I can still picture it now, as clear as day. As I marched up past the middle of the Cusack Stand ahead of the 2007 All-Ireland final and looked in front of me up to Hill 16, the mist of green smoke from a Limerick flare dissipated over the crowd. I felt alive.
I always let myself go for 30-40 seconds in the march around Croke Park as a way of appreciating the hard work I had put in to get to that point. Taking in the atmosphere, looking for my family, admiring the colour, looking at people’s faces, some anxious, some emotionless, some fit to explode with excitement. I always tried to pick out a kid, a boy of 9/10 years old. It always reminded me of going to my first All-Ireland.
You’d be amazed at what goes through players’ heads in that parade. I would be very much a head-down, extreme-focus, look-inwards type of guy in my mental preparation for big games. But the All-Ireland final parade was one of a few times when I let it myself go a little, as a part of embracing the occasion.
It is very important to play the game and not the occasion. Brian Cody always said to us that we can only win the game at 3.30 on Sunday but we can lose it between now and then if we get caught up in sideshows.
The tickets, the suits, banquets, player profiles, girlfriends’ buses, media, how many days off are you taking, new gear, boots, fans’ nights, meeting the president. All outside noise. The key was to let it into your head and then get rid of it, so when it arrives you know it is coming and then move on from it.
There is a balance to find between embracing the occasion and dealing with the pressure to deliver. Embracing it means accepting that it is there, identifying what you need to do and not do and, most of all, sticking to it. Make a plan, carry out a plan. Above all, try to keep to your usual routine.
If you always read papers, don’t change that. If you enjoy doing the media interviews before the game, then put your hand up for the press night. If you don’t, well then don’t be a hero. Keep things simple and don’t over-think them. That’s your mental preparation.
It all meant that when I was in that parade in 2007, I felt every part of me in tune with my emotions, my body, my mind. Everything in a really, really good place. Limerick had outnumbered us at least five or six to one for support, a sea of green and a wall of noise. This was something we were used too but never quite that lopsided. We didn’t care. The war isn’t won in the stands.
Actually, that’s a bit of bravado on my part. It did briefly cross my mind as we walked around that we might be at a disadvantage with the crowd ratio. But then I heard the noise coming from behind me – Tommy Walsh was spitting fire in preparation for the battle. And I looked one step in front of me and Noel Hickey’s wardrobe shoulders were stretching what seemed like a metre either side of the number three and twitching with anticipation. I felt safe and secure immediately.
A disadvantage
Why wouldn’t I? For Limerick’s first puck-out, Brian Murray hit the sliotar down the right wing and Tommy caught it. Two steps, bang – into Eoin Larkin, over the bar. He tried the left wing with the next puck-out and JJ caught it and returned it to the edge of the square. Murray wasn’t going to try Brian Hogan down the middle on his third puck-out – he stood there hands out to the side as if to say, “Give me a break lads, I’m hitting it off a wall here.” Soon afterwards, we were 2-2 to 0-0 ahead and the game was over.
Limerick are back in their first final since that day 11 years ago. That has to be a disadvantage. I’ve been really impressed with how John Kiely has managed the build-up, jumping on any sniff of people getting carried away from the minute the final whistle blew after the semi-final.
But no matter what they do, they are gaining experience on Sunday, whereas Galway are using experience. Galway have been to the final in 2012 twice, 2015 and 2017 and that’s invaluable. All the players have been through this a couple of times, so they know what is to come. Advantage Galway.
Both teams’ preparation is crucial here. Mental, physical and tactical. Mentally, Limerick are extremely strong. These younger guys have no baggage. No hang-ups, no scars to be opened. They don’t give a shit for Galway, they couldn’t be less interested in individual or collective beatings from them before. Any doubts you had about what they could handle disappeared after Richie Hogan’s goal went in in the quarter-final. They backed themselves and came through. They have won colleges, U-21s, Fitzgibbons and All-Irelands. Not much fazes them.
