With both their seasons on the line, Dublin and Limerick have similar questions hanging over their heads before Saturday’s hurling qualifier at Semple. Both counties have come close in recent years, very close. Dublin lost a thrilling All-Ireland semi-final to Cork in 2013. Limerick did the same last year as Kilkenny pipped them. Since then, hopes have been high but both sides have really flattered to deceive.
The game is live on Off The Ball this Saturday afternoon, with Dave McIntyre, Eoin Kelly and Daithi Regan on commentary duty.
So for Saturday, Ger Cunningham is mixing the old with the new, doing away with some of his most revolutionary experiments. Rookie Cian O’Callaghan is flanked at full-back by the experience of Paul Schutte and Niall Corcoran. Liam Rushe returns to centre-back, with youth either side in Chris Crummey and Shane Barrett. Ryan O’Dwyer is in midfield, while the half-forward line is threatening in its unpredictability. Eamon Dillon, Sutcliffe and Cian Boland. Conal Keaney is back to No. 14 in a strong looking full-forward line too.
STAT: Dublin's record against Munster opposition leaves a lot to be desired http://t.co/3tlI4WJKEy #GAA #offtheball pic.twitter.com/5PAB57Di0Y
— Newstalk Sport (@NewstalkSport) July 9, 2015
Dublin under Cunningham appear to be in disarray. After a decent league, the tactics now seem off-tune, the tinkering has backfired, Michael Carton walked from the panel mid-week and some of Dublin’s most influential players are playing way off their potential.
Cunningham replaced Anthony Daly in the Autumn and instantly went about putting his stamp on the team, initially to good effect too.
Against Tipperary in Round 1 of the league, just one player, goalkeeper Alan Nolan was in the same position in their quarter-final exit to Tipp the previous August. Dublin were unrecognisable in both body and spirit, winning by 12 points. What a way to bury the ghosts and set the season up.
Cunningham swapped Peter Kelly and Michael Carton, brought Conal Keaney back to the half-back line and made former All-Star centre-back Liam Rushe the target man full-forward. The powerful Eamon Dillon was given his chance at centre-forward while Danny Sutcliffe was brought back to midfield. Finally, some of the successful underage players were blooded too. Chris Crummey was given his debut, Cian O’Callaghan and Colm Cronin became main members of the fifteen while Cian Boland, Shane Barrett and Ben Quinn were given their chances. The signs were positive throughout the league. They even hammered Limerick in the quarter-final - but then the Championship came along.
How has this Dublin team, who won their first provincial title in 52 years in 2013, managed to turn in such horribly flat and disappointing performances time and time again? They hit 1-09 in last year’s Leinster final against Kilkenny, before Tipperary hammered a shadow side out the gate in Semple in last year’s quarter-final. There must be scars from Galway’s annihilation of them in June. Will Semple see similar blood-shed on Saturday?
DUBLIN XV - 2015 Stats:
Gary Maguire;
(3 apps)
Niall Corcoran, Cian O’Callaghan, Paul Schutte;
(1 app) - (10 app) - (9 app - 0-01)
Chris Crummey, Liam Rushe, Shane Barrett;
(10 app - 0-03) - (10 app - 3-12) - (3 app - 0-02)
Johnny McCaffrey, Ryan O’Dwyer;
(7 apps - 0-06) - (8 apps - 0-03)
Cian Boland, Eamon Dillon, Danny Sutcliffe;
(7 app - 0-03) - (7 app - 2-10) - (9 app - 0-16)
Paul Ryan, Conal Keaney, Mark Schutte
(10 app - 0-42) - (10 app - 1-03) - (7 app - 4-23)
LIMERICK XV - 2015 Stats:
Nickie Quaid;
(6 app)
Seamus Hickey, Richie McCarthy, Seanie O’Brien;
(7 app - 0-01) - (6 app - 0-01) - (9 app - 0-04)
Paudie O’Brien, Gavin O’Mahony, Wayne McNamara;
(4 app - 0-01) - (4 app - 1-10) - (7 app - 0-02)
Paul Browne, James Ryan;
(9 app - 1-11) - (9 app - 0-03)
David Breen, Declan Hannon, Shane Dowling;
(6 app - 1-04) - (8 app - 1-13) - (7 app - 3-41)
Graeme Mulcahy, Kevin Downes, Cian Lynch.
(4 app - 1-09) - (3 app - 1-02) - (9 app - 0-10)
This is TJ Ryan’s first full season in charge, after his co-manager Donal O’Grady quit last spring following their disastrous league campaign. We’ve learnt that the league simply cannot be a barometer for Limerick’s quality as even last year, they built on their 2013 provincial success with another strong Championship. They shocked Tipp, before losing to Cork in the Munster final. Then swatted aside a Wexford team brimming with confidence before falling to Richie Power’s stroke of a ball under lights and rain in an All-Ireland semi-final.
Their form in 2015 though has been alarming. 1B was close to a write-off, they drew with Waterford, lost to Offaly limped by Antrim and Laois before Dublin hammered them in Croke Park. They progressed in the championship with a poor and slender victory against a Clare side, who were in such poor form and had a man sent-off before the break. Tipperary were on fire in the Munster semi-final and Limerick couldn’t cope. Ryan rang the changes against Westmeath, where a 12 point win in Mullingar flattered them.
If both teams were to play to their potential on Saturday, we could have a cracker on our hands. Limerick have the star quality up front in Dowling, Mulcahy, Hannon and Downes. If they turn it on, target the Dublin full-back line like Galway did they could do real damage to a team that seem so fragile. That’s why Limerick are slight favourites heading into Saturday. Slight, because a Dublin side with Danny Sutcliffe, Keaney, O’Dwyer and Paul Ryan all firing could do the exact same thing to Limerick.
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