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Limerick Senior Hurling 2026

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A fantastic win in a game far from the classic so many predicted but the dramatic finish more than made up for that.

In this Limerick team the most irreplaceable player is Nickie Quaid, time and time again he pulls off miracles in the goal, Patrick Collins made some super saves too in fairness.


Up to yesterday we had lost the knack of edging tight contests with Cork who seemed to have what it takes to see these games home.

Yesterday it was our patience and composure in a frantic finish that was critical plus no score for Cork from play for 40 minutes.


If we meet again in a final Cork will be better than they showed yesterday but so will we, Shane O Brien and Aaron Gillane due big games.


The scenes at full time show how much Limerick love winning finals with more to come.

Sliothar73 (Limerick) - Posts: 18 - 08/06/2026 17:06:59    2678717

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it coming home

hlynch12 (Limerick) - Posts: 96 - 10/06/2026 23:21:58    2678932

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Replying To Sliothar73:  "A fantastic win in a game far from the classic so many predicted but the dramatic finish more than made up for that.

In this Limerick team the most irreplaceable player is Nickie Quaid, time and time again he pulls off miracles in the goal, Patrick Collins made some super saves too in fairness.


Up to yesterday we had lost the knack of edging tight contests with Cork who seemed to have what it takes to see these games home.

Yesterday it was our patience and composure in a frantic finish that was critical plus no score for Cork from play for 40 minutes.


If we meet again in a final Cork will be better than they showed yesterday but so will we, Shane O Brien and Aaron Gillane due big games.


The scenes at full time show how much Limerick love winning finals with more to come."
not so sure if cork get to the final they will be better (if they are playing limerick).....mentally they are soft. and a croke park with 82000 fullhouse will they have the bottle to see off a limerick team that take a full croke park in their stride.

munsterchamps (Limerick) - Posts: 1158 - 11/06/2026 17:18:41    2679028

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Replying To munsterchamps:  "not so sure if cork get to the final they will be better (if they are playing limerick).....mentally they are soft. and a croke park with 82000 fullhouse will they have the bottle to see off a limerick team that take a full croke park in their stride."
add Shane Fitzgibbon to that Cork team and he improves them by at least a couple of points
Add in that BOC is really only learning his trade as a manager - he will improve
The guts Cork showed last year to win Munster, after we had hammered them in the round robin doesnt show mental softness. But they are a bit of an enigma.

What struck me about last Sunday is that Limerick were by a distance, and by all the metrics, the better team - shots, possession, wides, puckouts. And yet we won only by a single point, we trailed for most of the game, and Cork could have stolen extra time at the death. We played like the team that lacked a wee bit of confidence and I cant help but wonder if those narrow defeats to Cork had the team questioning themselves
The relief on winning from the coaches and players was evident
Now, maybe we will kick on, and improve further or maybe Cork will take heart from an average enough performance (no score from play for more than 30 minutes!) that still almost won the game?

No matter who we play in the semi is going to be a challenge
Clare may be on the wane, and maddeningly inconsistent but tare capable of beating anybody in a one-off game. Dublin lack a bit of belief in themselves (they are not as bad as they looked v Galway) but for obvious reasons might fancy a shot at Limerick
We have a few things to work on for 3 weeks time
We have to play English (he is too good to not start) which means shuffling the deck as we also have to play O Donovan and Lynch
Gillane is a wee bit off but he has to play - he is too important to us
And we are still vulnerable to pacy forwards (Clare, Cork)
And we are creating more goal scoring chances but we are not as clinical at taking them as some teams

Yadse (Limerick) - Posts: 268 - 12/06/2026 00:34:04    2679067

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Replying To Yadse:  "add Shane Fitzgibbon to that Cork team and he improves them by at least a couple of points
Add in that BOC is really only learning his trade as a manager - he will improve
The guts Cork showed last year to win Munster, after we had hammered them in the round robin doesnt show mental softness. But they are a bit of an enigma.

What struck me about last Sunday is that Limerick were by a distance, and by all the metrics, the better team - shots, possession, wides, puckouts. And yet we won only by a single point, we trailed for most of the game, and Cork could have stolen extra time at the death. We played like the team that lacked a wee bit of confidence and I cant help but wonder if those narrow defeats to Cork had the team questioning themselves
The relief on winning from the coaches and players was evident
Now, maybe we will kick on, and improve further or maybe Cork will take heart from an average enough performance (no score from play for more than 30 minutes!) that still almost won the game?

