Lessons learned as Limerick eye final showdown

SHANE GALLAGHER had a ringside seat in the Gaelic Grounds last June when Cork’s late, late show saw them dramatically triumph in the Munster SFC semi-final. The defeat was a savage blow for Limerick after they held the upper head for long stretches, yet the Ballysteen defender believes they can use that experience to their advantage for Sunday’s Munster SFC final.

“You take encouragement from nearly beating them then last year. There hasn’t been too much between us, bar in 2007. In the league it’s been the same and we’ll be hoping we can run them that close now again. But Cork are a form side and everyone’s looking at them as All-Ireland contenders.

“There’s a lot of media hype about them but it’s deserved. From when we played them 12 months ago, I think they’ve improved. Look at their performances during the year and they’ve been playing very well. In the replay against Kerry, they certainly looked like a very good side. As a player you’ll try and block that out, to focus on your own performance.

“Their attack is in good form and we could be in for a difficult afternoon. Hopefully we can be a bit tighter.”

Gallagher highlights the availability of dual players Stephen Lucey and Mark O’Riordan, who have been concentrating solely on hurling in recent years, as a considerable boost to Limerick’s fortunes.

“It’s a massive boost. They’ve been out for a few years not playing football. But they’ve made an immediate impact since coming back. One of the things we might have been missing was competition. That’s something the lads bring straight away to our side with them being involved. That’s the main benefit. Then you saw Stephen scoring a huge score against Tipperary, he’s a really inspirational character and it’s good to have him back.

“We’ve been heavily focused on the championship when the draw came out. With Cork and Kerry on the other side of the draw, a Munster final was really our goal even though Tipperary was a tough task first up.

“Obviously getting relegated from the league was something we would have liked to avoid indefinitely. That’s not great for next year but we’re concentrating on this year and the Munster final.”