Last week’s predictions for the provincial finals were remarkably inaccurate in this column. Victorious teams discover a method to succeed. With perhaps a touch of romanticism, it was anticipated that Clare and Dublin would end their prolonged droughts for provincial crowns.
It’s arguable whether the ‘Moneyball’ effect exists in hurling. However, if it does, then John Kiely, Paul Kinnerk, and Sean O’Donnell have figured out the formula to utilise it in their training and implementation. Both Limerick and Kilkenny skilfully manoeuvred their provincial campaigns, once again securing a direct ticket to the All-Ireland semi-finals via the quickest route.
The game between Clare and Limerick was determined by the proficiency in the delivery battle. Limerick’s supremacy in this aspect, both in attack and defence, was evident. The contrast in the way both teams provided the ball to their forwards was marked. During the first half, Clare, playing with the wind, delivered the ball from deep, retaining only 3 out of 11 balls.
Shane O’Donnell was the standout player who claimed all these balls, and every claim resulted in a score for Clare. O’Donnell himself secured one score, won a free, and assisted Tony Kelly for a point. Unfortunately, these performances were limited to the first 12 minutes, as O’Donnell later found himself starved of the ball, forcing him to venture out the field for possession and to make a mark on the game.
Limerick succeeded in clogging both the delivery and reception areas, causing Clare to deliver 14 balls from within their 45, only succeeding to claim one throughout the match. Limerick’s tactic allowed Eibhear Quilligan to strike hard from afar, however, Clare’s forwards failed to claim any of his five deliveries, either during play or from frees. Remarkably, one of these long strikes in the 45th minute went on to set up Gearoid Hegarty’s goal, courtesy of Declan Hannon, Diarmaid Byrnes, and a resounding return from Kyle Hayes.
In their recent match, Clare only managed to secure 29% (8 out of 28) of deliveries overall, leading to Limerick taking possession 20 times. This was highly worrying for Clare, as Limerick made use of these possessions to score 1-8, thanks to their impressive field control and strategic passing between lines. Kyle Hayes was a pivotal figure in this, contributing assists for 1-5 and scoring 0-2 himself. Limerick consistently displayed excellence in transitioning into an attacking stance when Clare misplaced a delivery and left themselves defensively exposed in the centre third.
Analysis of the match shows that Clare’s productivity, a measure entailing the number of scores with every 10 team possessions, was only 3.5. This, coupled with the missed opportunities at goal from dead balls by Aidan McCarthy and Tony Kelly, left Clare with significant regrets. They had only 57% success rate when shooting from dead balls, far from good enough to triumph over the Limerick team. Clare’s failure to capitalise on three promising goal chances, curtailed by Nickie Quaid’s exceptional saves and a let down by the goalpost at Rodgers’ attempt, stunted their progress at vital points throughout the game.
The interaction between Conor Cleary and Aaron Gillane, refereed by Colm Lyons, was another intriguing aspect of the match. This was markedly different from their initial encounter in Ennis. Previously, Lyons allowed them to grapple off the ball, but on this occasion, he judged Cleary to have fouled Gillane three times without Gillane being in possession. Gillane successfully converted 0-2 from the resulting free-kicks. Another advantage was gained by Gillane after a high catch, but as he passed the ball to David Reidy, no points were scored.
In the Leinster final between Dublin and Kilkenny, Adrian Mullen excelled in his reinstated role on the Kilkenny team. It’s difficult to fully assess his contribution since his flexible position allows fellow teammates to maximise potential opportunities and challenges Dublin’s ability to counter.
Before his departure courtesy of Derek Lyng at the 63-minute mark, he had successfully scored 0-7 from ten attempts at the goal. He further contributed an additional 1-4 assists, 1-2 of which were swift, accurate passes to his better-positioned teammates. Notably, 0-2 of these assists were long throws to Mossy Keoghan from his half of the field. In the match, he actually launched the ball deep into opposition territory from within his own half a total of five times.
His performance was further punctuated by 24 possessions, a single intercept, and two tackles in his own half, resulting in a Dublin wide and a turnover. His movement and presence across the pitch is illustrated by his possession map. Though a wing forward, he spans the entire field, often seeking involvement in all areas.
This extensive participation posed a significant dilemma for Dublin. His deep play involvement often left Dublin’s half back line struggling with the decision to either ramp up the aggressiveness or maintain a defensive stance. During the first half, Paddy Doyle found himself frequently stuck in the middle ground, grappling with Mullen and his clever ball distribution.
In the latter half, it became Daire Gray’s responsibility to keep Mullen in check, resulting in a helter-skelter chase around the field which destabilised Dublin’s defensive alignment. Kilkenny duly took advantage of both situations. Players like John Donnelly and Cian Kenny capitalised on the gaps Mullen left behind; further opportunities were created for others like TJ Reid and Eoin Cody further upfield.
Another salient feature of Mullen’s game was his strong connectivity with his Ballyhale team members. He received five passes from Richie Reid and two from TJ Reid; and returned the favour, passing the ball three times to his club colleagues.
Mullen wasn’t the only Kilkenny player who fell back to more defensive positions, as John Donnelly, Billy Ryan, and occasionally Eoin Cody retreated substantially, effectively choking Dublin’s midfield and offensive capabilities at every possible moment.
Analysing Kilkenny’s approach, it’s uncertain if they would enjoy the same ease of play in a potential matchup against Limerick. Given Limerick’s overpowering performance over Clare this past weekend, other teams still have their work cut out for them in countering their relentless push for the fifth victory.
There remains ample time for more hurling matches before the ultimate championship game, and within the next two weeks, only four teams will be left to compete. Looking ahead, the outlook appears to be fairly unchanged. Paul O’Brien, operating in his role as a performance analyst for The Performance Process, provides continual insights (follow them at twitter.com/NoPlanBGAA).