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Limerick Senior Hurling 2026

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Replying To Tadhg2020:  "You need a really hard working midfield and half forward line to do that. Everyone else too but those 5 are key to a sitting half back line. It will be interesting to see if Reidy comes back into the team when lynch does. Darragh is a very different midfielder to Cian. He sits and fills the holes. Reidy tends to do that too."
Reidy is really underrated. Will Lynch be back the next day?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19961 - 04/05/2026 18:52:36    2670965

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Replying To Viking66:  "Reidy is really underrated. Will Lynch be back the next day?"
I assume so. He is eligible and the captain so...

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 564 - 04/05/2026 20:03:50    2670977

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Replying To Tadhg2020:  "I assume so. He is eligible and the captain so..."
Ah ok

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19961 - 04/05/2026 21:01:00    2670988

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Replying To Viking66:  "Reidy is really underrated. Will Lynch be back the next day?"
Reidy barely pucked a ball against cork. Was a very valuable player but maybe his best days are behind him?

richiepmurphy (Kilkenny) - Posts: 103 - 05/05/2026 12:15:04    2671080

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Replying To Viking66:  "Reidy is really underrated. Will Lynch be back the next day?"
I think the most underrated hurler in the Limerick team and possibly across the country is Barry Nash. He is a Rolls Royce of a player who covers serious ground during a match and acts as an extra playmaker from corner back. It takes also takes game intelligence to know when to go and when not to. He completely breaks the mould for corner backs.
Its crazy that he has only two all stars imo.

Fitzy01 (Limerick) - Posts: 487 - 05/05/2026 12:34:59    2671085

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Replying To Mads:  "I have often thought what is the point in thrashing teams, what does anyone learn or get from it. In this case though I actually think we get a number of things.
1. The obvious, pressure is off, another 2 points against either of the last 2 and we'll make it out of munster
2. Confidence for young players, O'Connor and O'brien will know if they play like that they will keep their place. They got better as the game went on. O Brien in particular was braver sticking up the paw for the ball and was more assured shooting. Huge for these 2 to do it without Gillane .
3. Valuable minutes into Tom and DO'D. There are still big games to come, they have to benefit from the game they got. The pick up earlier in the game didn't happen for Tom, there definitely was rustiness there. I think we might see him start in another round Robin game.
4. Bench impact, not just the point he scored but really liked the look of fintan Fitzgerald. Seemed very assured in possession.

Slight causes for concern, too zealous in the tackling. Definitely could do with getting on the good side of the ref in the next match and finish with 15! Also kiely knows best and I think he's getting better and better with the more minutes he's playing but slight worry peter casey might overdo it on that leg. The round Robin is gruelling, you don't want him going backwards as we could lose him for the season"
I think you have nailed it there for me. I was delighted with the performance and there is so many positives as stated.

I think Clare really suffered from spending the winter in 1B. At times they were caught out thinking they had more time on the ball and were turned over far to easily. Also they didn't really get any favourable bounces of the ball. I do believe that Clare aren't as bad as they were Sunday . If Tony Kelly had went for Goal himself (instead of attempting to pass to Shane O'Donnell which was cut out by Sean Finn) it could have been a huge momentum swing at the time and could potentially have changed the course of the game.

I think the tackling is an accuracy issue rather then a Zealousness issue. In a game with so many moving parts at a hyper pace you need to paint a picture to the referee. Keep the hurleys lower would be the key takeaway it think.

I think Adam English's second yellow is the prime example. Diarmuid Stritch was tearing down the line at pace. Adam went to make a genuine tackle and stuck his hurley out in front of him to "cut off a the path" between the runner and the line. Diarmuid Stritch barrels into it at speed and pushes it up. While in fairness to English he lets go of the hurley to avoid any damage to the player, it was high so it was a yellow card. If English went lower with the tackle it was probably a free and not a yellow.

