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Irish Mirror

Sport

Pat Nolan

Analysis: Was Limerick's third quarter against Tipperary the best ever?

Speaking on the Sunday Game highlights show a few weeks back, Jackie Tyrrell described Limerick’s second half display against Tipperary in the Munster final as “the greatest half of hurling I’ve ever seen”.

Coming from Tyrrell, it was quite the statement considering he was part of the Kilkenny team that took Waterford apart in the 2008 All-Ireland final in what was that great side’s most distinguished performance.

By half-time that day they led by 2-16 to 0-5 having conceded no score from play and after striking just one wide, which came in the third minute of injury time.

Sitting alongside Tyrrell, Anthony Daly didn’t disagree with his assessment, but countered that it wasn’t even the full half and that the game was over after Kyle Hayes’s 54th minute goal, which came 23 seconds after play had resumed following the second water break, up to which Limerick had already outscored Tipperary 1-10 to 0-1 from half-time.

Dividing Kilkenny’s 2008 masterclass into quarters, they were 0-9 to 0-4 in front after the first before burning Waterford off, scoring 2-7 and conceding just 0-1 in the run-in to half-time.

Eddie Brennan nets Kilkenny's first goal in the 2008 All-Ireland final (©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan)

Another memorable scoring burst from that set of players came in the closing stages of the 2007 All-Ireland quarter-final against Galway, albeit not quite a full quarter. With the sides level at 1-18 apiece with eight minutes remaining, Kilkenny rattled off 2-4 without reply to win by 10.

Kilkenny’s 1970s vintage, considered their next best team after Brian Cody’s four-in-a-row side, probably enjoyed their finest hour in the 1972 final win over Cork, when they turned an eight-point deficit into a seven-point victory.

In the era of 80-minute finals, they trailed 5-11 to 1-18 with 22 minutes remaining, only to score 2-9 from there and hold Cork scoreless, a comeback to rival what Limerick did last month after they were 10 points down at half-time.

Offaly’s late raid on Limerick in 1994 will always be discussed when great comebacks are recalled but theirs was a brief blitz rather than a sustained effort. Trailing by five points in the 65th minute, they scored 2-5 from nine shots in a period of just five minutes and 45 seconds.

Johnny Pilkington celebrates with fans after the 1994 All-Ireland title (©INPHO/James Meehan)

Limerick aren’t necessarily strangers to 10-point comebacks against Tipperary having managed it in the 1996 Munster final, when they also trailed by that margin at half-time.

But it took them the full half to reel them in and they did so on points only, with Frankie Carroll forcing a replay late on which Limerick went on to win.

It’s a day that is etched in the memory of Liam Cahill as he takes his Waterford side to Croke Park this evening. Cahill’s first half goal that day seemed to set Tipp on their way but, while he won an All Star later that year, his playing career never reached the same altitude again following that Limerick comeback.

No doubt Cahill will have picked the Munster final apart to get a handle on what Tipperary did well. Limerick struggled with Tipp’s long puckouts in the first half and conceded two goals off them.

That changed dramatically in the second half, however, as our analysis of that third quarter shows.

While Tipperary won seven of their 11 puckouts in that period, they immediately coughed up possession on five of them, from which Limerick scored 1-3. Limerick scored a further 0-3 from Tipperary puckouts that they won themselves.

Limerick also won all four of their own puckouts, from which they scored another 0-3.

There was a marked difference in the continuity of play between both sides. Limerick completed 17 stickpasses out of the 21 that they attempted. Tipperary’s game collapsed as they only managed four out of 11.

Limerick players found a teammate with 14 of their 15 handpasses. Tipperary didn’t get a single handpass off.

In terms of individual contributions, Cian Lynch was the class apart. From his eight plays, he was fouled for three converted frees, forced a turnover leading to Limerick’s goal, won two puckouts and two breaks in general play.

The midfield of Darragh O’Donovan and William O’Donoghue got on top, making 15 plays between them.

Indeed, the Limerick team’s combined plays in that third quarter was 60 compared to just 25 for Tipperary.

The only wide that Limerick registered was an overhit pass from Hayes. They dropped another point effort short and had two goal efforts blocked, though Seamus Flanagan finished the rebound after Barry Hogan’s save from Aaron Gillane.

Peter Casey’s point in the 53rd minute - from his only play in that third quarter, incidentally - was the last action before the second water break and Limerick had turned a 2-16 to 0-12 deficit into a 1-22 to 2-17 lead.

The finest quarter of hurling ever played? You’ll do well to find a better spell of hurling packed into 18 minutes and nine seconds.

