Limerick savour that September excitement in U21 hurling final
It was three-quarters of an hour on from the presentation of the James Nowlan Cup to Tom Morrissey when Pat Donnelly addressed his players underneath the Kinane Stand. County board chairman Oliver Mann and secretary Mike O’Riordan also offered a few congratulatory words. The Limerick players, as you can imagine, were in fairly buoyant form, so how much attention was being paid is questionable.
The one man they’d have done well to listen to was selector Maurice O’Brien. He’d been where they are now, stood in their boots. Eight players picked up their second U21 medal on Saturday, just as O’Brien had done in 2002. He made his senior championship debut the following year, but, like so many of his U21 team-mates, faded from the scene in subsequent years.