LimerickandProud (Limerick) - Posts: 262 - 05/05/2026 12:40:39    2671089

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Replying To richiepmurphy:  "Reidy barely pucked a ball against cork. Was a very valuable player but maybe his best days are behind him?"
I dont think its by accident that Kiely still picks him more often than not - he does a lot of grafting and grunt work around the middle
What has changed is that in previous years he also regularly chipped in with a point or two per game but now thats less
He will find it hard to win his place back though, Lynch has to come in probably for Tom, and if Gillane is fit he will come in too
Right now of the 8 outfield (forwards/mid players you would say O Neill, Hego, O Brien, O Connor, English, Lynch and Gillane are nailed on if fit, which leaves one starting place for any one of Casey, DOD, Reidy and Tom
Casey has been great but they might prefer either DOD or Reidy in a more defensive grafting role plus Casey would be a fantastic impact sub to come on with 20 to go and defenses tiring.
Against Clare we really didn't have an impact sub who could turn a game if needed. The bench did well, but its one thing to come on and score when you are up by 12 versus down by 2

Yadse (Limerick) - Posts: 266 - 05/05/2026 13:38:28    2671102

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Replying To richiepmurphy:  "Reidy barely pucked a ball against cork. Was a very valuable player but maybe his best days are behind him?"
It wasnt his best game for sure but he worked hard pressuring the Cork backs. He was never a prolific scorer. I get that hes pushing on into his middle 30s but relative to the rest of the team hes relatively low mileage, to use a biking term!

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19961 - 05/05/2026 14:04:20    2671105

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Replying To Fitzy01:  "I think the most underrated hurler in the Limerick team and possibly across the country is Barry Nash. He is a Rolls Royce of a player who covers serious ground during a match and acts as an extra playmaker from corner back. It takes also takes game intelligence to know when to go and when not to. He completely breaks the mould for corner backs.
Its crazy that he has only two all stars imo."
Barry Nash isnt generally under rated. Every hurling person I know thinks hes excellent.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19961 - 05/05/2026 14:51:57    2671128

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Replying To LimerickandProud:  "I think you have nailed it there for me. I was delighted with the performance and there is so many positives as stated.

I think Clare really suffered from spending the winter in 1B. At times they were caught out thinking they had more time on the ball and were turned over far to easily. Also they didn't really get any favourable bounces of the ball. I do believe that Clare aren't as bad as they were Sunday . If Tony Kelly had went for Goal himself (instead of attempting to pass to Shane O'Donnell which was cut out by Sean Finn) it could have been a huge momentum swing at the time and could potentially have changed the course of the game.

I think the tackling is an accuracy issue rather then a Zealousness issue. In a game with so many moving parts at a hyper pace you need to paint a picture to the referee. Keep the hurleys lower would be the key takeaway it think.

I think Adam English's second yellow is the prime example. Diarmuid Stritch was tearing down the line at pace. Adam went to make a genuine tackle and stuck his hurley out in front of him to "cut off a the path" between the runner and the line. Diarmuid Stritch barrels into it at speed and pushes it up. While in fairness to English he lets go of the hurley to avoid any damage to the player, it was high so it was a yellow card. If English went lower with the tackle it was probably a free and not a yellow."
We are currently coaching our club u14s to try tackling with the hurl waist high. Its actually quite hard to get through to them.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19961 - 05/05/2026 14:53:21    2671129

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Replying To Viking66:  "We are currently coaching our club u14s to try tackling with the hurl waist high. Its actually quite hard to get through to them."
I think that the whole tackle area needs to be addressed. The game has changed hugely and its all about the running game. We teach our young players to shield/ lead with the hurl when breaking the tackle which is fine. However what is the defender allowed to do. If he holds the Hurley straight across and out from his body that's his chest height but not necessarily chest high on the ball carrier so he's potentially in yellow/red card territory. If he goes lower he's potentially getting the opponents hurl into his chest/ neck area. If he tackles with the spare arm he simply has to go high to have any effect. Low and the opponent runs through it hardly breaking stride. The grey area here is interpretation between hands and arms. Technically you can hold with the arm but not the hands but this differentiation is rarely applied in refereeing.
Its a difficult one to legislate for. The game is better now as a spectacle but the tackle is becoming an issue as players become stronger and more athletic.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 564 - 05/05/2026 15:16:00    2671142

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Replying To Viking66:  "Barry Nash isnt generally under rated. Every hurling person I know thinks hes excellent."
Barry's form last year was not great, He is looking like he is back to his prime now though. Same could be said for Diarmuid Byrnes.

