Mentally, this result is as good as a win for us, says McKenna

LIMERICK coach Joe McKenna covered every inch of Semple Stadium, urging his charges on.

“This was a completely new experience for me and I’d prefer to be playing. It was nerve-wracking being on the sideline,” he said.

“From my experience of Munster championship hurling I knew it was going to be a tough battle. We didn’t get the best of starts and lost the first four puck -outs, which was a worry.

“All credit to the lads, they never panicked and showed there is tremendous character in the team by staying in touch with Tipperary, who threatened to pull away at different stages.

“I cannot fault my players for the effort they put in. Maybe the lack of experience when we were five points up cost us, but they showed great character coming back to draw level.

“People would not want to forget Limerick hadn’t won a championship game since 2001 and you only get your experience by playing at this level on a regular basis.

“There had been a lot of adverse publicity surrounding Limerick hurling this season, but we put that to the back of our minds and were totally focused coming up here today on the job in hand.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that you never have Tipperary beaten until the final whistle and they proved that out there today; they are going to be just as difficult to beat in the Gaelic Grounds.

“I wasn’t one bit surprised at the way our lads played. We had prepared extremely well, had a game plan, stuck with it and it nearly paid off. I see no reason why we cannot complete the job next Saturday.

“Our defence was magnificent all through, but so was every line in the team. Every player died for the jersey out there today. I couldn’t ask for more from them.

“The victory of our minors over Tipperary last week was a confidence booster. A rising tide lifts all boats, they say, and it certainly gave us a big boost for this game.

“Mentally, today’s result is as good as a win for us, and I certainly don’t think we have left it after us. Now we know we can do it.”

Limerick captain TJ Ryan refused to accept that his side had blown their chance of a semi-final meeting at home to Clare.

“If you said at the beginning of the game it would end all-square I would have settled for that, and taken them back to the Gaelic Grounds.

“It looked as if we were going to win it but a two -point lead is always a nightmare, and when Tipp struck for that lead goal, it looked curtains for us.

“We deserved the chance to level it, and overall a draw was a fair result. It should be another cliff-hanger in Limerick next Saturday night.”

One of nine U21 All-Ireland medal winners on the squad, Timmy Houlihan was back between the posts for Limerick for the first time in two years and it looked as if he has never been away.

“My job was made a lot easier today by the men I had around me. They were absolutely magnificent, all six of them and I cannot speak highly enough of them,” he said.

“Naturally we are a bit disappointed at letting a five -point lead slip, but it could have been a lot worse had we lost. We are still in this ball game, have no doubt about it.”

Brian Geary, another of the U21 medal winners, was majestic at centre-back and felt Limerick missed a couple of chances to put the game beyond Tipperary before they made their push.

“We knew that Tipperary would come at us from the throw-in and we were prepared for that.

“Limerick were written off in most quarters and when we fell three points behind it looked as if it was going to be another of those days. Tipp appeared to run out of steam for a period and we got on top, but couldn’t put them away. It’s something we will have learn to do if we are to do well in the championship.”