Can Cork gamble on still being competitive at the same point in the final? writes Michael Moynihan.One of the burning questions occupying Cork minds as they headed down the motorway on Sunday evening once past that traffic snarl-up past Junction 9 was the matter of Shane Kingston and the All-Ireland final.
The Douglas man picked up the man of the match award from RTÉ after hitting seven points as a substitute. He caused havoc in the Kilkenny rearguard, ranging from wing to wing when not driving down the middle, and set up Alan Connolly for a good goal chance in addition to taking his own scores.
Cork will need to start him in the final, though.
Theres huge credit due to the player himself for getting to the pitch of the game on Sunday so quickly and for influencing it so significantly: Kingstons concentration and focus in doing so were a key factor in his sides win.
Management including Shanes father Kieran deserve an equal amount of credit for rolling the dice on using him as a sub rather than a starter.
Is this a ploy that can be used more than once? Against some teams, perhaps.
Against Limerick? John Kiely, Paul Kinnerk, and co didnt need to be reminded of Kingstons pace and directness, but Sunday was a good case study for them if theyd forgotten.
They also noticed, no doubt, that at times Kilkenny defenders were clearly unsure whose job it was to pick Kingston up, and Cork profited directly.
That doesnt undervalue the contribution Kingston made, but Limerick are unlikely to be as remiss when it comes to planning for that eventuality.
Will ODonoghue and Darragh ODonovan offer terrific support to the Limerick half-backs, and between them those players will have a clear plan if Kingston is sprung from the bench in the final.
In addition, all year Cork have picked specific teams for specific games, and Limericks status will influence their procedures for the All-Ireland final.
For instance, the Cork management would have expected to be competitive at least with Kilkenny for much of the All-Ireland semi-final and that that game wouldnt be out of their reach 10 minutes into the second half, when Kingston was introduced with a view to turning it Corks way.
At the same point in the other semi-final, however, Limerick were 10 points up.
Waterford were able to cut that to six at one stage, but it begs the question: Can Cork gamble on still being competitive at the same point in the final when making a sub everyone expects, introducing a player for whom the opposition will have drawn up a specific plan? There seem to be too many moving parts in that question for Cork management to be comfortable: Kingston to start in the final.
No, the clamour may be deafening but think of the other Shane
Cork need only look to Limerick in 2018 for their answer, writes John Coleman
Never change a winning team. Thats what weve always been told.
Think of all of the great teams and theres a comforting familiarity to them. Be it the Clare team of the 1990s, the Cork team of the 2000s or the Kilkenny team that dominated thereafter, their management teams were more likely to stick than twist when it came to the big day.
However, the current heirs to the throne of greatness, Limerick, have taught us that, in the modern game, thats its all about sticking with your winning formula. You have to trust your process.
Shane Kingstons seven-point haul off the bench on Sunday did much to exorcise the demons of Corks last semi-final appearance against Limerick in 2018 but his father, Kieran, and the rest of his selectors would be wise to keep the story of another Shane in mind when they sit down to pick their team for the final.
On that day, and thereafter in the final, the impact of Shane Dowling off the bench has widely been acknowledged as a masterstroke from John Kiely and co.
The clamour for Dowlings inclusion was deafening and its testament to the Patrickswell mans concentration and discipline that he was continuously able to block out all of the noise and accept his role as an impact sub for the benefit of the team.
Kingston deserves a similar amount of credit for the way he helped change the game Sunday.
He was unlucky to be dropped after nailing three goals in three games and perhaps it isnt a coincidence that Corks goal threat increased dramatically on his introduction.
Just as in life though, nothing happens in isolation on a hurling field. Kingston was mesmeric against Kilkenny, but his arrival coincided with Jack OConnor catching fire, Luke Meade and Conor Cahalane getting on top in the middle and was supplemented by Alan Cadogans return to form. When all the cogs are moving it becomes harder to stop just the one.
The more a defence has to think about, the more likely they are to flounder and end up robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Cork need a new plan too, as back in July they failed because they didnt put enough scores on the board and dropped their concentration levels at crucial moments.
Next time, they need to back themselves to be in contention coming down the stretch and thus give Kingston his chance to shine again.
You could argue that the cat is out of the bag from Corks perspective now and that Limerick wont get fooled and will be ready for the Douglas mans arrival should he start on the bench again on Sunday week.
But in 2018 both Cork and Galway knew that Dowling was coming. And they still werent able to stop him. Limerick trusted their team and their Shane to perform his role from the bench then. Cork should do the same with their Shane and his teammates in the final.