Jamesie O'Connor
GAA Expert & Columnist
Clare have a free shot against Limerick in the Munster final | Galway to face a Kilkenny backlash: Jamesie O'Connor column
Sky Sports hurling pundit Jamesie O'Connor looks ahead to the Munster and Leinster Championship finals. Can Clare trouble Limerick? Should the Treaty man-mark Tony Kelly? And will there be a kick in Kilkenny following their defeat to Wexford?
Last Updated: 01/06/22 10:54am
Both Clare and Limerick will have taken major positives out of their pulsating draw in Ennis last month.
The two Munster neighbours went toe-to-toe in Ennis, and ultimately couldn't be separated on the scoreboard.
They do it all over again this weekend in the Munster final.
John Kiely would have been satisfied leaving Cusack Park, knowing that without Aaron Gillane, Cian Lynch and other frontline players, the All-Ireland champions still delivered a result.
Similarly, Brian Lohan will be thrilled that his side didn't lose. And that was boosted by the fact that a Clare team without Tony Kelly and John Conlon ran out convincing winners over Waterford.
David Reidy, Shane Meehan, Robin Mounsey, Aidan McCarthy and Mark Rodgers are all returning to fitness.
There are a lot of positives for the Banner.
Given the proximity of the two counties, I don't think Clare fear Limerick the same way other counties do.
And in a way there's pressure on Limerick. They're expected to beat Clare. The Clare guys have huge respect for them, but they don't seem to pay them any respect on the field. And they aren't intimidated by them.
The positivity around the county, particularly off the back of the Waterford match, means the squad and the team are in a good place heading into Sunday. And in many ways, it's a free shot.
But there is also a realism that it's a massive challenge. They are going to have improve from that day in Ennis. Are they going to get a better chance?
Limerick's injured contingent will have had more recovery time before Sunday. If the Treaty have a full team, and bring their A-game, they are still the best team in the country and will have too much for the Banner.
How will Limerick solve the Tony Kelly conundrum?
The 2013 Hurler of the Year ran riot when the sides met in Ennis, and he has done damage against Limerick in the past, memorably scoring 0-17 in the 2020 Munster quarter-final.
He poses major problems for Limerick, especially when he moves out the field to take a free, and ends up staying out there, drifting around and finding pockets of space.
He is in the Hurler of the Year conversation once again, given his form so far this year.
Generally speaking, Limerick dictate the terms of engagement and force the opposition to adjust to what they do, rather than vice-versa.
I'm sure John Kiely, Paul Kinnerk and Co will have had long conversations about how to best deal with Kelly.
Do I see them assigning a man-marker to them? I don't, as it would leave gaps elsewhere. Should the Ballyea man be followed out the field, that would leave space for Shane O'Donnell and Peter Duggan.
Instead, Limerick will adopt a collective responsibility to deal with Kelly, and all their players will need to be tuned in.
If Kelly plays well, he's the cornerstone for Clare. He's one of those players, when he's on form, it gives everyone else a boost. They will feel when he's in the mood, they have a chance.
Will the Cats have a kick?
Wexford got the match-ups right in their shock win over Kilkenny.
Matthew O'Hanlon tied down TJ Reid, Paudie Foley did a job on Walter Walsh, while Damien Reck kept the shackles on Eoin Cody.
Once the pressure was applied at both ends of the field, Kilkenny became predictable. It was a massive step back for the Cats, following their win over Dublin.
It won't have been lost on Henry Shefflin that as much as Kilkenny have adapted, they still reverted to type when the heat was turned up.
The Tribesmen will be looking to nullify the Cats in a similar way. And nobody knows TJ Reid and Eoin Cody better than Shefflin. I'm sure he will have a plan to counteract their influences.
Kilkenny will know they are lucky to be in a Leinster final after losing two games during the round-robin.
You can be sure that there was a serious post-mortem done on the Wexford defeat over the past two weeks.
Brian Cody is not afraid to shake things up and make big changes. He knows that the performance against the Model County will be nowhere near good enough to beat Galway.
To lose in Nowlan Park against wounded opposition like they did was a major setback, and the Tribesmen are in a much better place going into this game.
But that makes Kilkenny more dangerous. We have seen so often in the past, write them off at your peril.
Just when you think they're down, they can hurt you.
Make no mistake, Galway will still have to perform well to win this game.
Sky Sports' GAA coverage continues with the All-Ireland SFC qualifier between Mayo and Monaghan live on Sky Sports Arena from 3:30pm Saturday.
