey and Hickey.As good as Lavin is the 3 mentioned would have been solid enough so would have been hard to break into the backs.

he was selected as a half forward because he was very effective there back in 2001-02.What was foolish was not giving him another chance after 2/3 league games when less committed players were held on.He would have been very useful in the half forward line after 3/4 months.

Although given the drama in Limerick hurling between 2008-10 he was better off with the footballers.

jordainius

shockframe wrote: »

Our full back line that time included Reale,Lucey and Hickey.As good as Lavin is the 3 mentioned would have been solid enough so would have been hard to break into the backs.

he was selected as a half forward because he was very effective there back in 2001-02.What was foolish was not giving him another chance after 2/3 league games when less committed players were held on.He would have been very useful in the half forward line after 3/4 months.

Although given the drama in Limerick hurling between 2008-10 he was better off with the footballers.

I felt Reale-Lucey-Lavin should have been tried at the time as it was time to push Hickey up to wing back or midfield, whatever about how he was playing 5 or 6 years earlier in the forwards, at the time he was proving himself to be arguably the best corner back in Limerick club hurling. It had been a long time since he played in the forwards so I couldn't see the logic in it at the time.

I fully agree that he was certainly dropped WAY too quickly, he should have been given more time to get used to playing in a position he hadn't been playing regularly, maybe you're right and he would have proven to be very useful after a few months but unfortunately we'll never know as he wasn't given enough time.

glasagusban

Very early in the year for this but it's great there are a lot of options. Very optimistic about next year already, last season we were mostly without Hickey, Hannon and Allis, those three back will immediately improve the team. Then we will have a lot of younger players a year older and with a full preseason under their belts. I think we need to find a centre back, maybe a corner back, a midfielder, one or two forwards.

A few positions completely nailed down IMO:

Condon and Mulcahy probably the first two names on the teamsheet.

McCarthy owned the full back jersey last year and grew as the season went on. Allstar nomination, what else do lads want? We'd be mad to change him.

GOM nailed on wing back, or maybe centre. Wayne Mc must be another sure starter, frustrating at times but his physicality is needed and his impacts on games have been huge, chipping in with a goal, flattening Hogan v kk, brilliant stuff.

Hickey will be a big addition but nowhere near fullback. I'd like to see him find a home at midfield this year, if not then maybe wing or centre back. Could be a player to have a huge season out in the middle like Tannian did for Galway this year.

DOG a definite starter, would love to see him back at midfield though.

Hannon centre forward.

Dowling wing or full forward.

Niall Moran and Downes the two question marks in the forwards, if Moran can hit the same form he starts at full forward, prob to be subbed at 55mins or so, we'd have Tobin to come in and Downes or Dowling to shift in to full. Downes please god will put his injuries behind him, class player and we need him on form and starting.

Dempsey, Quaid outfield (6?), James O'Brien, Allis, Aaron Murphy and when Kilmallock get back Robbie Egan, O'Brien, maybe O'Loughlin, Bryan O'Sullivan, all players I'd like to see get some gametime.

I'd like to see:

Quaid
Walsh/Dempsey/Browne
Richie Mc
Condon
Wayne Mc
James O'Brien
GOM
Hickey
DOG
Dowling
Hannon
Allis/Breen
Mulcahy
Moran
Downes

Maybe more likely to see Jimbob or one of the Kilmallock mids starting ahead of James O'Brien and DOG or Hickey moving back to the HB line but I like the look of that lineup.

paddy no 11

glasagusban wrote: »

Very early in the year for this but it's great there are a lot of options. Very optimistic about next year already, last season we were mostly without Hickey, Hannon and Allis, those three back will immediately improve the team. Then we will have a lot of younger players a year older and with a full preseason under their belts. I think we need to find a centre back, maybe a corner back, a midfielder, one or two forwards.

A few positions completely nailed down IMO:

Condon and Mulcahy probably the first two names on the teamsheet.

McCarthy owned the full back jersey last year and grew as the season went on. Allstar nomination, what else do lads want? We'd be mad to change him.

GOM nailed on wing back, or maybe centre. Wayne Mc must be another sure starter, frustrating at times but his physicality is needed and his impacts on games have been huge, chipping in with a goal, flattening Hogan v kk, brilliant stuff.

Hickey will be a big addition but nowhere near fullback. I'd like to see him find a home at midfield this year, if not then maybe wing or centre back. Could be a player to have a huge season out in the middle like Tannian did for Galway this year.

DOG a definite starter, would love to see him back at midfield though.

Hannon centre forward.

Dowling wing or full forward.

Niall Moran and Downes the two question marks in the forwards, if Moran can hit the same form he starts at full forward, prob to be subbed at 55mins or so, we'd have Tobin to come in and Downes or Dowling to shift in to full. Downes please god will put his injuries behind him, class player and we need him on form and starting.

