THE LIMERICK HURLERS have stockpiled so much experience that there is scarcely anything left to shake them.
But on Saturday they will have to withstand something different.
Declan Hannon has been a constant since the John Kiely era began in 2017 and even further back for Limerick sides. Since he made his debut in the summer of 2011, fresh from completing his Leaving Cert exams, Hannon has featured in every senior hurling championship tie for Limerick, bar the round-robin game in 2019 against Limerick.
And it is hard to read too much into that non-appearance with Limerick already qualified for the Munster final. Their captain was rested and he returned with the energy to captain his county to provincial glory a couple weeks later.
Just over a fortnight ago came the confirmation from the Limerick hurling management that Hannon had sustained a knee injury in the Munster final win over Clare that would rule him out of their All-Ireland semi-final clash.
Speaking a few days later, Hannon was adamant that he would ‘play on one leg’ if he was permitted but it was likely the Croke Park showdown would ‘come too soon’.
Injury information is not always concrete with modern inter-county setups but the assumption then is that Hannon will be unavailable to face Galway, joining long-term injury cruciate victim Sean Finn, in the list of absentees.
So how will John Kiely and his Limerick brains trust cope without their 30-year-old leader?
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Move their number three…
Arguably the simplest solution would be to move Dan Morrissey away from his number three role and install him at six. It’s not as if the half-back line would mark unfamiliar territory, Morrissey wore number seven when Limerick enjoyed that breakthrough success in 2018 at the expense of Galway, while he shifted to that position for April’s league final when Hannon missed out against Kilkenny.
If the Ahane’s Morrissey filled the void created by the departure of Adare’s Hannon, that would pave the way it seems for Richie English to take up a position in the full-back line. Again a defender of immense experience and a corner-back starter five years ago in the decider, but English has had to endure injury travails since then in attempting to recapture his form. Would shifting Morrissey unsettle a full-back line that has already been stripped of Finn this season?
Switch their wing-backs…
Diarmaid Byrnes slotted into number five for the Munster final win over Clare with Kyle Hayes stationed at number seven. Two towering figures in this Limerick team, both have experience of filling the central defensive berth for other teams.
When the Limerick U21s won the county’s second All-Ireland title in three seasons in 2017 at that level, it was Hayes who filled the centre-back spot, fresh out of the minor ranks and adjusting seamlessly to a higher grade. Byrnes has manned that central defensive channel for his club Patrickswell as they swept to Limerick senior title wins in 2016 and 2019.
It’s a tempting suggestion but the question is what will Limerick be robbed if either wing-back shifts infield? Those marauding runs from Hayes down the left flank that hurt opponents or Byrnes popping up in pockets of space along the right wing, from where he unleashes bombs from distance that travel between the uprights.
Turn to youth…
When a vacancy arises, there is the opportunity to turn to youth. Hannon departed in the 55th minute of the Munster final through injury, Colin Coughlan ushered into action as a replacement. The Ballybrown player is a towering figure physically, Limerick team-mates have openly spoken about how impressed they were with his conditioning and that of Cathal O’Neill, when the pair first joined the senior setup.
Coughlan has only just emerged from U20 hurling, part of the Limerick team pipped by a point by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final in May 2022. He has been touted as being ready for the top senior grade for some time, is this when Limerick put him in the spotlight with a starting role?
A leftfield bolter from attack…
Limerick’s management have often been innovative, think the recasting of Barry Nash and Kyle Hayes to defensive duties. Could we be set to see something similar with a solution plucked from leftfield? Between them Cian Lynch and Gearoid Hegarty have won three of the last five Hurler of the Year awards between them, reflective of their wondrous attacking displays.
But will there now be a shift in emphasis for either of them? Lynch was centre-back for the Limerick U21 team in 2016. Hegarty was wing-back the year before when the county lifted the All-Ireland U21 crown and fills in at centre-back for his club St Patrick’s. The pinpoint accuracy both display in their stickwork could be vital for launching attacks from deep.
Lynch has again endured a frustrating year due to injuries but John Kiely sounded upbeat about his availability for the All-Ireland series, when speaking in the aftermath of the Munster final. It would be a brave call to position Lynch or Hegarty further back, particularly given the offensive threat both possess.
