Browne hails heady days as Limerick fortunes turn

IT COMES as a surprise to learn that Paul Browne is still only 23 and experiencing just his fifth season as an inter-county hurler, but the Limerick midfielder bears the battle scars of the most grizzled veteran.

His debut year was 2009 and, though the Munster side saw off Wexford, Laois and Dublin in the qualifiers, they bookended those victories with an eight-point defeat to Waterford in the province and an All-Ireland semi-final mauling by Tipperary. At the time, it was inconceivable to think of a depthbelow.

Tipperary beat them by 24 points that last day and scored six goals in the process and yet what followed in 2010, with the standoff between then manager Justin McCarthy and the majority of the squad, was a nadir of nuclear proportions. Fast forward to last Sunday and the county was celebrating a first provincial senior title in 17 years amidst some of the most memorable post-match scenes witnessed at a GAA ground in modern times.