Barry Nash: We’ll be back on the training field Wednesday ready to go again

HUNGRY FOR MORE: Limerick’s Mike Casey, Barry Nash and Diarmaid Byrnes celebrate. Pic Credit: James Crombie, Inpho.

On Sunday, Barry Nash’s haul of Munster senior hurling medals grew to seven, eclipsing Clare’s all-time figure, but he is not minded to count his honours.

“Look, we’ve another job to do in four weeks’ time, an All-Ireland semi-final, and hopefully push onto an All-Ireland final,” says the Limerick corner-back.

“We’ll celebrate it but we’ll be back on the training field on Wednesday night ready to go again for a few weeks’ time.”

That urgency to push forward came across in Gearóid Hegarty’s post-match TV interview as it does with Nash.

“We’re always driving to be better. We always want to better for each other and are always pushing each other on the training ground. We don’t want this to stop. We want to keep on this road and keep driving on.”

A 14th consecutive final win for Limerick under John Kiely (six Munsters, four All-Irelands and four National Leagues), Nash agrees the team do feel like they can play with more freedom after qualifying from the group stage of the province.

“Definitely, yeah. Munster is so competitive. Everybody says it around the country. There are always big games and you have to get through it. Every game is a battle, it’s do-or-die and it’s a big relief and we’re delighted to have won the Munster championship.”

Sunday was Nash’s sixth provincial final start and for Cathal O’Neill it was his second after the 2022 clash with Clare. For a young man who had been in and out of the team last year, it meant more to be in the parade and in from the off.

“100%. Any player I suppose would be lying if you didn’t say it.”

To get that starting jersey took some doing, admits O’Neill, who came on in the second half of last year’s decider.

“It’s really hard, because there’s a core group there from 2017, 2015, 2018 and I suppose I’m pushing on now, but we are trying to make our stamp on the team.

“Everyone wants to play and it’s really tough, but every night at training you’ve got to put your hand up and hopefully John and the management team put their trust in you.”

Being without injured inside forwards Peter Casey and Seamus Flanagan and corner-back Seán Finn and a returning Darragh O’Donovan not being summoned from the bench, it might have been expected Limerick would miss them but they clearly didn’t.

“I suppose it just shows how hard we train and how much trust the management team have with everyone,” argues O’Neill.

“When boys go down it’s the next man and it’s as simple as that. Everyone tries to do their job to the best of their ability and thankfully that paid off again.”

Declan Hannon’s mention of an All-Ireland semi-final being four weeks away in his speech indicated just how acquainted Limerick are with this next phase of the championship. O’Neill might be only be in his fourth full season but he knows the landscape too.

“Is it six years in a row now we haven’t had to play a quarter-final? So it is massive and the familiarity is a big bonus, definitely.”