Limerick 3-16 Galway 2-18
Kyle Hayes worked in Croke Park on Sunday like a man has never worked before.
The sight of Seamus Flanagan leaving Gearóid McInerney on his arse was telling, the sight of Aaron Gillane catching balls over Daithí Burke’s head an unfamiliar one, the sight of Conor Cooney hitting three wides in a row strange, the sight of Limerick forwards hounding Galway backs into mistakes – an absolute constant.
Limerick lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 45 years on Sunday afternoon. John Kiely’s men went into Sunday’s final as underdogs and they played the game as if they were trailing by four points for every single one of the 75 minutes played.
They outworked, outfought and out-dogged the reigning champions on Sunday and they were fully deserving of their victory come the end of it.
The Shannonsiders were leading by four at half-time but in truth that was a scoreline that flattered Galway. Because the Tribesmen didn’t get much of a sniff in that first half.
They went twenty first half minutes without scoring and Joseph Cooney was their only forward to have scored from play come half-time.
Conor Whelan had barely touched a ball, Conor Cooney had but only when he was hitting it wide, Johnny Glynn was getting horsed out of it by a man 7 inches smaller and 20 kilograms lighter than him and Cathal Mannion was similarly quiet.
How the hell was this happening? How come these lads weren’t getting a look in?
The answer – the Limerick players didn’t allow them a look-in.
They say attack is the first line of defence and that was the Limerick forward’s bible for the day.
Graeme Mulcahy led from the front, smothering John Hanbury and Adrian Tuohy for sport – It was fitting that he would register the winning score. Every single one of those lads worked hard, but few of them as hard as Kyle Hayes.
He hit four points from play, four crucial points – but the best thing about the 20-year-old’s performance was his insatiable work-rate.
It was best summed up by his contribution just after half-time when he made ten metres in the space of about two seconds to make an improbable hook on Johnny Coen.
The man was out on his feet, he was gasping, he still found the iron-will to go for Coen.
It was mind over matter stuff, it was one of those moments where he ignored his legs telling him to stop, he ignored those negative thoughts telling him to leave it, he just went and did it.
He was making those kinds of contributions all day long. Coen hit the ball wide.
Work-rate won the day for Limerick.
