O’Grady ready for ‘shark pool’
The last time Donal O’Grady was at the coalface in the Munster senior hurling championship, he was pipped in a classic in 2004 as Cork boss against Waterford. Since then he’s been in an observer role in the province and sampled the punditry game.
Now O’Grady has returned to the frontline, assuming the managerial reins of Limerick and plotting their preparations for a semi-final tilt with Waterford. Ask him is he enjoying being back and it’s clear that his ethos has not changed.
“I don’t know is enjoyment the right word,’’ he said. “I tend to enjoy it when the results go well or the team plays as well as they possibly can. If a team plays to 100% and they’re beaten then I’m happy enough because you can’t do any more than that. But since we started in January I’ve had no fault with these players. They’ve been very enthusiastic and have done everything we’ve asked them to do. I’ve found them a very easy bunch to work with.’’ !
O’Grady took over after a tumultuous year for hurling in the county. Yet he was not perturbed with the controversy that had blazed after a slew of players withdrew their services during Justin McCarthy’s tenure. Under O’Grady’s watch the focus was firmly on the future and past reputations did not concern him when he began assembling a panel in January. His three lieutenants TJ Ryan, Ciaran Carey and Pat Heffernan, all celebrated figures within Limerick hurling, were tapped for valuable information.
“I don’t really look back into history. So when I started I wouldn’t have known the players and in that regard, the lads that are selectors were excellent then in filling me in. The whole backroom team have been brilliant as well, with Jerry (Wallis) as physical trainer being immense. We played about 30 odd players during the league to see what they’re like and we’re now fairly happy as to where we’re at.”
They moved efficiently through the league yet O’Grady feels their progress must be marked with an asterisk. After spending the spring plying their trade in Division 2, Limerick now must get ready ‘for the shark pool’ of championship action.
“The reality is we’ve been swimming in nice placid lakes so far this year and now we’re getting ready for the shark pool. If we survive it’ll be huge, but we have to be realistic as well. With all due respect to the National League final and to Division 2 hurling, that’s all you’re playing at really. I said at the beginning of the league that I wasn’t sure where Limerick were and we wouldn’t know until we played Clare. But I thought Clare were abysmal in that first match so we didn’t know where we were after that match either. By half-time next Sunday is when we’ll have an idea of where exactly we are.
“You look at it and we played two Division 1 teams in challenge matches this year. The first was against Dublin who blew us away and then Galway recently. What came back from those games was the increase in the speed, the intensity and how quickly players think on their feet. That game we played against Dublin was like U16’s playing against U21’s.”
O’Grady admits that it is a concern that the majority of Limerick’s team have been inactive in senior championship since the 2009 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Tipperary, with potentially only four of the starting 15 next Sunday having been involved last season.
“The reality is that they lost out on a full year last year and with younger players that’s a huge loss in their development. In every championship game you play, you learn something different from it. When a team is out for a year, it’s very difficult to come back in and just pick up the reins again. It’s a journey into the unknown really.”
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