A couple of years back when Tipperary and Limerick met in the Munster Championship in what became an epic trilogy at the end of which I remember thinking Jesus I hope we never meet these guys again. They were games that gave great hope to both sets of fans for the future it also cemented Richie Bennis status as a local hero. If anyone had told you that a couple of years down the line these two teams would meet again and there would be a 24 point gap between them you would laugh.Yesterdays scoreline isn't a fair reflection on both of these teams Limerick are not this bad and Tipperary are not this good. Tipperary played very well as a team, they went against the old premier playbook of hitting high balls into the forwards and instead played possesion hurling with players like Pat Kerwick and Noel McGrath turning providers rather than taking pot shots from far out. This worked well but they will not have this kind of space against Kilkenny and the Cats will be far more physical then the Treatymen. As a unit the Tipp forwards were flawless Noel McGrath and Lar Corbett showed an almost telepathic link at times finding each other numerous times during the game.
The only worry was the the normally productive pairing of McGrath and Woodlock in the center of the park was anonymous yesterday but in truth they weren't needed. All day the Tipp half backs bypassed them and delivered straight to the half forwards who held possesion well and all six forwards contributed to the final scoreline.
Limerick on the other hand couldn't buy a point and they never seemed to settle, In the first 10 minutes they were very physical in defence but let themselves down by taking random shots from too far out rather than trusting themselves to take on the Tipp backs. Even on a day of such a hammering the old reliable Mark Foley never let his own high standards slip.
This was expected to be a game befitting of its stage and venue but in the end it was a whitewash that no one could have predicted. Limerick have improved in the last two years but when you look at the qualifying games they had to play Wexford, Laois and Dublin with the greatest of respect to these teams they are not top tier championship teams, yet.
Another positive Tipperay fans will take from the game was that Tipp kept up the intensity right to the very end and did not do their usual fading trick that saw them let big leads be slashed in previous games.
In the post match interviews Justin McCarthy was gracious in defeat and wished Tipperary well, You had to feel sympathy for the the man. He is probably the most experienced senior hurling manager in the country and a true gentleman. He has brought Limerick on since he took over. And as a manger he still has more to give, I don't think there should be any question over his future as Limerick banisteoir.As for Liam Sheedy he too was gracious in victory. He paid credit to Limerick and stated they are better then what we saw. Next up Tipp's reward is to throw themselves in front of the Kilkenny 4 in a row juggernaut. It's the final that people have been predicting since last May and it should be a classic.