No matter who we play in the semi is going to be a challenge
Clare may be on the wane, and maddeningly inconsistent but tare capable of beating anybody in a one-off game. Dublin lack a bit of belief in themselves (they are not as bad as they looked v Galway) but for obvious reasons might fancy a shot at Limerick
We have a few things to work on for 3 weeks time
We have to play English (he is too good to not start) which means shuffling the deck as we also have to play O Donovan and Lynch
Gillane is a wee bit off but he has to play - he is too important to us
And we are still vulnerable to pacy forwards (Clare, Cork)
And we are creating more goal scoring chances but we are not as clinical at taking them as some teams"
I feel if they were to meet again it will be a completely different game. Limerick will be disappointed they didn't win by more when they analyse the number of possessions and chances they created. Cork will also be happy as they only lost by a point and their best player wasn't available.

Kiely kept his cards close, it could be a completely different team Cork face if they were to meet in a final. English could start in midfield, Cian could start at center forward and AOC could revert back into the full forward line, this would pose different challenges to Cork. Limerick have other cards to play if they want. Cian could unlock things a lot more at center forward but who knows what way they'll go.

The full forward line is the one line that we need a big improvement from as for whatever reason there hasn't been consistency up there. Hego has had to almost bail out this line in two games. I think this will be remedied in the next few weeks.

Time to forget about Cork now and prepare fully and totally for semis. Best of luck to the minors at the weekend.

Fitzy01 (Limerick) - Posts: 491 - 12/06/2026 11:18:42    2679100

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Great win by the minors. Tbh i didnt give them any chance after round 1 of munster but they are improving all the time. Credit to Diarmuid Mullins and his coaching team. They get another crack at Tipp in the final now so who knows.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 579 - 13/06/2026 18:27:21    2679296

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Big win for Limerick hurling having the minors beat Galway well and into All Ireland final , good times for Limerick hurling . On in Ennis I believe , should get a good Limerick crowd

OpenStand (Limerick) - Posts: 774 - 13/06/2026 19:45:01    2679327

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Replying To OpenStand:  "Big win for Limerick hurling having the minors beat Galway well and into All Ireland final , good times for Limerick hurling . On in Ennis I believe , should get a good Limerick crowd"
Yep, this was far and away their best performance.
They have been steadily improving (although they were poor enough v Clare in last round , a game they won)
They have cut down on the errors and ball into the forwards and finishing has improved no end
Tipp have looked better than them the 2 times they have played but we were better in Munster final than the round robin and scoreline flattered Tipp in the final
Noting to lose now they are in bonus territory and all the expectations are on Tipp

Yadse (Limerick) - Posts: 268 - 13/06/2026 20:55:07    2679353

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Great to see Limk minors going so well. Tipp will probably be overwhelming favorites for the final. But you know, anything can happen in a final, especially with young fellas of this age.

foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2580 - 14/06/2026 18:18:13    2679587

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Great result for minors and nothing to lose now as it's an unexpected final appearance..

CTGAA10 (Limerick) - Posts: 2695 - 14/06/2026 20:29:57    2679630

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Replying To Yadse:  "Yep, this was far and away their best performance.
They have been steadily improving (although they were poor enough v Clare in last round , a game they won)
They have cut down on the errors and ball into the forwards and finishing has improved no end
Tipp have looked better than them the 2 times they have played but we were better in Munster final than the round robin and scoreline flattered Tipp in the final
Noting to lose now they are in bonus territory and all the expectations are on Tipp"
I would say forget about bonus territory now. This is a chance for these young guys to win an all Ireland, they have some talented players and play with great levels of energy and agression. night and day performances to what the U20s showed even though it did take them a few games to find their groove. Exciting full forward line and teak tough corner backs they will go into this game with confidence and rightly so.

Fitzy01 (Limerick) - Posts: 491 - 15/06/2026 11:08:05    2679788

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I wouldn't be overly worried about winning..a lot of fellas who have won senior medals in the last 7 years were beaten in all Ireland minor finals..I'd prefer to be competitive at the level and produce 3/4 fellas every year who can get into the senior panel..
Looking at this minor team there are fellas who given another 2 years could well make senior hurlers..the team has improved hugely game on game..management deserve huge credit and obviously players are buying into the set up.

