Jamie Lee: Watching, and wondering, from Australia as Limerick footballers go again

As a child, his primary motivation was a devotion to the game. There was also the occasional reward from his grandmother, Mary. At least there was when he played well.

A GRIPPER: Limerick footballer Jamie Lee celebrates with his manager - and father - Billy after their 2019 Munster SFC quarter-final against Tipperary at Semple Stadium. Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

It was the kick that would jumpstart a special summer. Tipperary’s Conor Sweeney stood on the Gaelic Grounds sideline. They were trailing Limerick by a point with 20 seconds remaining. Make or break.

Jamie Lee sat in Sydney, staring at his phone in the dead of night praying for the ball to go wide. A year previous he kicked four points in Semple Stadium as his native county overcame the same opposition in a shock seven-point win. Amidst the bonanza of celebrations, the brief on-field embrace with his manager and father Billy protruded as the sort of moment that makes all the sacrifice worth it.