I saw Diarmaid Byrnes in two club championship matches for Patrickswell last year in Club championship and honestly I had written him off altogether after it . He looked like a shell of his former self, lashing out at lads because he couldn't get close to them. I have to admit he Is proving me so so wrong now

LimerickandProud (Limerick) - Posts: 262 - 05/05/2026 15:33:19    2671147

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Replying To Tadhg2020:  "I think that the whole tackle area needs to be addressed. The game has changed hugely and its all about the running game. We teach our young players to shield/ lead with the hurl when breaking the tackle which is fine. However what is the defender allowed to do. If he holds the Hurley straight across and out from his body that's his chest height but not necessarily chest high on the ball carrier so he's potentially in yellow/red card territory. If he goes lower he's potentially getting the opponents hurl into his chest/ neck area. If he tackles with the spare arm he simply has to go high to have any effect. Low and the opponent runs through it hardly breaking stride. The grey area here is interpretation between hands and arms. Technically you can hold with the arm but not the hands but this differentiation is rarely applied in refereeing.
Its a difficult one to legislate for. The game is better now as a spectacle but the tackle is becoming an issue as players become stronger and more athletic."
Was up at our Feile finals this evening and one of the opposing team got blown for tackling leading with the hurl horizontal at chest height.
It must be one of the poorest defined skills in the game as far as rules go.
Definitely an issue as lads get stronger and more athletic.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19961 - 05/05/2026 21:03:22    2671198

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The tackle debate is at the core of Limerick's defending philosophy. Defending starts in the full forward line with the emphasis on as much physicality as you can use to put defenders under pressure when delivering ball into the opposition half. Sometimes the line is crossed and sometimes not. John Kiely not going to give a damn if a player is booked for robust challenges and if you don't display that robustness you don't get selected. That is how Limerick have always played under Kiely and is a key part of our game.

Having said that a red in the modern game is decisive in deciding the outcome of a game and we are walking a tightrope in a lot of Championship games, we should have been down to 13 for the last 10 minutes of normal time in Ennis and only the lead built up got us out of a hole.

Would love to see us match that level of performance we showed on Sunday in the last two home games. The Cork game in Gaelic Grounds last year was our last statement performance and we couldn't reach that level in Waterford and Dublin games and Munster final.

Sliothar73 (Limerick) - Posts: 18 - 06/05/2026 12:06:04    2671262

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Replying To Viking66:  "Was up at our Feile finals this evening and one of the opposing team got blown for tackling leading with the hurl horizontal at chest height.
It must be one of the poorest defined skills in the game as far as rules go.
Definitely an issue as lads get stronger and more athletic."
I was at a Division 2 adult Hurling league ( westmeath) game in Athlone last night. A SG player got possession of the ball down lol and rose up with the Hurley as a shield( as he should do) and clattered the defender into the face guard / side of helmet with it. He was holding hurl just above the tape so it was a really strong hurl position. The noise of the collision was really loud. No free play on until ref realised player wasn't moving
He took 3 or 4 minutes to get up and game restarted with an indirect free to SG. If it was the other way around it was probably a red card.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 564 - 06/05/2026 13:34:26    2671288

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Replying To Viking66:  "Was up at our Feile finals this evening and one of the opposing team got blown for tackling leading with the hurl horizontal at chest height.
It must be one of the poorest defined skills in the game as far as rules go.
Definitely an issue as lads get stronger and more athletic."
I was at a Division 2 adult Hurling league ( westmeath) game in Athlone last night. A SG player got possession of the ball down lol and rose up with the Hurley as a shield( as he should do) and clattered the defender into the face guard / side of helmet with it. He was holding hurl just above the tape so it was a really strong hurl position. The noise of the collision was really loud. No free play on until ref realised player wasn't moving
He took 3 or 4 minutes to get up and game restarted with an indirect free to SG. If it was the other way around it was probably a red card.

