No room for discussion this time as Limerick makes six of the best – The Irish Times

Another summit. What a magnificent view. The Munster Championship has never been as competitive as it is today, and it has never seen a bigger team. Darwin must have had a theory about this. Limerick’s sixth title in a row is a new record, and the milestone is to be commended, but their brilliance will endure long after the countdown is over.

Just like last year, there were times in this Munster Championship when Limerick looked vulnerable or slightly jaded, but those doubts now seem petty. Clare have been their most intractable opponents over the past three years, part of a peer group in which Limerick have very little company. But yesterday there was distance between them; Clare was beaten without a doubt.

Limerick were not behind after the 16th minute and when Gearóid Hegarty’s goal put them six points ahead, 10 minutes into the second half, there was a chance the game would slip away. Clare. For the remaining 25 minutes they played against the fresh wind and the rising tide, without losing any more ground and never threatening to win: 1-26 to 1-20, it was Limerick’s biggest ever victory against Clare. of their last six championship matches.

There will inevitably be consequences. For Clare, it is their third consecutive defeat in the Munster final and surely the most hurtful. In each of the last two seasons they have clawed their way back to Croke Park, arriving without their best players. The supporting players in this group have given more than a decade in the jersey; the resilience that has sustained them until now will once again be put to the test. Another push. One last helping hand?

In the world of Limerick, the feat had another meaning. Winning is the result of daily activities that consume their attention. It has a relentless, self-perpetuating quality. They win because it’s the thing they’re best designed to do.

“It means a lot to the band,” John Kiely said. “It means a lot to the group. We just want to keep going. You can’t stop moving forward. The boys understand very well the need for us to continue to move forward, to improve, achieving the goals we want to achieve in terms of performance. That’s all that really matters to us.

“It felt like it was our first. That’s all I’m going to tell you. It was like our first.

When Limerick took over midway through the first half, their dominance consisted of familiar elements. They gained a hold in the air and tormented Clare on their restarts. A long ball was devoured.

Limerick’s midfield line has been broken at times this summer, but its balance was restored against Waterford and yesterday it was operating at full strength. Over the years it has become Limerick’s most resourceful network. By the 23rd minute, more than half of Limerick’s scores had come from this line and Diarmuid Byrnes, Declan Hannon and Kyle Hayes had all scored from the play.

More than that, Hannon was their main playmaker. When Limerick are in full flow, they create a force field around their number six that allows him to gain possession and improve it. Limerick flooded the middle of the field and brought pulverizing aggression and energy, as they have done so often in the past. Being warned offers no protection.

At Páirc Uí Chaoimh a few weeks ago, Limerick gave Cork the oxygen of space. In the second half, when some of Eibhear Quilligan’s pucks didn’t even reach Limerick’s 65, Clare were stifled. They had nowhere to go.

Clare’s last chance to shake up the champions came 12 minutes from normal time. Barry Nash played a careless ball straight to Tony Kelly, who passed the ball to Mark Rodgers with digital precision. Minutes earlier, Rodgers had shot directly at Nickie Quaid, with a predictable result. This time his angled shot left the post and flew to safety.

Rodgers had been Clare’s second best striker this summer, but yesterday there was no trace of that form until perhaps the final 15 minutes. Like many others, he suffered. He should have scored.

Kiely estimates they lost control for “eight or ten minutes.” It could have been so long. Maybe it wasn’t a loss of control. Clare had a spell. Nothing more.

“I think we kept our composure well,” Kiely said. “There were times in the second half where we were a little bit in tatters. We weren’t able to win our puck. Clare was suffering some attacks. But we got back on track, we got reset, we put some structure in. Small adjustments here and there.

The work never stops. Before the All-Ireland semi-final, they have a month to fill their lungs. In this ascent, each altitude is now new.