Ryan undaunted by final failings

JAMES RYAN doesn’t have a good record in Croke Park. Then again, neither do Limerick in football finals.

Fortunes have improved considerably in the past decade, but three Munster finals and a Division Two league decider have gone against them since 2003.

Ryan. left, lost an All-Ireland minor hurling final in 2005 and was part of the senior hurling team that suffered a crushing defeat to Tipperary in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.

There is not a trace of concern in his voice though as he considers tomorrow’s return to headquarters for the Division Four league final, even though he is well aware of the Waterford threat.

“The team itself has been to a lot of finals but going down through the list of players, only seven or eight of them have been there” says Ryan.

“If you took last year’s Munster final out of it, the experience is actually very limited, with the backs experienced enough and the forwards being very young. Losing to Waterford earlier on means that we’ll be ready for them. They really showed us up with their pace and movement both on and off the ball. We only lost by a point but we got a lucky goal. I was impressed with them and they deserved to get promotion. With their speed, they’re going to be very tough to beat in a wide open pitch like Croke Park.”

There is plenty of confidence in Mickey Ned O’Sullivan’s camp though, borne out of the battling qualities that earned promotion.

“I think as a team, the Wicklow game was the defining moment. We were missing the most players we have been all year and I don’t think we even had a panel of 24 going up. Nobody gave us a chance but we said we just had to get a performance.

“We should have got the win but to come away from Aughrim with a draw united the team and we got a lot of confidence from it.”

They ended Clare’s 100% record to get themselves back into contention and must now slay the only unbeaten football team in the land to end the county’s 104-year wait for silverware.

“We nearly threw it away against Clare. We’re playing well all year but seem to be letting teams back into it; we’re struggling to put teams away.

“If we get two or three points up we can’t be letting Waterford back into it but on the flip side, if we fall behind we won’t panic.”