My point is that the tackler has to be very aggressive noe as the ball carrier is just if not more aggressive in his determination to break through. This is where the balance needs to be clarified on for both sides of the ball. Its the opposite to rugby. In rugby the smaller man is thought to tackle low and commit. In hurling, and GF I suppose, he has to tackle higher if he is to have any impact on the bigger man.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 564 - 06/05/2026 13:37:59    2671290

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Great performance by the minors tonight and badly needed for underage hurling
I only saw them v Tipp when they looked poor enough and lucky to only lose by 3 but they were far slicker this evening and got some great scores from play. They only scored 0-5 from play v Tipp and tonight it was 2-17 (although the 2 goals owed a lot to poor goalkeeping)
They outworked Cork completely and fought for every ball
Munster final now v Tipp who will surely be favourites so no pressure

Yadse (Limerick) - Posts: 266 - 08/05/2026 20:33:11    2671701

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John Kiely has sprung another surprise with team
selection for Waterford with Cian on the bench. A message from team management there you would have to say.

Great to have Dan back at full back but thought Sean Finn would make way for Mike Casey in corner.

Our bench looks really strong now with the message that no one can take selection for granted.

With Gillane back in we are looking in great shape with Waterford very injury hit for Sunday.

Sliothar73 (Limerick) - Posts: 18 - 15/05/2026 12:54:08    2673149

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Replying To Sliothar73:  "John Kiely has sprung another surprise with team
selection for Waterford with Cian on the bench. A message from team management there you would have to say.

Great to have Dan back at full back but thought Sean Finn would make way for Mike Casey in corner.

Our bench looks really strong now with the message that no one can take selection for granted.

With Gillane back in we are looking in great shape with Waterford very injury hit for Sunday."
Still looks a very strong team even with Cian on the bench. JK giving DOD another start at midfield and its well deserved and on merit.
Mike Casey can consider himself unbelievably unlucky not to start, been stand out performer in all his matches to date and looks to be in the form of his life but i guess now is the best time to give Dan his start and they will complete like hell between them (Finn, Casey and Morrissey) for two of the back three places. Nash being the automatic choice as he brings something completely different. Exactly what JK would want. Starting 6 forwards are all scoring forwards who could knock out 5 or 6 points in any given match. Few teams, with the exception of maybe Cork and its a maybe, have this luxury.

Lack of scoring power\impact in the full forward line on the bench being the only potential weakness. Reidys form seems to have dipped a little this year so far and the others have yet to really prove themselves but there is still time for someone to put their hand up. Always an option to let Cian and DOD plan in midfield together and push English up top

Fitzy01 (Limerick) - Posts: 487 - 15/05/2026 14:30:05    2673172

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Replying To Fitzy01:  "Still looks a very strong team even with Cian on the bench. JK giving DOD another start at midfield and its well deserved and on merit.
Mike Casey can consider himself unbelievably unlucky not to start, been stand out performer in all his matches to date and looks to be in the form of his life but i guess now is the best time to give Dan his start and they will complete like hell between them (Finn, Casey and Morrissey) for two of the back three places. Nash being the automatic choice as he brings something completely different. Exactly what JK would want. Starting 6 forwards are all scoring forwards who could knock out 5 or 6 points in any given match. Few teams, with the exception of maybe Cork and its a maybe, have this luxury.

Lack of scoring power\impact in the full forward line on the bench being the only potential weakness. Reidys form seems to have dipped a little this year so far and the others have yet to really prove themselves but there is still time for someone to put their hand up. Always an option to let Cian and DOD plan in midfield together and push English up top"
hard to know who is training well, maybe somebody has a slight knock or they simply want to give certain players more minutes. We will need them all as this championship unfolds. But still surprised at Caseys omission as he has been playing really well
Same with Lynch but there maybe its a message that messing like that wont be tolerated, and he will come back hungrier and more disciplined. I think they wanted DOD in the team but thought Peter Casey might drop to the bench, not because he doesnt deserve to start but because he brings huge impact running at tired defenders

Waterford are missing a few but I was surprised at the quality of the replacements they have - Tadgh de Burca, Shane Bennett and Reuben Halloran who had an outstanding league
If we are off it at all they will be tough to beat and the 8/1 odds against them are daft

Yadse (Limerick) - Posts: 266 - 15/05/2026 17:15:33    2673214

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