Dempsey, Quaid outfield (6?), James O'Brien, Allis, Aaron Murphy and when Kilmallock get back Robbie Egan, O'Brien, maybe O'Loughlin, Bryan O'Sullivan, all players I'd like to see get some gametime.

I'd like to see:

Quaid
Walsh/Dempsey/Browne
Richie Mc
Condon
Wayne Mc
James O'Brien
GOM
Hickey
DOG
Dowling
Hannon
Allis/Breen
Mulcahy
Moran
Downes

Maybe more likely to see Jimbob or one of the Kilmallock mids starting ahead of James O'Brien and DOG or Hickey moving back to the HB line but I like the look of that lineup.

Like that team and we can certainly rotate our midfield on 45 mins 2 on 2 off. We've 4-5 good midfielders available.

glasagusban

mickmackey1 wrote: »

The whole midfield/halfback sector is lacking but I don't see anything better.(

Hickey won't make a full back mick but he'll strengthen your half back/mid area. James O'Brien or Quaid could be two options at 6. Allis is another option in that area. Wayne Mc and GOM both had very good years and either could/should have been nominated for an all star ahead of Tommy Walsh. Then there's a few more players around that are potential starters or decent subs. We're not in too bacd shape in that part of the field.

glasagusban

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Like that team and we can certainly rotate our midfield on 45 mins 2 on 2 off. We've 4-5 good midfielders available.

Rakes of options for midfield, DOG, Hickey, Browne, Ryan, Allis, Egan, O'Brien... If that were close to the starting team come championship we'd also have 4/5 decent subs to come in which we were missing last year, especially v Tipp. I'd give that team a great chance of winning Munster next year.

Fireball07

glasagusban wrote: »

Very early in the year for this but it's great there are a lot of options. Very optimistic about next year already, last season we were mostly without Hickey, Hannon and Allis, those three back will immediately improve the team. Then we will have a lot of younger players a year older and with a full preseason under their belts. I think we need to find a centre back, maybe a corner back, a midfielder, one or two forwards.

A few positions completely nailed down IMO:

Condon and Mulcahy probably the first two names on the teamsheet.

McCarthy owned the full back jersey last year and grew as the season went on. Allstar nomination, what else do lads want? We'd be mad to change him.

GOM nailed on wing back, or maybe centre. Wayne Mc must be another sure starter, frustrating at times but his physicality is needed and his impacts on games have been huge, chipping in with a goal, flattening Hogan v kk, brilliant stuff.

Hickey will be a big addition but nowhere near fullback. I'd like to see him find a home at midfield this year, if not then maybe wing or centre back. Could be a player to have a huge season out in the middle like Tannian did for Galway this year.

DOG a definite starter, would love to see him back at midfield though.

Hannon centre forward.

Dowling wing or full forward.

Niall Moran and Downes the two question marks in the forwards, if Moran can hit the same form he starts at full forward, prob to be subbed at 55mins or so, we'd have Tobin to come in and Downes or Dowling to shift in to full. Downes please god will put his injuries behind him, class player and we need him on form and starting.

Dempsey, Quaid outfield (6?), James O'Brien, Allis, Aaron Murphy and when Kilmallock get back Robbie Egan, O'Brien, maybe O'Loughlin, Bryan O'Sullivan, all players I'd like to see get some gametime.

I'd like to see:

Quaid
Walsh/Dempsey/Browne
Richie Mc
Condon
Wayne Mc
James O'Brien
GOM
Hickey
DOG
Dowling
Hannon
Allis/Breen
Mulcahy
Moran
Downes

Maybe more likely to see Jimbob or one of the Kilmallock mids starting ahead of James O'Brien and DOG or Hickey moving back to the HB line but I like the look of that lineup.

Couple of things with that team...

James O'Brien is big and a dominant figure, but we can't be sure that he's definitely up to intercounty level yet. We should try him in the league but DOG or GOM might be a safer option.

And Wayne Mac, while he had a great year, is definitely the most error-prone of our defence, his distribution is still nowhere near as good as, for example, GOM's.

I reckon Paudie O'Brien is the best midfielder in the county, and should be a certain starter next year.

And I think Breen is a certainty to start, we need someone like him in the half-forward line and I'd move Dowling closer to goal.

glasagusban

Fireball07 wrote: »

glasagusban wrote: »

Very early in the year for this but it's great there are a lot of options. Very optimistic about next year already, last season we were mostly without Hickey, Hannon and Allis, those three back will immediately improve the team. Then we will have a lot of younger players a year older and with a full preseason under their belts. I think we need to find a centre back, maybe a corner back, a midfielder, one or two forwards.

