O’Connor: Limerick are among the best

LIMERICK’s footballers are one of the top six sides in the country – now they have to go out and prove it, says Kerry coach Jack O’Connor.

“They’re well up there, a serious outfit,” he reflected yesterday after squeaking past Mickey Ned O’Sullivan’s side in Sunday’s Munster final. “But do they just lift it for the Kerrys and Corks, or are they ready now to drive on and make the quarter finals?,” the Dromid man mused.

Limerick will join the qualifier scramble at the final stage at the end of this month, and still find themselves only 70 minutes from an All-Ireland last eight tussle at Croke Park. “They’ll bother a pile of teams along the way,” added Jack O’Connor. “They’re well coached, very fit, defensively sound and they’ve a powerful midfield and forwards. They’ve all the pieces but it’s about putting Sunday behind them now. They deserve to be in a Croke Park quarter-final, and unless they get a horror draw away from home, I’d expect them to make it,” he declared.

Of less doubt is his own team’s remarkable stickability, despite all they’ve achieved. He said: “You’d have to give credit to our fellas. When Limerick equalised late in the game, it’s very hard to wrestle back the momentum when it’s gone from you. They’ve showed unbelievable composure for the third game in a row when it was put up to them, and that has to breed confidence for the rest of the season.”