CTGAA10 (Limerick) - Posts: 2695 - 15/06/2026 12:16:51    2679835

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Replying To CTGAA10:  "I wouldn't be overly worried about winning..a lot of fellas who have won senior medals in the last 7 years were beaten in all Ireland minor finals..I'd prefer to be competitive at the level and produce 3/4 fellas every year who can get into the senior panel..
Looking at this minor team there are fellas who given another 2 years could well make senior hurlers..the team has improved hugely game on game..management deserve huge credit and obviously players are buying into the set up."
From a development, supporters and bigger picture point of view that's true. But for the players and management point of view, get it done at all costs and go home with your all Ireland medal in your pocket.

Fitzy01 (Limerick) - Posts: 491 - 15/06/2026 13:02:38    2679861

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Replying To munsterchamps:  "not so sure if cork get to the final they will be better (if they are playing limerick).....mentally they are soft. and a croke park with 82000 fullhouse will they have the bottle to see off a limerick team that take a full croke park in their stride."
munsterchamps touches on an interesting point, the mental side of the game.

after we equalised on 69:13 these were the key stats from there on.

Stats
Successful stick passes: Limerick 3-1 Cork
Successful hand passes: Limerick 10-3 Cork
Turnovers: Limerick 6-3 Cork
Shots: Limerick 4-1 Cork
Scores: Limerick 0-2 Cork 0-1

Injury time:
Cork's second last free, it took 55 seconds from the time the free was awarded, to it being struck.
Cork's last free, it took 86 seconds from the time the free was awarded, to it being struck.
Byrnes caught a puck out from Collins.
Kyle Hayes intercepted Mark Coleman's sideline ball.
Sean Finn lifted a ball out of a ruck and setup an attack.
David Reidy hit a wide.
Gearoid Hegarty hit the post.

Seemed to me that after equalising, Limerick went up a gear to win the game. Cork seemed to be doing everything to avoid defeat.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6629 - 15/06/2026 15:41:02    2679947

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Replying To slayer:  "munsterchamps touches on an interesting point, the mental side of the game.

after we equalised on 69:13 these were the key stats from there on.

Stats
Successful stick passes: Limerick 3-1 Cork
Successful hand passes: Limerick 10-3 Cork
Turnovers: Limerick 6-3 Cork
Shots: Limerick 4-1 Cork
Scores: Limerick 0-2 Cork 0-1

Injury time:
Cork's second last free, it took 55 seconds from the time the free was awarded, to it being struck.
Cork's last free, it took 86 seconds from the time the free was awarded, to it being struck.
Byrnes caught a puck out from Collins.
Kyle Hayes intercepted Mark Coleman's sideline ball.
Sean Finn lifted a ball out of a ruck and setup an attack.
David Reidy hit a wide.
Gearoid Hegarty hit the post.

Seemed to me that after equalising, Limerick went up a gear to win the game. Cork seemed to be doing everything to avoid defeat."
Limerick go "all in" at the end of games and go high risk, high reward and its all empty the tank offensive play. You either conquer or die, you don't hold out to survive. They would commit 4 to a tackle on one to hunt down a turnover. Great when it works (and it has) and it takes such courage and trust in your team to play like that, if it breaks down or if that one player can break the press you are wide open.

If you have another team who decides to play like that, they are taking an even bigger risk as Limerick are the masters at it. You almost need to be 4 or 5 points up going down to home straight to negate it. Winning 17 out of 18 finals and the only loss coming by way of a penalty shootout tells you everything you need to know.

Fitzy01 (Limerick) - Posts: 491 - 15/06/2026 16:22:34    2679965

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Replying To Fitzy01:  "I feel if they were to meet again it will be a completely different game. Limerick will be disappointed they didn't win by more when they analyse the number of possessions and chances they created. Cork will also be happy as they only lost by a point and their best player wasn't available.

Kiely kept his cards close, it could be a completely different team Cork face if they were to meet in a final. English could start in midfield, Cian could start at center forward and AOC could revert back into the full forward line, this would pose different challenges to Cork. Limerick have other cards to play if they want. Cian could unlock things a lot more at center forward but who knows what way they'll go.

The full forward line is the one line that we need a big improvement from as for whatever reason there hasn't been consistency up there. Hego has had to almost bail out this line in two games. I think this will be remedied in the next few weeks.

Time to forget about Cork now and prepare fully and totally for semis. Best of luck to the minors at the weekend."
I agree fully. We have all enjoyed the Munster Final win over Cork but that game is now in the past and its time to move on. If we get to meet Cork again it will be a totally different game and set of circumstances. Cork are the one team who have consistently put it up to us, and there is really only a bounce of a ball between us on any given day.

LimerickandProud (Limerick) - Posts: 265 - 16/06/2026 09:50:26    2680091

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