Pleased as Punch with Limerick’s progress

FOR manager Dave Keane, co-selector John Meskall and many of the players, facing into Sunday’s first-round Guinness Munster hurling game in Thurles against holders Waterford will be unknown territory.

It’s not that they don’t have experience of the big occasion but it will be their first time sampling the championship at senior level.

Dave Punch, though, the third member of the management team, has seen it all before. He was one of Limerick’s outstanding hurlers of the late 1970s and early 80s, being a member of the team which lost in the 1980 All-Ireland final to Galway - a team which had current manager Conor Hayes at full-back. And, he was a selector with Eamonn Cregan up to 2000, after which he devoted all his energies to the U21 team. When the selectors came together in January to pick their panel, they were clearly influenced in their selection by the success they had enjoyed at U21 level. But there was a realisation there could be pitfalls ahead.