Royal appointment gives Limerick a chance to make amends

FOUR weeks on and that searing pain is struggling to go away. Limerick football has endured plenty of trauma during their 103-year search for a Munster title and the most recent provincial final setback hurt as much as anything that went before.

A turbo-charged first-half display had put Limerick in prime position to succeed but Cork’s experience wore them down in the second-half.

“It was a really gutting loss,” admits Limerick captain Sean Buckley. “The dressing-room after that game was a devastating place. The end defeat was partly down to it being difficult to maintain that intensity. But we still had the chances in the second-half and just didn’t take the scoring opportunities.”

Still fortune has looked kindly on their hopes of recovery. Back in 2003 and 2004 Limerick suffered Munster final defeats to Kerry, and were faced with a rapid six-day turnaround before plunging into the qualifier system.

They travelled to Dr Hyde Park both seasons but found they could not coax enough energy out of their weary legs, as Derry and Armagh knocked them out of the championship race. This year they were pencilled in for a three week break and the Roscommon-Wexford replay had the knock-on effect of granting them another week.

“Time is a big healer,” states Buckley. “We had four weeks to the Meath game and that makes an awful difference. After such a bad loss, it can be very difficult to lift it in a couple of weeks for a qualifier match. I think the history books show that it seems to be virtually impossible for the losing provincial finalists to win within six days. It happened to Galway and Antrim last weekend. But we’ve had a break and we’ve no excuses now.”

Since the Cork defeat, Limerick have forced themselves to hone in on the positive elements of their performance. Buckley was one of the mainstays of their first-half dominance, landing some dazzling points from play along with Ian Ryan.

He agreed: “There are plenty of positives for us to take from it. We got some good scores in the first-half which was encouraging. We were very hungry as well and that was a good thing. I was happy with the way we never died. We responded well to their first goal and when they got a second goal, we could have lied down again.”

The obstacle ahead in tonight’s Round 4 qualifier tie is an imposing one. Meath have a serious thirst for revenge after Limerick walloped them in last year’s qualifiers. But Limerick still remain full of optimism. The hurlers success over Dublin has infused their setup with hope as dual stars Mark O’Riordan and Stephen Lucey look to replicate last week’s triumph.

“The hurling lads had a great win last week and it’s great to see GAA going well in the county. We’re the last county left in both championships this year so that’s an encouraging sign. To play in Croke Park with the footballers would be fantastic. It’s everyone’s dream to be playing in such a stadium.

“Teams like ourselves don’t get the chances too often to do that. And I think our lads have been through enough that at this stage, they deserve that opportunity.”