New Munster hurling format carries fears with cheers
Walking away from Semple Stadium on Saturday night, you couldn’t but be excited about what lies ahead this summer. Returning to his car in the gathering gloom, Limerick secretary Mike O’Riordan gave a hearty salute. His county may have lost but they are anything but down. The league has finally been good to Limerick both in a development and financial regard. What’s more, the Gaelic Grounds will host three high-profile Munster championship matches across May and June. Happy days? Not yet. But certainly happier.
Minutes earlier in the dressing room corridor, Limerick manager John Kiely had been articulating that pep in O’Riordan’s step. Michael Ryan had done so also when forecasting how competitive the provincial championship is going to be. All the three men have ever known is knock-out hurling but they exhibited a giddiness about what lies in wait with the new round-robin structure.
