Tadhg Furlong impressed by Limerick's mental resilience and self-belief

Ireland and Leinster's Tadhg Furlong enjoys watching the knockout stages of the hurling championship - 'it's hard sport to bate'

RESILENCE AND SELF BELIEF: Ireland's Tadhg Furlong is impressed by the self belief and resilience that four-in-a-row All-Ireland Champions Limerick show. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Tadhg Furlong has had it both ways. He knows what it takes to keep on hitting the highest notes and he has had the disappointment that comes with being off-key on the biggest of stages.

His Ireland team has followed up an historic series win in New Zealand with a Six Nations Grand Slam. His Leinster side has been beaten twice in Heineken Champions Cup finals by La Rochelle and evicted from the semi-finals of the URC the last two seasons.

Add in his GAA background with Good Counsel with Wexford and it affords the world-class tighthead with a fairly unique perspective on a Limerick hurling team that has been first past the post across five of the last six summers.

“It's like the Dublin team, like that Kilkenny team that won so many back-to-back. They won four-in-a-row as well. I love GAA. When the hurling gets to the knockout stages, it's hard sport to bate. I love it. I love the tribalness (sic) of it.

“I enjoyed the game. It was a cracker. Kilkenny really got stuck in in that first-half, in my novice opinion, but I listened to the Limerick lads talk, and they have such belief, they have such experience on the big day.

“Obviously, they have the players to do it as well, but they all say the same stuff after a big game. Sometimes for a fan looking on it's like cliches but I don't think it is with them. They believe it to their bones. Obviously, they have great camaraderie there and team spirit.

“You believe it. It's a strong thing.” 

Furlong was equally struck by the mental resilience of a side that has been on the road together for a number of years and one which, after coming close to elimination in the Munster Championship, pulled through in such remarkable fashion.

“When they're under the pump they stick to it. You hear them say, ‘we need to tidy up, we need to get our workrate better’. They were talking about tidying up the puck outs (on Sunday) at half-time and they got a bit more feverish.

“They just back their game. They back what they do because it's worked so many times in the past for them. Teams, when you believe it deeply and you have that confidence in each other and with the game plan, it's a strong thing.”