Like the reaction of the American writer, Mark Twain, who once read his premature obituary in the 'Missippi Delta Times', rumours of the demise of the National Hurling League are 'greatly exaggerated'...

A couple of weeks ago, previewing the National Hurling League in the Sunday Turbine, Enda McEvoy opined that it would probably be won by the county which didn’t want to win it least. If this was supposed to suggest a general indifference or negativity among the participating teams, it certainly was not in evidence in Semple Stadium last Sunday. An Moltóir was at the edge of his seat throughout, as Limerick and Tipperary tore into each other in an enthralling contest which once again left us indebted to TG4 for the wonderful live entertainment they have been serving up over the last year.

Limerick put out their strongest fifteen for this character-forming confrontation against the All-Ireland champions. Tipp themselves were not far off full strength. Little sign here of using the League to experiment with new players. It would be easy to say that Limerick won because they were the hungrier outfit. However, Nicky English has been insisting on consistency of performance from his charges, and they in turn were undoubtedly very anxious to preserve their unbeaten record. The remarkable playing surface at Semple Stadium, by allowing the game to be played at speed from start to finish, made its own distinctive contribution to what was a tremendous contest.

Back at the beginning of the 1980s, Limerick won a couple of Munster titles with a team of generally modest abilities but marvellous fighting spirit. However, ultimately their shortcomings proved their undoing once they got to Croke Park. There may be something similar about the current team. They have won two All-Ireland Under-21 titles with yet another team with little cutting edge - through a combination of application, attitude and great temperament under pressure. This combination appears to have been transferred to the senior team, whose exhuberance and zeal saw off both Cork and Waterford in last year’s championship. However, their lack of real attacking quality eventually proved their undoing in the Munster final against last Sunday’s opponents, despite overall having the upper hand in the outfield exchanges.

Last Sunday, the same strengths and failings in the Shannonsiders makeup were again in evidence. Having started excellently, they finished the first half playing second fiddle to a Tipp team that seemed to be just getting into their stride. However, the Limerick men upped their game again after the restart, but once they had wiped out Tipperary’s half-time lead, they were unable to seize the initiative. Surprisingly, as both sides strove might and main to gain an advantage, it was the Tipp men who blinked, with Eoin Kelly missing two straightforward frees. With referee Sean McMahon helping out with a few dubious decisions, and both teams almost out on their feet in the demanding conditions, eventually Limerick made the decisive break for the finishing line and ran out clear winners.

Eamon Cregan clearly has a limited panel of top-quality players available, with the result that a few square pegs are expected to fill round holes. Thus we had Jack Foley at corner back and Mike O’Brien at wing back, positionings that do not have the ring of title winners about them. Still, Brian Geary is blossoming into a fine centre back and, with Mark Foley continuing to give player-of-the-year performances and TJ Ryan doing inspirational stuff at the back, Limerick made the Tipp forwards look very ordinary – which, frankly, is exactly what they are.

It was good to see Joe Quaid back in goal. His first half save from Mark O’Leary looked spectacular and undoubtedly will feature in "saves of the year" competitions later on in the season, but at this level, one expects goalies armed with extended frying pans to stop shoulder-high shots from 25 yards. His role in Tipperary’s poxy goal was lamentable, not so much for his fumble, but for failing to obey the golden rule that, where two players from the same team are moving towards the ball, it is the player facing outfield who should take it.

Limerick generally had the upper hand at midfield where Ciaran Carey’s exhuberant hurling remains a joy to watch. Up front, Ollie Moran did a lot of good work in the second half blocking and intercepting and using the ball intelligently. Sean O’Connor showed some ot the touches which marked him out as a bright prospect last year but ended up with just a single point. A cleverer player would have made more of his first half goal chance by opting for a ground stroke rather than trying to blast the ball through Brendan Cummins’s bulky frame. In the right corner, Donie Ryan showed an admirable ability to gain possession, but was inclined to behave like a headless chicken thereafter. An Moltóir was appalled that he was allowed to stay on the pitch following the blow to the head that he received in the lead-up to Limerick’s second goal. Our young players deserve better protection than this. Mark Keane took his two goals with aplomb, but otherwise his contribution from play was virtually non-existent, and when he did gain possession, he looked quite limited.

Tipperary probably didn’t learn a whole lot from this game. Their defence was not as sharp as it will be come summer, but Noel Morris made no impression at midfield and Eddie Enright, despite the occasional flash of brilliance, doesn’t really figure when the exchanges are tight. Up front, Michael Ryan’s no-show suggests that Tipp’s strength in depth is not what they would like. The rest of the forwards, as usual, produced the odd sparkle but as a unit, they lack real presence. John Carroll’s combination of drive and strength when introduced hinted at what is missing, but the lack of a target man in the full forwards could prove a fatal flaw when the going really gets tough in high summer.