Dubs low as pain of defeat hits hard

ANTHONY DALY has known days like this, as a player and manager with his beloved Clare.

And, he has been on the wrong side of results against Limerick, most notably as All-Ireland champions in the 1996 Munster semi-final. So, to see his brave Dublin team lose in Semple Stadium yesterday and to endure the pain of defeat was not an unfamiliar feeling.

“They are all low,’’ he responded, admitting that 10 minutes after the final whistle it was hard to reconcile going out of the championship with all that had been achieved over the season.

“Getting beaten on days like this – knockout, in a quarter-final – it’s low stuff. But, what can you do? No one died, but it feels like it at the moment.”

Outside the Limerick dressing room, after he had spoken to his players as victors for the third consecutive week, Justin McCarthy was relaxed. Not quite buoyant but basking in the reflected glory of a victory a lot of people – Limerick supporters foremost among them – had serious doubts about.

“Every game was helping us. We feel we’re putting the team together. And lads are getting to know themselves better,” he said, adding his team is now better than six weeks ago (when they lost to Waterford in a replay in the Munster semi-final).

The big thing about this display, he suggested, was that his team showed great self-belief, especially after conceding a goal inside the first minute.

“It was a lucky enough goal from maybe 90 yards out,” he added. “It was an early part of the game. It kind of threw us back a bit, but I wasn’t too concerned because I felt we could battle our way back.

“I knew we would finish strongly. I was quietly confident all through.

“Players are closed down so fast and there’s a lot of grafting. But the touch is improving. We have done a lot of work on that and a lot of work on the physical side too.’’

Recognising the immense contribution of free-taker Gavin O’Mahony, the Limerick boss pointed out he had been a big loss to the team in their Munster campaign. “We need frees. Most teams have good free-takers that can decide the game,” he said, also paying tribute to Bruff player Paul Browne. He was admitted to hospital on Friday with suspected appendicitis but was still able to line out.

O’Mahony was delighted: “To be honest, they weren’t going as well as that all along. But, some days they go straight over the bar and, thankfully, they did today.”

For Anthony Daly, if there was a disappointment it was that they lost after looking like they had weathered the storm. “Every time we got two points ahead they seemed to get a free to nudge them back in touch. We couldn’t get three or four clear. It was a great second-half performance – we probably lost it in the 12/13 minutes before half time.

“I knew well that Limerick would come out fighting. Maybe it’s a learning curve, but you can’t be learning all your life.’’