John Gardiner in his playing days. INPHO / Cathal Noonan
INPHO / Cathal Noonan / Cathal Noonan
KILKENNY DOMINATED A lot of my Croke Park career with Cork.
First All-Ireland senior final in 2003, first win in a final in 2004 and then seeing the three-in-a-row slip away in 2006. They were huge battles. By the time we got to the 2008 and 2010 All-Ireland semi-finals, Kilkenny had moved on to another level.
When you’re building up for a game against Kilkenny, you need two key things. Your form has to be good – both in training and matches – and you need to be at full strength. Before those 2008 and 2010 games, our preparations didn’t match the levels we’d been at between 2003 and 2006. It showed.
Kilkenny were incredibly battle hardened by then and there was intense competition in every single position on the team. Their marquee names – Shefflin, JJ, Larkin and Tommy – were all at the peak of their powers. Every game they went out in, they tried to end it as a contest in the first 20 minutes. More often than not, they succeeded.
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Their killer instinct was what struck me. I remember before half-time in the 2008 semi-final, Eoin Larkin went up for a high ball and tapped it down to himself. He was around the ’65 yard line at that stage. Most inter-county hurlers would have seen the space and gone to fire over a point.
That wasn’t the Kilkenny way and Larkin was different. The pitch opened up and he went straight through the heart of our defence before firing the ball to the net. That score summed Kilkenny up. They were a machine who went for the jugular all the time.
Kilkenny's Eoin Larkin is tackled by Ben O'Connor and John Gardiner of Cork. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Limerick don’t have as much experience of encountering Kilkenny before Sunday but they have enough memories to understand the goal threat they face. In the 2007 All-Ireland final, they were blown away in the first quarter. Two years ago in Thurles, goals killed them again in a quarter-final.
They stand a big chance on Sunday though. Their form is good on the evidence of the Wexford game and two weeks is a nice period of training time to get geared up for a semi-final. They’ve their captain Donal O’Grady back fit and are at full-strength. That’s a huge boost.
Kilkenny’s old stagers are still vital to them. I look at the lads I marked and they’re still massive players for them. In the 2003 final it was Tommy Walsh I was on, he drifted over to wing-forward after a time at midfield. I faced Shefflin a few other times and it was mainly Larkin in the latter stages. Brilliant players then and they’re still brilliant now.
The role of Henry on Sunday is going to be really interesting. He’s the best player of the modern era and is still the go-to guy despite all the injures and all the miles on the clock. A point from Shefflin is still of huge value to Kilkenny with the lift it gives their players and supporters.
There’s a new generation of Kilkenny players who are dominating this year. I’ve been really impressed by Colin Fennelly, TJ Reid and Richie Hogan. You’d never doubt their talent but this summer they’ve stepped it up and are commanding games. I think Colin Fennelly has the potential to turn this game in Kilkenny’s favour. Limerick need to get the match-up right and Seamus Hickey looks best suited to matching him.
Limerick should go defensive at the start. They don’t need to use a sweeper but condensing the backline for the first 20 minutes and fighting for breaking ball is key. They don’t want this game out of reach so the focus must be to pick off scores in the first-half and stay in touch until half-time.
I think Donal O’Grady will play deep to help his midfielders and they’ll look to find David Breen from puckouts. Then it’s about getting Shane Dowling into the game. He’s brimming with confidence and has had a good campaign. JJ has been around the block for a long time with Kilkenny and will have his hands full with Dowling. Kilkenny will want to keep the ball on the ground near Dowling and get bodies back to crowd it out.
I don’t believe Kilkenny are the force they previously were and the gap has closed. At this stage I think they’ll have to play extremely well and we haven’t seen that so far this year. It’s been too easy for them.
This will be a step up. We know what the older men of the panel are made of, we know they won’t flinch during difficult periods of the game. For the newer guys, how will they react when pressure comes on?
If I was TJ Ryan, I’d be talking a lot about last year’s All-Ireland semi-final. You’re looking for the little things to gain an edge. Last year’s Munster final win was a big deal for Limerick hurling and they rightfully celebrated it. Then they froze against Clare. It’s not often you get opportunity to reverse that kind of setback and they’ve got one 12 months down the line.