A few positions completely nailed down IMO:

Condon and Mulcahy probably the first two names on the teamsheet.

McCarthy owned the full back jersey last year and grew as the season went on. Allstar nomination, what else do lads want? We'd be mad to change him.

GOM nailed on wing back, or maybe centre. Wayne Mc must be another sure starter, frustrating at times but his physicality is needed and his impacts on games have been huge, chipping in with a goal, flattening Hogan v kk, brilliant stuff.

Hickey will be a big addition but nowhere near fullback. I'd like to see him find a home at midfield this year, if not then maybe wing or centre back. Could be a player to have a huge season out in the middle like Tannian did for Galway this year.

DOG a definite starter, would love to see him back at midfield though.

Hannon centre forward.

Dowling wing or full forward.

Niall Moran and Downes the two question marks in the forwards, if Moran can hit the same form he starts at full forward, prob to be subbed at 55mins or so, we'd have Tobin to come in and Downes or Dowling to shift in to full. Downes please god will put his injuries behind him, class player and we need him on form and starting.

Dempsey, Quaid outfield (6?), James O'Brien, Allis, Aaron Murphy and when Kilmallock get back Robbie Egan, O'Brien, maybe O'Loughlin, Bryan O'Sullivan, all players I'd like to see get some gametime.

I'd like to see:

Quaid
Walsh/Dempsey/Browne
Richie Mc
Condon
Wayne Mc
James O'Brien
GOM
Hickey
DOG
Dowling
Hannon
Allis/Breen
Mulcahy
Moran
Downes

Maybe more likely to see Jimbob or one of the Kilmallock mids starting ahead of James O'Brien and DOG or Hickey moving back to the HB line but I like the look of that lineup.

Couple of things with that team...

James O'Brien is big and a dominant figure, but we can't be sure that he's definitely up to intercounty level yet. We should try him in the league but DOG or GOM might be a safer option.

And Wayne Mac, while he had a great year, is definitely the most error-prone of our defence, his distribution is still nowhere near as good as, for example, GOM's.

I reckon Paudie O'Brien is the best midfielder in the county, and should be a certain starter next year.

And I think Breen is a certainty to start, we need someone like him in the half-forward line and I'd move Dowling closer to goal.

Agree, obviously JOB wouldn't be parachuted in but hopefully will get a run in the league, if he could nail down that position it'd be a massive addition.

Agree too on Wayne Mc but I think his physicality and workrate are needed, and his impact on games has made up for mistakes. Especially if the rest of the half back line is GOM and DOG which is a little lightweight.

Agreed too on breen, he grew better as the year went on, allis will also be pushing for a place somewhere. Dowling is a quality player to win ball and to strike it over from distance, think he's better where he is and with downes inside, but they could be switched too. If Moran starts at full again downes could be lethal at corner forward.

Hard to pick a midfield from two of hickey, DOG, James Ryan and o'brien. Egan was very good in the county final too.

Fireball07

glasagusban wrote: »

Agree, obviously JOB wouldn't be parachuted in but hopefully will get a run in the league, if he could nail down that position it'd be a massive addition.

Agree too on Wayne Mc but I think his physicality and workrate are needed, and his impact on games has made up for mistakes. Especially if the rest of the half back line is GOM and DOG which is a little lightweight.

Agreed too on breen, he grew better as the year went on, allis will also be pushing for a place somewhere. Dowling is a quality player to win ball and to strike it over from distance, think he's better where he is and with downes inside, but they could be switched too. If Moran starts at full again downes could be lethal at corner forward.

Hard to pick a midfield from two of hickey, DOG, James Ryan and o'brien. Egan was very good in the county final too.

Well hopefully...he certainly has the dominating physical presence. I'd wonder about whether he has the required mobility though, could be expose to forwards running at him. But we'll see, he has to be given a chance first.

You're probably right about his physicality in a half-back line with DOG and GOM. But if O'Brien were to be centre-back, I would drop Wayne Mac. No one can doubt his effort, commitment and his physical presence but I don't think his skill levels are quite on the same level. Although 2 years in a row he has scored great goals from barnstorming runs up the pitch, they are a great sight.

I think Allis would be a brilliant impact sub if nothing else, he's extremely quick and would be a threat to most backlines. He'll be battling for a first-team place, it'll depend on his form and the form of others.

In theory, Dowling is great at that, he's shown he can do it before. But against both Clare and Kilkenny, he was pretty anonymous. Can't remember him winning won high ball and don't think he scored from play. In fact only Moran and Breen won any sort of ball. I know he's only young but for someone so talented, I was disappointed and we have to have people who can win their own ball in the half-forwards.

I think Downes will be lethal wherever he plays, disappointing that he was plagued with so many injuries this year, and then never got a proper runout.