In modern hurling, Dublin have usually struggled at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage against the top counties in Munster, winning just one in six. That all changed at the weekend when Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s team challenged every assumption about them and sensationally dumped the most formidable team of recent times out of the championship.
He has done a wonderful job. Their touch has really improved. The approach has been simplified and performance levels have correspondingly improved. Outside the normal metrics, the team spirit was immense. They did miss plenty of chances, but it never really put them off, and they kept going back. The constant pressure caused Limerick to miss chances of their own.
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It was the complete absence of these qualities against Galway which appeared to suggest that Dublin’s season had bottomed out. Certainly, I couldn’t see them shifting Limerick.
Having been reduced to 14 men after Chris Crummey’s red card in the 15th minute, Dublin put on an exhibition of high-energy commitment, exemplified by Brian Hayes in the middle of the field, and went back to their best play this championship, taking the easy scores and keeping the scoreboard ticking.
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They simply worked harder after the sending-off and refused to let the match run away from them. John Bellew and Paddy Smyth were excellent and Conor McHugh had a massive match, tearing away out of defence – at one stage leaving Gearóid Hegarty for dead.
The commitment could be seen in defence with the blocks and hooks they were putting in, as well as an unbelievable save by Seán Brennan on Aaron Gillane when Limerick absolutely needed a goal and that was the chance that might have tipped the balance.
Limerick looked leggy and lacking in energy at the very venue you can’t afford it and their touch was actually worse than it had been two weeks previously. They had unsettling early wides and were regularly blocked down, which was hugely energising for the Dublin defence.
If Limerick’s reaction to the red card looked as if it had given them another reason to be lackadaisical, Dublin’s response laid down a marker by getting the next two scores to equalise and then to stay in touch.
They then started to pull away before half-time. Seán Currie wasn’t flawless on frees but he didn’t get rattled and took crucial scores before the break, helped by the tireless Conor Burke and Ronan Hayes.
Even so, the consensus was that for all the bravery, Dublin would simply run out of steam and lose, albeit honourably.
I have been sceptical about Limerick throughout the season but even though Dublin impressed me when they played Kilkenny, they then gave their poorest display of the championship in losing to Galway.
Just as they looked to be going under on Saturday after Limerick had regained the lead, Dublin came up with two goals in a minute, which really fired the gathering football support on the Hill and made Limerick’s climb all the steeper. John Hetherton’s introduction was a major influence in the second half. I counted at one stage five Limerick defenders around him, conceding a throw-in.
His finish for the first goal was terrific and for the second, there he was drawing three men around him as the ball broke to the unmarked Cian O’Sullivan. He was even involved in clearing the ball after an injury-time free was blocked in front of goal.
Was there any reason for what happened? John Kiely talked about a lack of energy, which was clear to see. When I watched Limerick emerging from the Cusack Stand dressingrooms, it struck me how strange this was for them – so used to arriving in Croke Park on semi-final weekend.
Their big players had strangely little impact. In the second half Kyle Hayes was on the attack and got dispossessed – Conor Burke immediately scored at the other end – and shortly afterwards was replaced at centre back by Declan Hannon.
Gillane didn’t take the goal chance and missed a late free. Cian Lynch did as much as anyone but the middle third, for so long Limerick’s territory, turned into a fiery contest they weren’t winning with only Adam English flying the flag.
They may also question their use of the spare man, as it looked as if Dublin had the man advantage.
There was also a draining Munster final with extra time and penalties and just two weeks to recover. That schedule killed Clare three years ago and although they stumbled through the quarter-final, they had almost literally nothing left in the semi-final against Kilkenny a fortnight later.
For me, this was the best Dublin hurling performance in adversity that I’ve seen.
In the other quarter-final, Tipp supporters were probably a bit anxious at half-time. They were 0-16 to 0-11 up, not a great lead having played with the wind and Galway had created goal chances. They needn’t have worried.
Tipperary might not have been as neat as Liam Cahill would have liked but they were sharp. Their touch was far superior to Galway’s and so was their use of the ball. He also got a great return from John McGrath and Jason Forde in the first half.
The best of the goal chances they conceded fell to Kevin Cooney but Rhys Shelly made a routine save. Galway were putting in a lot of effort but there was always over-elaboration, one pass too many and they ended up again relying on Cathal Mannion, mostly from frees.
When the match came down to it in the third quarter and when Galway got the goal from Colm Molloy that they had been threatening, the result briefly looked in the melting pot, the margin down to two.
In the next 10 minutes though, Tipperary put their stamp on it. Andrew Ormond scored the next point, after an outstanding catch from the puck-out by an outstanding player. He was fouled for the next one and all told, Tipp put up five without reply while Galway hit five energy-sapping wides.
That, as they say in America, was the match. Right there.
It’s been a disappointing year for Galway and Micheál Donoghue has a lot of work to do to revive things.
Liam Cahill on the other hand has already had a successful season by getting to the All-Ireland semi-finals. Thanks to Dublin, Tipp now avoid Cork.
Cahill will know that Kilkenny are a different level of challenge to Galway but equally, he is not afraid to change things around a bit. They also have a strong bench. Most important of all, though is that Tipperary have momentum.
