Coach Carroll’s Emmetts bid to restore bruised Limerick pride

THERE’S a book going to hit your shelves in a few weeks’ time, ‘Unlimited Heartbreak’, by Henry Martin — it should be made compulsory reading for every Limerick hurling supporter.

Based around some of the most frank and revealing interviews you will ever read, with some of the most central characters in controversy after controversy that has dogged Limerick hurling for decades, by the time you have finished reading you will understand, completely, why Limerick hurling is in such disarray.

As the book progresses, one character in particular takes centre-stage (and he shall remain nameless here — get the book for yourselves and it will soon become apparent), and the bile, the venom, oozes from the pages as charge and countercharge is levelled, abuse hurled.

One of the more positive contributors to the book is a guy called Jimmy Carroll, from Hospital-Herbertstown club in south Limerick, who played in the 70s and 80s. Today, Jimmy is still making a positive contribution, and tomorrow he’ll wear the Bainisteoir’s bib as his team, Emmetts, the south Limerick divisional team, take on Cinderella city side Na Piarsaigh in the first of two Limerick senior hurling semi-finals at the Gaelic Grounds.

Given how low Limerick hurling has now sunk, the massive defeat suffered at the hands of Tipperary in this year’s All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final, Jimmy is hoping that something good comes from these two games — if not for his own side, then for Limerick hurling, at least: “No matter what happens there’s going to be a new team in the final, which I think is fantastic for Limerick hurling, especially the way things have gone lately.

“A new team, with new faces; if we can get two good semi-finals and a good county final, with good hurling — which we haven’t had for a few years now in Limerick — and if some of them can go on from that, show a bit of promise, I think it will bring back the interest again. I’m hoping the standard this Sunday will be good — in both games — but certainly there should be more interest in the final, no matter which one of us goes through.

“We’ve gone so far down now in Limerick hurling — we were never world-beaters, but the fear now is that more and more will leave the underage, which would be disastrous. I don’t think that will happen, but we have to get stuck in, try to get something done for next year. In that respect it would be nice to see a good finish to the county championship.”

Na Piarsaigh are themselves a good-news story; founded in 1968, they are the only senior hurling club on the north side of the city, and have been pushing hard at underage for several years, some superb work being put in to promote hurling.

A win would see them reach their first county senior final (Emmetts reached one, beaten by Feenagh-Kilmeedy in 1963), and in the heart of rugby territory, would surely give a boost to hurling in the city, a fact recognised — generously — by the Emmetts manager: “Na Piarsaigh have done some fantastic work in the last few years, and they are also in the intermediate football semi-final, with two separate panels. Seán Stack (former Clare great) is training the hurlers and making great progress; all year I felt they were coming, that they could be the surprise team — hopefully, not this year though, not this Sunday anyway!”

A boost, that’s what Limerick hurling needs, and regardless of whether it’s Na Piarsaigh or Emmetts advancing after this game, that’s what it will get. The city could do with it but then so could south Limerick.

Says Jimmy: “If Emmetts win it would be a great lift to the division. We have four junior clubs — Effin, Blackrock, Castletown-Ballyagran, Stakers, and three intermediate, Hospital-Herbertstown, Glenroe, Dromin-Athlacca. We have a few very experienced players, like Damien Reale and Mike O’Brien — though Mike is suspended at the moment — but most of our team is quite young. Aaron Murphy in goal is only 17, a county minor the last two years; Donie Reale, a nephew of mine but no relation of Damien, was on the Limerick U21 panel for last two years but didn’t make it, because of injury. He’s our scorer-in-chief, vital.

“Effin and Blackrock are a great backbone; they met in the south junior A final this year, a draw and a replay, won by Blackrock; those were two great games. We have four from each club, Nickey and Tommy Quaid, Damien Moloney and John Dillon from Effin, four fine hurlers, Richie McCarthy, Dave and Brian Moloney, and wing-back Richie Murphy from Blackrock (Kilfinane/Ardpatrick), with Pat Heffernan as our sub-keeper.

“I’ve been involved with a lot of teams over the years but this was the best year’s training I ever had. I have to give a lot of credit here too to Darren Moynihan from Dromin-Athlacca, our trainer/selector — he has been invaluable. He knows the lads, he has a simple way of training but it’s effective. It’s a happy, unified camp, everyone working together, no ‘them’ and ‘us’, and that makes things easier.”

The other semi-final sees champions Adare take on Tobin-powered Murroe-Boher, the brothers Pat, Kevin and youngster Seán, along with Seamus Hickey and Paudie McNamara. With Adare going for three-in-a-row, most neutrals will be shouting for Murroe-Boher here; even with Mark Foley, Conor Fitzgerald, Donncha Sheehan, Wayne McNamara et al lining out for the champions, it could be a surprise is on the cards here.