Limerick hurlers crowned RTÉ Sport's Team of the Year 

BAND OF BROTHERS: Paddy O'Loughlin, left, and Dan Morrissey celebrates Limerick's victory over Waterford in last month's All-Ireland SHC final. The Shannonsiders were tonight named as RTÉ Sport's Team of the Year.

Declan Hannon has revealed how the full significance of the county's All-Ireland triumph only truly sank in after last month's final defeat of Waterford.

With supporters unable to attend games, two-time MacCarthy Cup winning captain Hannon said he was filled in afterwards on exactly what the latest win meant to Limerick people.

Speaking as he collected the RTÉ Sport's Team of the Year award for 2020 on behalf of Limerick, Hannon said: "Since the 13th of December, talking to friends and family members, it meant the world to them. They were just so delighted to sit down on a Saturday or Sunday and watch a bit of live sport.

"For us, to be part of that, and to give people that joy, we were really, really proud to do so. Even talking to my own father after games, he'd be on the phone for four or five or six hours with neighbours and different bits like that, just talking about the game.

"Myself, I remember when soccer and rugby came back onto our screens, I was delighted to be able to watch that. It was an honour for us to be able to play and it meant a lot to be able to put smiles on people's faces back home."

Limerick went through the entire 2020 season undefeated, winning all 13 of their competitive games and lifting four different pieces of silverware. Half-back Hannon maintained that there is no magic to how it happened and to how Limerick have established themselves as hurling's market leaders.

"It's just down to really, really hard work by everyone involved," he shrugged. "We've a really tight group at the minute and everyone wants to work hard for each other. Nobody wants to leave anybody down. It's a lot of years of hard work that's just culminating at the minute.

"Thankfully we've been successful over the past number of years. But look, there's a lot of effort that goes into that. It doesn't just happen on the day. It's very, very hard work but it's very, very enjoyable and very rewarding as well."

Limerick will be without defender Tom Condon for 2021 after stepping away from the inter-county game. The Knockaderry man, who came on in the 2018 All-Ireland final win over Galway but didn’t feature in last year’s Championship glory, announced his decision via the Limerick County Board. He made his debut in 2009 and claimed three Munster medals.