Favourite tag worries Na Piarsaigh

On the eve of AIB All-Ireland club hurling final day, it’s worth giving Tom Ryan his dues.

Back in November, before Na Piarsaigh were even provincial champions, the legendary Limerick hurling figure guaranteed in these pages that they ‘would win not just the Munster title but the All-Ireland. I don’t think the test is there for them’.

Na Piarsaigh, of course, still have one huge hurdle to surmount before Ryan is proven fully correct but they are resounding favourites to do so.

All of which scares the life out of David Breen, the Na Piarsaigh captain, who only has to think back four years to their shock semi-final defeat to Loughgiel to be reminded how even the best laid plans can come to ruination.

If Breen is honest, it’s actually just relief to have finally made it to St Patrick’s Day.

“Absolutely, a big relief because we’ve obviously lost two semi-finals in the last few years,” said Breen. “When we saw the semi-final this year against Oulart going to extra-time, you’re just thinking it over in your head again, you’re thinking back to Loughgiel.

Kilmallock reached last year’s club final but like all the Limerick teams that contested an All-Ireland decider before them, they lost. Breen, a Munster title winner with Limerick in 2013, said that wretched club history doesn’t matter a jot.

“It’s irrelevant to me and it’s irrelevant to a lot of the players as well because Limerick people love to go on about history and hoodoo and spells and all the rest but that’s nonsense,” said Breen. “Our club has a history of 48 years and that doesn’t stand up to a lot of other clubs in Limerick but does that matter? No. It’s history, it’s not now.

“We’ve got a good team and we’re trying to achieve something and that’s all that matters. The amount of teams from Limerick that have played in Croke Park doesn’t really matter.”