The only drawback was that Hayes’s wonder goal came just after the water break.

It followed a similar pattern to what had directly preceded it. A long Tipperary puckout was quickly returned with Lynch picking up the break and feeding the oncoming Hayes, inside his own 65.

Eleven seconds later, the game was over.

KEY STATS FROM LIMERICK-TIPPERARY THIRD QUARTER

Period of play lasted 18 minutes and nine seconds.

Hook/Block/Tackle Count

Limerick: 3

Tipperary: 8

Shots

Limerick: 14

Scored 1-10 (0-5f).

One point effort short.

One goal effort saved (rebound was scored).

One goal effort blocked.

Tipperary: 4

Scored 0-1.

Three wides (one from a free).

Stickpasses:

Limerick completed 17/21.

Tipperary completed 4/11.

Handpasses:

Limerick completed 14/15.

Tipperary completed 0/0.

Breaking Ball (outside of puckouts):

Limerick won 9.

Tipperary won 5.

Puckouts

Limerick won 4/4 on their own puckout; two long, two short. Possession won cleanly on all.

Tipperary won 7/11 on their own puckout; eight went long, three short. They won clean possession on four puckouts (three of them short), won breaks on three others. They lost one clean and lost breaks on three others.

Note: on five of the seven puckouts that Tipperary won, they were quickly turned over, resulting in 1-3 for Limerick. Limerick scored 0-3 from the four Tipperary puckouts that they won directly and 0-3 from their own puckouts.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS IN THIRD QUARTER

Note: Plays denote how often a player has possession of or is in contact with the ball in open play. Taking frees, sidelines, etc are noted but not counted in the plays tally.

In this instance, a tackle is defined as making a physical challenge on an opponent that forces him to stop or turn or essentially do something that he doesn’t ideally want to do. Blocks, steals, dispossessions, etc are also counted as tackles.

LIMERICK

1 Nickie Quaid

Made no plays in general play.
Took four puckouts: two long, two short.
Limerick won all four.

2 Sean Finn

Made three plays.
Two complete stickpasses, one leading directly to a point.
Embarked on one solo run.
One interception.
Won a breaking ball.
One incomplete stickpass.

23 Dan Morrissey

Made three plays.
Completed on stickpass.
Completed two handpasses.
One interception.

4 Barry Nash

Made four plays.
Completed three stickpasses.
One interception.
Embarked on two solo runs.
Came short for two puckouts.
One incomplete stickpass.

5 Diarmaid Byrnes

Made two plays.
Scored 0-1f.
Completed two stickpasses.
Embarked on one solo run.
One interception.

6 Declan Hannon

Made four plays.
Completed three stickpasses.
Completed one handpass.
Won two breaks on puckouts.
One interception.

7 Kyle Hayes

Made five plays.
Completed two handpasses.
Embarked on one solo run.
Won a free which was converted.
Hooked once but quickly recovered possession.
Two incomplete stickpasses, one wide, another deflected for a Limerick sideline ball.

8 William O’Donoghue

Made seven plays.
Completed one stickpass, leading directly to a point.
Completed five handpasses, one leading directly to a goal effort that was blocked.
Won a break on a puckout.
Won a break in general play.
Conceded a free.
One fumble.

9 Darragh O’Donovan

Made eight plays.
Completed four stickpasses, one leading directly to a point.
Completed one handpass.
Embarked on three solo runs.
Won a breaking ball.
One incomplete handpass.
Took a sideline ball, complete.

10 Gearóid Hegarty

Made five plays.
Completed two stickpasses, one leading directly to a goal effort that was saved; rebound was scored.
Completed one handpass.
Embarked on one solo run.
Won a breaking ball.
Won a free which was converted.
Goal effort blocked down.
Conceded a free.
One tackle, resulting in a turnover and an eventual Limerick point.

11 Cian Lynch

Made eight plays.
Won two breaking balls.
Completed two handpasses.
Won three frees which were converted.
Won clean possession on two puckouts.
One tackle (jointly with Aaron Gillane), resulting in a turnover and an eventual Limerick goal.
One interception.
One fumble.
Dropped a point effort short.

12 Tom Morrissey

Made five plays.
Scored 0-2.
Completed one handpass.
Won clean possession on a puckout.
Won a breaking ball.
One interception.
Blocked down once.

21 Aaron Gillane

Made three plays.
Scored 0-5 (0-4f).
Won a free, which he caused to be overturned.
Yellow-carded.
One tackle (jointly with Cian Lynch), resulting in a turnover and an eventual Limerick goal.
Goal effort saved though rebound was scored.

14 Séamus Flanagan