All-Ireland SHC Final- Ever-improving Cats have the tools to push Limerick to the limit

After three months of wall to wall action, the race for the Liam MacCarthy Cup is down to the final two counties as Limerick and Kilkenny collide in Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final.

As was widely expected Limerick are back in a third successive final and, after beating Cork and Waterford in the previous two deciders , they are in search of a historic first ever three-in-a row for the Treaty County.

Incidentally, nobody has achieved that landmark since Kilkenny’s all-conquering four-in-a-row side between 2006 and 2009, and Brian Cody would love nothing more than to stop the Munster side in their tracks.

John Kiely’s Limerick team have remained unbeaten in championship hurling since losing to Kilkenny in the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final. You could say Limerick would love to settle that score, seeing as Kilkenny’s one-point success arrived in somewhat controversial fashion.

Kilkenny failed to win the final on that occasion as, like in 2016, their near-neighbours Tipp had one over them. You have to go back to the 2015 success over Galway for the last of Kilkenny’s 36 All-Ireland crowns.

It may not seem long to others, but seven years without an All-Ireland victory on Noreside certainly fits into the famine category.

It’s still an All-Ireland appearance that has came against the grain as the Cats were as big as 10-1 with the bookies before a ball was even thrown-in - not many people were even predicting they’d make an All-Ireland semi-final.

The way the Cats were beaten in the 2020 and 2021 All-Ireland semi-finals suggested they had a bit of improving to do to catch up on the top teams, but it’s something they have achieved throughout the 2022 season - it really came to fruition in the victory over Clare the last day.

Prior to the start of the championship, Waterford’s name was on everyone’s lips as they cruised to an impressive Allianz National League success but Liam Cahill’s men never got to the pitch of that form again. Rather disappointingly, they bowed out of the championship during the round-robin stage of the Munster Championship.

The Deise’s early exit rather summed up the importance of the league in that the sense of danger didn’t really exist among the bigger sides and the fact that the defending All-Ireland Limerick only won one game told its own story.

Limerick clearly used their five games as a way of getting players right for the championship. When they strolled into Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Easter weekend and dished out their second drubbing of Cork in a number of months it was clear that Limerick were most definitely still the team to beat.

That train of thought continued when they overcame Waterford and Tipperary before a resurgent Clare drew with them in Ennis. The same two sides then produced an extra-time classic in the Munster final.

The Kilkenny team, led by Cian Kenny, Eoin Murphy and Adrian Mullen bring the Bob O’Keeffe Cup towards supporters on Hill 16 after victory over Galway in the Leinster final. The Cats will be hoping to make a similar run this Sunday. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Despite heroics against Clare, it’s still been a rather inconsistent campaign for Kilkenny. They’ll need to produce their best performance in a number of years if they are to topple Limerick.

The semi-final victory over the Banner County showed that Brian Cody has a defender in Mikey Butler who is more than capable of shooting down the opposition’s ace attacker after keeping Tony Kelly scoreless. With Aaron Gillane in such devastating form, it may be Butler’s role to try and curb the Patrickswell man’s influence.

That is a lot easier said than done though, after Gillane knocked over six points from play against Galway.

Another one of the key matchups will be Huw Lawlor on Seamus Flanagan. Both men have been in incredible form, Lawlor in particular, after returning in style from a broken hand injury he picked up in the defeat to Galway during the Round Robin series.

For Kilkenny to win on Sunday they need to get those battles pinned down. Limerick will be thinking the same thing down the other end with Sean Finn matching up well with Eoin Cody while who marks TJ Reid and what way they try to restrict the Shamrocks man will go a long way to deciding the destination of the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Diarmuid Byrnes or Declan Hannon would be two players that match up physically to Reid, but it’s the five-time All-Star’s ability to roam between midfield and the full-forward line that makes him extra elusive.

On the topic of midfield, the defending champions are very settled with Will O’Donoghue and Darragh O’Donovan nailed down in their positions, which is something you can’t say of their opponents, although the James Stephens duo of Conor Browne and Cian Kenny did impress the last time out.

The likes of Adrian Mullen, who is in the form of his life, and Padraig Walsh are also more than capable of producing the goods in the middle third. While Walsh has worked his way into the team in recent weeks he is still not guaranteed to be in the Kilkenny starting 15. That says more about the squad depth than anything, with Walter Walsh, Richie Leahy, John Donnelly, Alan Murphy and David Blanchfield emerging as the finishers in the Clare victory.

That’s even without mentioning Richie Hogan, who could still have a huge role to play.

Kilkenny are playing a team who are renowned for their strength in depth. After returning from injury against Galway, it will be interesting to see how Limerick use Cian Lynch if fit in the final after he emerged as a sub in a game where David Reidy excelled with three points from play.

Along with Kyle Hayes and Gearoid Hegarty it’s a triple threat that is very dangerous. Even if Lynch doesn’t start, the current Hurler of the Year would be some asset to fire from the bench if he’s not deemed fit enough for 70 minutes.

Limerick are justifiable favourites as the counties collide in an All-Ireland final for the first time since 2007 where Kilkenny ran out very convincing winners but Kilkenny aren’t without a chance; silently they may be fancying their chances.

It’s a fascinating clash that will see the return of a full Croke Park on All-Ireland final day for the first time since the Covid pandemic. Most of the pressure will be on Limerick as they chase a fourth title in five years, however Kilkenny know how to get the job done on the big day.

It’s set up for a magnificent battle.