Limerick and Clare hope to prosper under new bosses

LIMERICK supporters may wonder if there is life after Liam Kearns as their senior footballers gear up for their first Munster championship game in five years without their former manager.

Under the leadership of the genial Kerryman, Limerick contested three provincial finals, a Division One National League semi-final and a Division Two decider at Croke Park.

Kearns has now departed the scene and another Kerryman, Mickey ‘Ned’ O’Sullivan, has taken his place. Tomorrow, Limerick entertain neighbours Clare in the first round of the championship and team captain Muiris Gavin (out with a calf injury) is adamant the team can progress under the new boss.

Said Gavin: “Liam did phenomenal work for Limerick football during his time in charge. It was a great pity we didn’t win a Munster title because we deserved to,” he said.

“All that is in the past now. Mickey O’Sullivan is the man in charge and everything had gone well for us. While we failed to Louth in the Division Two league semi-final, we gained promotion to the top division in the league which was a priority. Over half of the team that was involved with Liam has gone, some to retirement and others to concentrate on hurling. Those that went to hurling stayed with the football out of loyalty to him but once he departed the scene, they opted out.

“Those players owe nothing to Limerick football. They gave it their all and there is no animosity towards them for wanting to put hurling first by those of us who are still involved. Their departure afforded a number of new players the opportunity to come in and show what they can do and credit to Mickey for giving them that chance.

“It hasn’t been easy for him. He came into the scene knowing he was going to lose a couple of very good and experienced players, but he has been very positive in everything he has said and done since taking over and that has rubbed off on the players.

“Playing in Division Two in the league was a good thing in one way. It meant we had a much lower profile and this allowed the new players time to acclimatise. Gaining promotion has been a significant achievement for the team, and the new coach has to take a lot of credit for that.”

Limerick’s record against the Banner has been reasonably good — a statistic Gavin wants extended.

“Our most recent meeting with them was in the 2003 championship which we won handily. That’s the only time we met in my years involved, but the record books show they’ve had a couple of very good results against us, particularly in the 1990s when they were a force to be reckoned with. There has never been much between the counties and in a derby, form counts for nothing.”

Like their opponents, Clare are under new management following the departure of John Kennedy.

“There has been a huge improvement in our preparation for games this year,” said team captain Conor Whelan. “Donie Buckley and Michael Brennan are managing the team jointly and have introduced a more professional approach. They have introduced a strict code of discipline, made certain demands on players and if you are not prepared to adhere to those demands, you are shown the door. That needed to be done and credit to the players, they have responded very well.

“Confidence has always been a problem with Clare football, which is difficult to understand given how well our county champions do in the Munster club championship. We can compete with the very best at that level. We’ve lost our place behind Kerry and Cork to Limerick over the last decade or so and we need to get back up there where we belong. Clare must begin to win minor and U-21 Munster titles to ignite the county.

“We have some of the best players in the country but there is a lack of confidence stemming from not winning as a county and we need to overcome that if we are to have any chance.

“Tomorrow is a big day for all of us. Limerick have a bit of a bogey team in recent years winning McGrath Cup, National League and Championship games against us, but there is an air of optimism within the camp and a championship victory could open up all sorts of doors for us.”

LIMERICK: S Kiely; S Gallagher, J McCarthy, P Browne; C Mullane, S Lavin, A Lane; F Stokes, J Galvin; P Ahern, D Reidy, S Buckley; M Crowley, J Murphy, M Reidy.

CLARE: D. O’Brien; P Gallagher, C Whelan, D Kelly; D Blake, D Considine, N Considine; G Quinlan, P O’Dwyer; David Russell, M O’Shea, Denis Russell; An Other, E Coughlan, D Heddington.

Referee: Tom Quigley (Dublin).