Limerick have booked their place in the All-Ireland final, defeating Galway on a scoreline of 2-24 to 1-18 at Croke Park this evening.
Galway started the game the better of the two teams, looking like the side in the ascendancy for much of the opening half. They produced some wonderful scored and put John Kiely's side under significant pressure on a few occasions, pressing high up the pitch and looking to squeeze the opposition.
At one point they led by six points in the opening half. However, they then made the decision to sit a bit deeper, one that cost them.
Limerick would reel off five points on the spin to reduce the deficit to the minimum going into halftime.
HT: Limerick 1-12 1-13 Galway
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After the interval, it only looked as though one team were going to win it.
Limerick dominated in every area of the pitch, with Henry Shefflin's side struggling to put together any sustained spells of attacking play. They found it difficult to win any of their own puck-outs, and once the defending All-Ireland champions got in front, they were always going to struggle to get back into the game.
In the end, they ran out as winners by a nine-point margin.
Joe Canning Galway criticism proven right after Limerick loss
While Limerick are clearly the more talented side, this feels like a massive missed opportunity for Galway.
They dominated for much of the opening half, only to rest on their laurels and allow the opposition to get back within one point and build momentum before the interval. That proved to be very costly as the Munster champions built upon that to run out as comfortable winners in the end.
While Galway were still ahead at halftime, Joe Canning was already worried about the impact that previous few minutes was going to have on the game.
Speaking on RTÉ at halftime, he criticised his old team for dropping deep and inviting pressure from Limerick to close the half, something that proved costly in the end.
I think in fairness to Galway, they have pushed at times. That's how they are in front by a point, now it should probably be more but they fell out of it...
One thing Limerick have done in the few minutes before halftime is that they have shortened up their game and Galway aren't pushing up as much as they should have.
Darragh O'Donovan hit two or three balls there standing on his own in the middle of the field and into the corner. You have to push up on these guys in centre field, I'm sick of saying it. There's nothing you can do as a corner back when it's going in...
We hit a purple patch halfway through the first half and we just let them back in. We didn't squeeze up enough and allowed them put in that perfect cross-field ball.
If Galway squeeze up again in the second half, I think they're in with a chance. If they don't...
They sat off them a little bit in the last ten or 15 minutes and let Limerick pick off those cross-field balls.
It's difficult to argue with Canning here. Galway were in a dominant position during that first half, one they should have looked to push on from. Instead, they retreated into their shell and allowed Limerick back into the game.
That move proved to be a fatal one.
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