Gearoid Hegarty: 'I was embarrassed by straight red card'

Bord Gáis Energy ambassador Gearóid Hegarty at the launch of Bord Gáis Energy's The Gift of the GAAB at Croke Park 

Limerick attacker Gearoid Hegarty has admitted his straight red card dismissal against Galway in the National League was 'embarrassing' and 'so stupid'.

The former Hurler of the Year was shown red by referee Fergal Horgan for striking in the second-half of Limerick's Round 2 defeat to Galway.

Hegarty was directed to the line following an incident involving Joseph Cooney at a time when back to back All-Ireland champions Limerick were leading by two points.

Reduced in numbers, they would go on to lose by six points, one of three defeats encountered by Limerick in a surprisingly poor league campaign.

"It was stupid, I was embarrassed," said Bord Gais Energy ambassador Hegarty.

"It's a horrible feeling. I've never gotten a straight red before, definitely not with Limerick anyway. We were in the game at the time and I felt like I was hurling really well at the time and then to be sent off around 45 minutes in and to have to watch for the last 25 minutes knowing you're after leaving your team-mates down, knowing you're after leaving down everyone that's after coming in to watch the game, my family were there watching it and it's just awkward.

"You nearly don't want to go home and look them in the eye after doing something so stupid. You do take great learnings from these things. Sometimes it's nice that they happen in the league because it would be much worse if it happened in the coming months."

Limerick took just three points from a possible 10 during their Division 1A campaign though Hegarty maintained that it was actually a hugely positive series of games, leaving them primed to attack the Championship which begins on Sunday against hosts Cork in Munster.

"It obviously wasn't great, we didn't have the best league ever obviously but now looking back on it, now that we're going from the league and looking forward to the Championship, I think it was a brilliant league for us because we learned so much," said the 2020 Hurler of the Year.

"You often hear the quote that you learn more from defeat than you do in victory and the amount of learnings we've taken from the last two months or so with obviously a couple of losses thrown in there has been a lot.

"I think we're in a great place because we have learned so much. Sometimes you do need a couple of losses to get back on the straight and narrow and we've learned a lot from the league so hopefully we're in a good position going forward.

"It's always strange at this time of the year because you don't really know where you are until the real stuff kicks off."

* Bord Gais Energy ambassador Gearoid Hegarty was speaking at the launch of new online reality show The Gift of the GAAB. Bord Gais Energy is looking to find Ireland's next top GAA pundit. To find out more, or if you know someone who has The Gift of the GAAB, contact [e-mail]