Former Tipperary hurler John "Bubbles" O'Dwyer believes the key to stopping Limerick from winning five in a row is preventing them from getting out of the Munster Championship.
Limerick has won four of the last Liam McCarthy Cups and the last five Munster Championships. They are expected to go one better in both formats this year.
However, last year, Limerick's dominance in hurling nearly ended. The provincial round robin, with a draw against Tipperary and a one-point victory over Cork, became a narrow escape out of their provincial group.
Shortly after, Limerick found their best form as the weeks went on and overcame Kilkenny once again in last year's finale in Croke Park.
O'Dwyer believes that the chance to down Limerick could happen this year because of last year's near collapse. He also believes an elimination from Munster will give other teams a greater chance of winning the All-Ireland.
“If we want someone other than Limerick to win an All-Ireland, I think you need to prevent Limerick from getting out of Munster,” said the former Tipperary star this week.
“This year, it looked like they were nearly going to come in third, which I think would have been worse for the rest of the teams because they would have gotten a quarter-final, an extra game, but they ended up getting to a Munster final and winning it.
Billy Ryan of Kilkenny is tackled by Sean Finn of Limerick during the Allianz Hurling League Final match between Kilkenny and Limerick at Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. (Photo By Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile via Getty Images)“The second-half performance in the All-Ireland final was outstanding, even the second half against Galway as well. If other teams want to win the All-Ireland, I think you need to stop them from getting out of Munster."
If Limerick completes their quest for a fifth All-Ireland title this year, it will put an end to the ongoing debate as to which hurling team is the greatest of all time. Kilkenny's dominant reign under Brian Cody consisted of a four-in-a-row triumph, while the same feat was achieved by Cork in the 1940s.
This year, Limerick can achieve immortality in hurling with a win next summer. O'Dwyer holds the opinion that Limerick will achieve the never-before-done feat and put an end to the debate. However, he still appreciates how special Kilkenny was in their pomp.
"It will probably end the arguments as to which team is better, but I think Limerick will win the five-in-a-row, and the arguments will stop, but the Kilkenny team was outstanding, "he added.
“More often than not, it was up against Tipperary that they played those games, so to see some of the performances, it is very similar to some of the performances that Limerick is putting in now.
“Kilkenny has done four; Limerick could potentially do five. If they did that, it probably puts it to bed that Limerick is that bit better."
