Downes has high hopes Na Piarsaigh can go all the way

LIMERICK star Kevin Downes believes newly-crowned AIB Munster Club hurling champions Na Piarsaigh have every chance of claiming All-Ireland glory next March.

Downes, 20, hit two points and supplied the pass for Adrian Breen’s killer second-half goal in Sunday’s provincial final replay with Clare’s Crusheen. Na Piarsaigh’s 1-13 to 0-9 victory capped a remarkable season for Downes, who made his debut for the county seniors under former manager Donal O’Grady this year.

And the towering full-forward, who starred for Ardscoil Rís during their 2010 Harty Cup success, is confident Na Piarsaigh’s glory trail will lead to Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day. Having secured the county and Munster senior crowns for the first time, Na Piarsaigh are fancied by many to lift the Tommy Moore Cup. Sean Stack’s men face Antrim and Ulster champions Loughgiel Shamrocks in February, the winners set for an All-Ireland final showdown with Gort (Galway) or Coolderry (Offaly).

Downes admitted: “We might as well dare to dream now. At the start of the year it would have been a bit far away, but we’re here now, we might as well go for it, just two more games. We’ll enjoy this now and knuckle down again and hopefully give it another lash. That’s all we can do and see where it takes us.”

Downes, a student at NUIG, was back down to earth with a bang yesterday for an Irish exam. But he was still basking in the warm afterglow of Sunday’s remarkable success and struggling to come to terms with the enormity of the achievement.

Downes said: “ All the work that has gone in the past, it’s all worth it. The feeling of elation is just unbelievable. Incredible feeling.”