Favourite’s tag rests easy on Shaughs’ shoulders

ALL-IRELAND senior quarter-final, Limerick favoured to advance to the semis — who would have envisaged such a scenario at the start of this hurling year?

That’s the surprising situation however, for this Sunday’s meeting in Croke Park between the men in green-and-white and Clare, their neighbours from across the Shannon.

Even more surprising, given that in championship hurling Limerick have been playing second fiddle to Clare for the last decade, one All-Ireland title and two Munsters for the Banner, nothing to report for Limerick.

During that decade Clare made five All-Ireland semi-final appearances, including two in the last two years (winning just one, 2002), a perennial force.

Limerick? All-Ireland quarter-finals on three occasions, losing all three. Through all that period, however (and another surprise), they’ve met just once. First round of the All-Ireland qualifiers last year, Ennis, final scoreline a humiliating 2-21 to 0-10 in favour of Clare. An occasion, surely, that anyone connected with Limerick would want to forget.

On the contrary, said Andrew O’Shaughnessy. That beating will be very much to the forefront of their minds this Sunday as motivation.

“It was a pivotal game in our season,” said the Limerick corner-forward. “But it was embarrassing more than anything else. There was no hint beforehand of anything going so badly wrong, everything was fine.

“We prepared the same as we’d prepared for every game, nothing different. Ennis is a difficult to place to go to at the best of times, they got a few early scores, and that was it.

“You have those days in sport, but it’s how you react to them that’s the key, and I think we did well in that respect.” No argument there. That loss signalled the end of the Joe McKenna management era, the introduction of Richie Bennis, and a turnaround in Limerick’s fortunes.

Almost, because Limerick went on to struggle against Offaly in the next round of the qualifiers, before an outstanding last quarter saw them home by ten points, with pride restored.

They had a comfortable win over Dublin before running All-Ireland champions Cork to a point in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

On Sunday, another turnaround is needed. Limerick enter the game on a different note to last year, three huge games against Tipperary in the Munster semi-final before eventually shading it in the second replay, then disappointment against Waterford in the Munster final.

Disappointment, because this was a game Limerick could have won, being within a single score with less than four minutes left on the clock. Just another one of those days that Shaughs mentioned above.

“I suppose, but we still weren’t too far off it. I know there was a bit of a collapse in the last five minutes, and we were stuttering a bit up to then, but we still had our chances. A few things we had to address, but we’re starting again now, new championship.”

A huge positive for Limerick in that game was the performance of Brian Begley at full-forward; he ended with 1-2 from play, could easily have been 2-2 or 3-3 had things fallen for the garda from Mungret.

“Brian was going well at the start of the year. But he went away and got married, and he’s only come back to form again in the last few matches. He’s had a few injuries too, but Brian has always done a job for Limerick, an outstanding target man.”

So here we are, in Croke Park, and the favourites tag. It’s a mantle few teams in Irish sport seem to want, few individuals; count Andrew out.

A winner all the way up through underage with his club, Kilmallock, a winner with his school, St Colman’s Fermoy, a winner with Limerick at All-Ireland U-21 level, Andrew takes it in his stride.

“I suppose if you were judging on the Munster championship that’s fair enough. We were happy enough with the draw, but I’d say Clare were twice as happy. Slight favourites, but this is a totally different scenario; whether we deserve that or not, we won’t know ‘til Sunday.

“Generally we’re the physical team but Clare will be only relishing that, so while it will still be physical, we won’t be going out just to try and overpower them, that isn’t going to happen. Concentrate on hurling. It’s going to be a tough, close game; whoever wants it the most, that will probably be the winner.”