Buckley: club made me into a Limerick leader
He’s grounded enough to appreciate the role and is keenly aware of those responsible for the honour bestowed upon him.
In the pocket of South Limerick that skirts the Cork border, Drom-Broadford have created a club football dynasty since their maiden county senior title in 2001 and the fifth championship they acquired in 2009 led to Buckley assuming the captaincy.
Drom-Broadford may have maintained their control on Limerick football but their provincial griploosened last November. After their stirring Munster Club final triumph in December 2008 over Kilmurry-Ibrickane, the Clare side exacted revenge on home turf in last season’s quarter-final.
“We’d a number of injuries heading into the game, which didn’t help,”recalls Buckley. “We wouldn’t have the strength in numbers to cope with player losses as we’ve a small enough pick. But, any team in the country, you take them down to Quilty to play Kilmurry-Ibrickane and they’ll struggle. It’s huge football country and with the wind in that ground, everyone will struggle.
“But we had a great run the year before. To win Munster was just amassive achievement. From the club viewpoint getting to play against a team like Crossmaglen in the All-Ireland semi-final was fantastic, even if they were well over us on the day.Being captain of Limerick is all down to the club and I’m grateful to them.”
Buckley watched Kilmurry-Ibrickane’s subsequent run to last St Patrick’s Day club football showpiece with interest. He works as a Garda in Ennistymon, just up the West Clare coast from Quilty, and was in college with Enda Coughlan and ShaneHickey, two of the Clare club’s stars.
“You’d be thinking of what might have been when they went on to win the Munster Club and get to an All-Ireland final. I’d know a good few of them, Enda and Shane from the Garda College. They’re good lads, great and honest footballers, I was delighted to see them reach a club final.”
Buckley lives in Ennis and finds the commute to county training inLimerick relatively painless, although he eagerly awaits the opening of the Shannon tunnel which will erase the Dock Road traffic nightmares. These days journeys to training are to be enjoyed ahead of the prospect of next Sunday’s Munster decider.
It’s six years since the last Munster decider between Limerick and Kerry, when Buckley stood on the terraces of the Gaelic Grounds and Fitzgerald Stadium as a youngster, cheering on clubmates Tommy Stack, Jason Stokes and Micheal Reidy. Buckley linked up with the senior panel for the first time in 2005, but his arrival coincided with a lull in Limerick’s fortunes.
“I was just at those Munster finals as a supporter, cheering on the lads from Drom-Broadford.
“There was a huge buzz about things at the time.
“But, after the team came so close, you’d lads retiring and things had to move on. For a couple of years after that, when I started on the squad, things were in transition. We needed a few fresh players in, but the thing with Limerick is you don’t have an obvious pick of players from U16 and minor level who have been successful.
“It’s a different challenge altogether. Still, we’ve managed it over the last few years. Ian Ryan was the first of the younger lads and then Ger Collins. This year you’ve Eoghan O’Connor and Brian Scanlon, it’s great to be adding to the squad every year.
“We’ve recovered gradually and we’re probably back to as high a standard as we had back then.”
Buckley has nursed regrets over the past two seasons when Limerick crashed to disappointing provincialdefeats against Cork. The aim is now to translate those lessons into a positive performance for victory.
“When we walked off the field against Cork and Meath last year, we’d have done anything to get back to this position. Now that we’re there, we must take the chance that we have. It’s going to take next Sunday, intensity for 70 minutes and I think we’re the kind of team that needs to have all guns blazing.
“We’ve definitely learnt the hard way what’s needed to win games and how it can cost you against the bigger sides if you don’t push on late on.”
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