But Galway are equally as strong mentally. They have built up an armoury of resilience, winning all three competitions last year and adding Leinster this year. They’re 13 championship games unbeaten – the last time they lost was two years ago last weekend. Game by game, that sort of run builds up a defiance. They back themselves seven days a week. Mentally, I don’t think there’s any real advantage on either side.
Physically, Limerick have the extra week’s recovery and no injury concerns. Whereas Galway have a doubt over Gearóid McInerney who looks like he will play but not be 100 per cent fit. How durable is Daithí Burke’s ankle? Joe Canning’s jarred knee? These are chinks of light for Limerick.
That said, I have no doubt Galway will have these key guys right for however long they are on the pitch. Galway are broader men, with more muscle on their bodies, further down the road in their S&C programmes. Limerick are big and rangy but not as strong as the defending champions. All in all, I don’t see a massive physical advantage for either side.
Something unexpected
Tactically, the teams are very similar. Both sides’ wing-forwards will drop to the middle third and fill the spaces, allowing midfielders to drop and protect their respective half back lines. The two goalkeepers will look for their puck-out options short if it’s on and long if it’s not. Kyle Hayes and Gearóid Hegarty are the main Limerick options off their Bunch-and-Break puck-out tactic while Johnny Glynn and the Cooneys are the primary ball-winners for Galway. On the basis that they have one option more, I’d give Galway a slight advantage here.
Fortune favours the brave. Take a risk, not a chance. What’s the difference? Risk has a high possibility of a positive influence, chance has a high possibility of a negative influence. That’s why managers need to think it through and come up with something unexpected if they can. Take Walter Walsh in the 2012 replay, Shane O’Donnell the next year, Kieran Joyce in 2014.
Who will spring a surprise tactically? Who will try something different that has the opposing team blind-sided? What match-up tweaks will be used? Who picks up Aaron Gillane, Graeme Mulcahy, Conor Whelan?
Could Joe Canning start at 15? Galway did spring an ace in the pack against Clare in the replay with Conor Whelan at 11 the last day and it worked a treat. This is the X-factor category – we don’t know who has the advantage sitting here two days out. We’ll only know on Sunday night.
Both teams will have to sacrifice themselves and their bodies and take punishment. I always think of Eddie Brennan in the 2011 All-Ireland final. Brian came up with a new role for him especially for this final. Eddie was always a 13 and a lethal finisher, in there to score and score goals. But that day he was told to take on Padraic Maher and to stop him from supplying ball after ball into the Tipperary forwards.
It's a basic requirement to spill blood on All-Ireland day, literally and metaphorically.
Maher was their chief distributor. Eddie played it brilliantly and instead of being a ruthless finisher, he changed his game to being an incessant worker bee and curbed Maher’s influence. Another example in that game was early on when Colin Fennelly lost his hurl and blocked Lar Corbett down with his head. He ran off the pitch, got his stitches and raced back in. That kind of mentality will be needed on Sunday and by the bucketful. It’s a basic requirement to spill blood on All-Ireland day, literally and metaphorically.
I think Galway have a very slight edge here too. To me, they have a few more proven enforcers and leaders than Limerick. The likes of Daithí Burke, Pádraig Mannion, David Burke, Joe Canning, Conor Whelan are up against Richie English, Declan Hannon, Cian Lynch, Gearóid Hegarty and Aaron Gillane. Again, it’s just a bit of experience that I think gives them a slight advantage.
Add it all up and I end up leaning towards Galway for the win. They know what the big day demands, they’re a small bit more rugged in their physicality. Crucially, I think they’ve had their warnings now about going into a lull in the middle of games – if they build an early lead on Sunday, I expect them to put the foot to the floor and give Limerick no chance of inching their way back in.
Galway aren’t flowing as they did last year, but they are still getting the job done, and I expect them to find a way on Sunday.
