TAKE A FEW seconds to look again at Aaron Gillane’s goal against Kilkenny from Sunday, the finish is easy on the eye.
Then watch the reactions in the moments after the ball hits the net. Gillane pumps his fist, while Séamus Flanagan sprints away with his arm in the air, taking more satisfaction in the strike than the finisher.
Limerick increase their lead with a beautiful first-time finish by Aaron Gillane into the back of the net. pic.twitter.com/nwVp6qeZQh
— The GAA (@officialgaa) April 9, 2023
In a team of superstars Flanagan is hardly under the radar, but sometimes I think his contribution is not so widely recognised when compared to the likes of Cian Lynch, Gillane, Gearóid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes, Diarmuid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, I could go on and on here.
Not that Flanagan minds. His brilliance is not as eye-catching as the above, but his value to the team is no less. He is, for me, one of three players Limerick definitely would not want to lose at this time. Not to say they wouldn’t win the All-Ireland without any of the three, but they would be missed.
First, Flanagan. What he brings is tough to handle. He’s an inside forward who moves constantly, up and back, side to side. He’s like Dessie Hutchinson, only standing 6’1, and with muscles on muscles.
You’d need top end stamina and strength to mark Flanagan. Most defenders will be worn down by his tireless movement, ball-winning ability and power and speed in possession. Then there is his decision making and unselfishness to deal with.
Flanagan is Gillane’s legs and lungs, not that the latter is a lazy player, it’s just that Flanagan ekes out the time and space that somebody like Gillane can exploit with devastating effect.
Let’s look at the goal.
Cian Lynch catches just inside the 65 and looks up. He’s moving towards the centre of the field and most players here will take on the shot, knowing there’s a better chance than not they will score. Lynch sees a better alternative: Flanagan, inside, on the move. He’s running from the right side, but back around on a loop towards the centre and Lynch, as he does, puts the ball where his teammate is going to be, rather than where he is.
Flanagan gathers in his stride and burns Tommy Walsh for pace. Gillane’s marker, Mikey Butler, has to advance to block his path to goal and Flanagan delays the pass long enough to allow Gillane to position himself ideally for the handpass. When it comes it’s sitting up asking to be doubled on.
My first job for Sky Sports as an analyst was to assess the puckouts from behind the goal for Limerick’s 2020 All-Ireland final against Waterford. I told them that before we discussed puckouts, we needed to highlight Flanagan’s movement.
I’ve spent a large chunk of my life so far watching inside forwards moving around, looking for a pass in front of goal. But I’ve never seen somebody so consistent and intelligent in his movement as Flanagan.
Hutchinson is the nearest thing, which is why I’ve made the point here before that his deployment nearer the Waterford midfield than opposition goal is curious. Davy Fitzgerald has spoken before about having plans in mind for Limerick. I’m eager to see them in play come Sunday week.
The second player who I’d consider being as close to irreplaceable as it gets for Limerick is Nickie Quaid. He reminds me of Petr Cech when he first arrived at Chelsea. Quaid is someone who brings an aura of calm to the defence. The greatest compliment I could pay him or any keeper is that it’s almost boring when he’s around. Bad things rarely happen, while his brilliance is understated. Quaid made two saves on Sunday that will barely be talked about.
The third of my trio is an awkward one to highlight. I don’t want to single Barry Nash out, because he’s my cousin. He won’t appreciate it either! But this is a dispassionate assessment based on what he brings to the team as a defender, sweeper, distributor and attacker.
Every hurling enthusiast in the country has tried to devise a gameplan in their head to trouble Limerick, all of us knowing that such plans would probably not survive first contact with the opposition.
It will take an extraordinary plan, executed by players having the game of their lives to topple Limerick. A lot of things will have to go perfectly for their eventual conquerors, but one of those is how to handle their loose defender.
I simply would not give them that, especially when they have options like Sean Finn, Byrnes or Barry as the spare man. Barry’s stickwork and vision are exceptional. His decision making, the identifying of space and capacity to get forward and exploit it, is top class. I just don’t think a team can afford to let Quaid puck the ball out to him and for yet another series of 30-yard pinpoint passes to be strung together before a ball inside – often towards Flanagan – is on.
I realise that by pushing up you are vulnerable to the direct ball towards towering forwards such as Hegarty and Hayes if he plays there, and Lynch who can win ball in the air all day long. Yet you can at least hope to break possession here and scrap for it, which is preferable to having them pick their way through from the back before a shot goes in with barely a sturdy challenge made. Limerick don’t afford the opposition the same easy short ball from puckouts.
A bit was made of their wides total on Sunday, 20, but as we’ve said before, a wide is not much of a penalty to Limerick. Their capacity to win a long puckout in the air allied to their ability to chase down and turnover a short one means they are not worried when the flag doesn’t go up first time. In this battle of attrition they have the ideal blend of skills, physicality and workrate to wear you down.
Sunday was yet another statement from them, a comfortable win against the second best side in the country, achieved while playing within themselves and with notable absentees. It does not bode well for an unpredictable summer. Many a reasonable observer has said it could be a routine year for Limerick, that the race is for second place.
I still feel that come championship, there will be a step-change in intensity, and others will find a way to test them. Clare, Galway and Kilkenny all put it up to them last season. A lot of smart coaches are thinking of ways to stop them, while a lot of motivated hurlers are working towards realising those plans. If you’re not energised by the prospect of pitting yourself against perhaps the best hurling team there has ever been, then you have no business on any high-level panel.
I for one am looking forward to the fruits of those efforts, just as I am enjoying the style and substance of Limerick’s hurling – a mighty fortress that’s there to be raided.
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