Kiely: Limerick now back on track after prep got derailed

The Limerick boss knew his team had to deliver against Cork at home.

Limerick manager John Kiely during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship match against Cork at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

John Kiely said Limerick simply had to deliver on their home patch after losing to Cork twice in last season's championship.

The significance of this victory was palpable among the Limerick following that crowded up the RTÉ outside broadcast area, which was erected beside the Limerick dressing room entrance.

Inside the team’s sanctum, there were cheers and whoops and Kiely could hardly disguise how much it meant to his green legion.

“We got beaten by Cork twice last year. They are one of the top teams in the country. You’re at home in the Gaelic Grounds in the championship, you only have two games here so we have to deliver on days like today. You have to deliver, you just have to. There is no out on it.

“We had too much work put in, we had six months of really hard effort put in. We had a really difficult spring with injuries. If you saw the last two rounds of the league we had here against Wexford and above in Kilkenny, we were struggling.

“The cancelled Kilkenny game really hurt us. It upset our whole schedule and it took us a long time to recover from it and we never really did until we got away on camp a week after the last round in the league.

“We’ve had a great 10 weeks, the boys are in great shape, working really hard. There is a sense of enjoyment in the boys in their hurling and from being within the group, and even this morning the 12 guys who trained exceptionally hard above in Castletroy College.

“It was just a joy to behold and it gets the day off to a fantastic start. Everybody on the panel is pulling their weight and pushing the thing forward and that’s what drives the team forward ultimately.” 

Kiely was thrilled that the Limerick fans came out in force among the 42,477 crowd after he called for them to make their presence felt after the victory over Waterford.

His players deserved that backing, he said. “Listen, our supporters have been incredible over the years, but you can't take anything for granted.

“These players put in a huge effort. Six months they're now training, that's five times a week. It means all of your other life habits are put on hold, if you like. When you put in that much of a sacrifice and that much of an effort, you need to be appreciated for that effort.

“I was really delighted with the response that we got from our supporters today. I thought they were there and very present in every moment of the game today and we look forward to seeing more of that (v Clare) next weekend."

Limerick have one foot and a heel in a Munster final – even a defeat to Clare might not prevent them from a seventh consecutive provincial decider. Sunday is a dead rubber for the Banner who are out of the championship but Kiely says he will be taking the fixture seriously.

"All we can do is control what's in front of us. Every game outside on that pitch matters to us. It doesn't matter who we're playing on any given day, so we'll work hard to get back here and be as right as we can for the game next weekend. There are two points to play for and we'll go after them with all our might."