Hurling careers are short and the prize here is massive with the chance to get to an All-Ireland final and beat Kilkenny. Limerick won’t lack confidence and I think they’ll push Kilkenny very hard. But it’s Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final. They tend to win these games under Cody and I think they’ll advance again on Sunday.
John Gardiner column: Hurling careers are short and the prize on Sunday is massive
KILKENNY DOMINATED A lot of my Croke Park career with Cork.
First All-Ireland senior final in 2003, first win in a final in 2004 and then seeing the three-in-a-row slip away in 2006. They were huge battles. By the time we got to the 2008 and 2010 All-Ireland semi-finals, Kilkenny had moved on to another level.
When you’re building up for a game against Kilkenny, you need two key things. Your form has to be good – both in training and matches – and you need to be at full strength. Before those 2008 and 2010 games, our preparations didn’t match the levels we’d been at between 2003 and 2006. It showed.
Kilkenny were incredibly battle hardened by then and there was intense competition in every single position on the team. Their marquee names – Shefflin, JJ, Larkin and Tommy – were all at the peak of their powers. Every game they went out in, they tried to end it as a contest in the first 20 minutes. More often than not, they succeeded.
Their killer instinct was what struck me. I remember before half-time in the 2008 semi-final, Eoin Larkin went up for a high ball and tapped it down to himself. He was around the ’65 yard line at that stage. Most inter-county hurlers would have seen the space and gone to fire over a point.
That wasn’t the Kilkenny way and Larkin was different. The pitch opened up and he went straight through the heart of our defence before firing the ball to the net. That score summed Kilkenny up. They were a machine who went for the jugular all the time.
Limerick don’t have as much experience of encountering Kilkenny before Sunday but they have enough memories to understand the goal threat they face. In the 2007 All-Ireland final, they were blown away in the first quarter. Two years ago in Thurles, goals killed them again in a quarter-final.
They stand a big chance on Sunday though. Their form is good on the evidence of the Wexford game and two weeks is a nice period of training time to get geared up for a semi-final. They’ve their captain Donal O’Grady back fit and are at full-strength. That’s a huge boost.
The role of Henry on Sunday is going to be really interesting. He’s the best player of the modern era and is still the go-to guy despite all the injures and all the miles on the clock. A point from Shefflin is still of huge value to Kilkenny with the lift it gives their players and supporters.
There’s a new generation of Kilkenny players who are dominating this year. I’ve been really impressed by Colin Fennelly, TJ Reid and Richie Hogan. You’d never doubt their talent but this summer they’ve stepped it up and are commanding games. I think Colin Fennelly has the potential to turn this game in Kilkenny’s favour. Limerick need to get the match-up right and Seamus Hickey looks best suited to matching him.
Limerick should go defensive at the start. They don’t need to use a sweeper but condensing the backline for the first 20 minutes and fighting for breaking ball is key. They don’t want this game out of reach so the focus must be to pick off scores in the first-half and stay in touch until half-time.
I think Donal O’Grady will play deep to help his midfielders and they’ll look to find David Breen from puckouts. Then it’s about getting Shane Dowling into the game. He’s brimming with confidence and has had a good campaign. JJ has been around the block for a long time with Kilkenny and will have his hands full with Dowling. Kilkenny will want to keep the ball on the ground near Dowling and get bodies back to crowd it out.
I don’t believe Kilkenny are the force they previously were and the gap has closed. At this stage I think they’ll have to play extremely well and we haven’t seen that so far this year. It’s been too easy for them.
If I was TJ Ryan, I’d be talking a lot about last year’s All-Ireland semi-final. You’re looking for the little things to gain an edge. Last year’s Munster final win was a big deal for Limerick hurling and they rightfully celebrated it. Then they froze against Clare. It’s not often you get opportunity to reverse that kind of setback and they’ve got one 12 months down the line.
Hurling careers are short and the prize here is massive with the chance to get to an All-Ireland final and beat Kilkenny. Limerick won’t lack confidence and I think they’ll push Kilkenny very hard. But it’s Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final. They tend to win these games under Cody and I think they’ll advance again on Sunday.
Here’s this week’s GAA TV and Radio coverage
Captain O’Grady returns for Limerick ahead of All-Ireland SHC semi-final
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