Bennis eyes silver lining to Shannonsiders’ new season

RICHIE BENNIS believes he is far better equipped to lead the Limerick hurlers to some silverware this year now that he has a full season under his belt as an inter-county manager.

The Patrickswell man first took over the county hurlers on a temporary basis in June 2006 after Joe McKenna resigned in the wake of a humiliating defeat to Clare in that summer’s Munster Championship.

Bennis’s impact was immediate, with Limerick defeating both Offaly and Dublin in subsequent qualifiers before succumbing to Cork by just one point in a controversial All-Ireland quarter-final.

Handed a two-year term that September, he oversaw Limerick’s resurgence last summer to reach the Munster and All-Ireland finals after a seminal Munster Championship semi-final win over Tipperary at the third time of asking.

“We are starting from a higher level,” said Bennis of his management team’s experience. “Last year I was new to the scene and the backroom team was only new to the scene as well. I had never managed an inter-county team before. Club alright. It was a big experience for us all and hopefully we have learnt from it.”

Though they lost out on silverware at both times of asking last year, expectations have been raised to levels that would have been unimaginable 12 months ago. Bennis seems comfortable with that.

“I would prefer that to expectation not being there at all. That there is expectation shows that you have progressed in the last 12 months. With expectations comes a bit of pressure but that is part and parcel of it.

“If we won the Munster Championship I would be very happy. Well and good after that. A league title, any trophy would be welcome. The league trophy would be a big one to win at this stage.

“We have three finals lost now (in the past two seasons) so we would want to start winning something. We need to maintain where we were last year first, and then look to win something.”

Although the dual player situation has been addressed to Bennis’ satisfaction, Limerick approach the league opener against Laois this weekend without the benefit of any match practice having forsaken the

Waterford Crystal Cup in favour of a trip to Florida.

Long-term injuries to Brian Geary, Brian Begley and Conor Fitzgerald are further handicaps to be overcome as Bennis starts with just nine of the first XV from last September’s All-Ireland final.

The side is also hamstrung by the ongoing commitment of five of its number with third-level colleges and Bennis makes no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with the difficulties that has caused.

“It’s killing the thing, to be honest, because some of them are training three times a day and then they are coming to us. We are having to stop them from training. It is a killer.

“They talk about Under-21 and minor. It is the colleges that are killing the thing. Hurling in

January is just not on. We will be hurling next Sunday and the likelihood is the game will be played in bad conditions unless the recent fine weather continues.”

With that in mind, it is perhaps a stroke of fortune that they will be facing a Laois team still in the midst of a transitional period at home rather than taking a trip to Galway or Tipperary, though

Bennis begs to differ.

“I genuinely would prefer to be playing Galway or Tipperary in the first match. These conditions — and this is not to belittle Laois — are a big leveller. They have a few good hurlers.

“They have a centre-forward that any county would be proud to have in James Young. They have a few good forwards. We are very wary of them. We will treat them with the utmost of respect.”