Hurling, Game of the Gods

By: Enda McEvoy

“Croke Park will be the only place to be next weekend,” we declared here last week. We meant the only place in Ireland to be. Turned out it was the only place on earth to be.

So (deep breath): two All Ireland semi-finals, two draws, two lots of extra time and an aggregate of 7-123 registered over the course of 180 minutes plus injury time. War and Peace had less incident over the course of its 1,000-plus pages. It was also a lot less fun.

One small qualm. This undoubtedly constitutes carping but it needs to be said. At the end of normal time in the second semi-final Cork and Limerick had hit 1-27 apiece: 56 scores, 54 of them points. At the end of 90 minutes the teams had registered 68 scores and 32 wides between them. That works out as one scoring attempt every 54 seconds or so. Hurling as basketball: is this really a good thing?

An argument for another day. While we can, then, let’s rejoice in a championship that hasn’t stopped giving since the opening weekend of the provincial round robins, when Dublin did everything to Kilkenny bar beat them. Last weekend it had yet another gift to bequeath. With two fixtures remaining, it may not be finished bestowing its largesse yet.

Regrets following the drama at Croke Park? Odd as it may sound after such exhilarating affairs, there were one or two. The first of them, despite the drama that both lots of extra time threw up, was the fact that the games didn’t go to a replay.

These were All Ireland semi-finals, the second biggest fixture in the calendar. An All Ireland semi-final should be replayed in the event of a draw. End of story. This is an oversight the GAA will have to rectify next season.

And another cause for regret: Cork’s defeat. Yes, really. One didn’t have to be from Leeside or anywhere near it to feel sorry for them. Imagine hitting 1-27 in normal time in an All Ireland semi-final, 2-31 in total, and going home disappointed.

Granted, they had victory in their hands eight minutes from time when leading by six points. They should have had the worldliness to see it out from there. Galway would have. Even the current Kilkenny would have.

But Cork’s weakness for hurling in snatches these past two summers – when they’re in full flow they’re electric to behold, when they’re under pressure they can’t stop the tide – came back to hobble them. They couldn’t win enough ball in their own half-forward line in the closing stages and Limerick surged through their ranks.

Thus John Kiely’s men repeated their trick of the All Ireland quarter-final, where they hit five of the last six points to beat Kilkenny. Here’s a prediction and a pretty safe one. If Limerick are within striking distance of their opponents with ten minutes left at Croke Park next Sunday fortnight they’ll win. Their composure and self-belief, plus the backing from a support base yearning for a merciful release from 45 years of hurt, will see them through.

The identity of those opponents will emerge on Sunday. If Joe Canning and Gearoid McInerney recover from injury, Galway’s cause will clearly be assisted. If they don’t, Clare will be emboldened. Which or whether, it’s not a leap to suggest that the pendulum has swung slightly Clare’s way regardless.

They trailed by nine points after 16 minutes last Saturday. They trailed by three points with four minutes remaining. They didn’t lose.

Not only that, there’s no reason to believe that this was a one-off. After Galway drew with Kilkenny in the Leinster final there was every reason to believe they’d up their game for the replay. They duly and emphatically did. There’s no certainty they can repeat the trick now.

Two months ago Micheál Donoghue’s men were not merely the defending All Ireland champions, they looked nailed-on All Ireland champions in waiting. Monsters in maroon. The draw with Kilkenny could be dismissed as a hiccup. A second draw in three outings implies a deeper issue.

As of last teatime last Saturday, Galway are not the team we thought they were. They have the opportunity to rectify the situation in Semple Stadium. Still, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.