Shane, Michael and Niall Moran discuss Limerick’s victory over Cork in the final round of the Munster hurling championship.
Former Limerick star Niall Moran believes that rival teams have closed the gap on the reigning All-Ireland champions.
The Treaty finished second in the Munster SHC group and would have gone out of the championship if Cork had beaten them on Sunday.
As it was, John Kiely’s men found a way to eke out a one-point win and will now face Clare in the provincial final.
“The narrative can really swing in 24 hours,” says Moran on OurGame.
“If I was here with ye yesterday, we’d be saying Limerick are tired and teams are matching Limerick.
“Look, they’re specimens but teams are nearly coming close with them now in terms of physicality. It has taken two or three years.
“Limerick probably stole a march with a generational group of massive men, and I’m not going to say that this is down to everything Limerick are doing underage, and blah blah blah.
“Limerick came up with generational… look at the size of the half-back and half-forward lines. It has been well-documented.
“Yes they are extremely-well conditioned, but teams have gotten to their pitch. Teams tactically have gotten to their pitch.
“Physically you can get to that pitch: you can do the work, put on the timber. Aerobically, you can get up to it but it’s not until you’re thrust into it…
“Again, when you go back to the old Kilkenny team, it was like that.
“You thought you were fit, you thought you were good, you thought you had all these things done.
“Then you rocked on and they belittled you in terms of how strong you were.
“The key difference to those elite teams and the teams coming is that Limerick are operating at that levels that as their base level, ala what the All Blacks’ base level was.
“So the teams that are chasing that, they are yo-yoing up and down to get to that level.
“It takes three or four years of those teams consistently doing that to get to that level.
“I would honestly say that that competitive advantage that Limerick have had in recent seasons has levelled out.”
LIAM MacCARTHY CUP
LEINSTER
Round 1: April 22: Antrim 1-19 Dublin 1-19, Corrigan Park; Galway 0-24 Wexford 2-12, Pearse Stadium; Kilkenny 0-29 Westmeath 0-7, UPMC Nowlan Park.
Round 2: April 29: Wexford 1-30 Antrim 1-26, Chadwicks Wexford Park; Dublin 2-23 Westmeath 1-14, Parnell Park; April 30: Kilkenny 0-28 Galway 1-25, UPMC Nowlan Park.
Round 3: May 6: Dublin 1-22 Wexford 0-23, Croke Park; Galway 6-33 Westmeath 0-17, TEG Cusack Park; May 7: Kilkenny 5-31 Antrim 3-20 Corrigan Park.
Round 4: May 20: Kilkenny 0-27 Dublin 0-21, UPMC Nowlan Park; May 21: Galway 5-29 Antrim 1-22, Pearse Stadium; Westmeath 4-18, Wexford 2-22, Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Round 5: May 28: Wexford 4-23 Kilkenny 5-18, Chadwicks Wexford Park; Dublin 2-22 Galway 1-25, Croke Park; Westmeath 1-19 Antrim 4-24, TEG Cusack Park.
MUNSTER
Round 1: April 23: Limerick 1-18 Waterford 0-19, FBD Semple Stadium; Tipperary 5-22 Clare 3-23, Ennis.
Round 2: April 29: Clare 1-24 Limerick 2-20 TUS Gaelic Grounds; April 30: Cork 0-27 Waterford 0-18, Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
Round 3: May 6: Cork 4-19 Tipperary 2-25, Pairc Ui Chaoimh; May 13: Clare 2-22 Waterford 0-16, FBD Semple Stadium.
Round 4: May 21: Clare 2-22 Cork 3-18, Ennis; Tipperary 0-25 Limerick 0-25, FBD Semple Stadium.
Round 5: May 28: Limerick 3-25 Cork 1-30, TUS Gaelic Grounds; Tipperary 0-21 Waterford 1-24, FBD Semple Stadium.
Final: June 11
JOE McDONAGH CUP
Round 1: Kerry 1-26 Down 1-14; Carlow 5-23 Kildare 0-19; Offaly 3-19 Laois 1-22.
Round 2: April 16: Laois 7-24 Down 0-14; Offaly 2-22 Kildare 3-11; Kerry 0-21 Carlow 0-21.
Round 3: April 22: Kerry 1-17 Kildare 0-14; Carlow 1-22 Laois 1-22; Offaly 1-26 Down 1-15.
Round 4: May 6/7: Offaly 1-24 Kerry 0-16; Laois 1-23 Kildare 0-11; Carlow 6-23 Down 0-28.
Round 5: May 13: Down 1-27 Kildare 3-13; Carlow 1-29 Offaly 0-14; Laois 4-23 Kerry 0-21
Final: May 27: Carlow 2-29 Offaly 1-31 AET, Croke Park
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