How John Kiely and his Limerick troops keep their cool

99 WEATHER: Limerick manager John Kiely after the Munster GAA Senior Hurling Championship Round 5 match between Limerick and Tipperary. Pic: Tom Beary/Sportsfile

Glenda, the ice-cream woman, is still dolling out the 99s to the Limerick hurlers.

Shannon Ices first came to prominence in 2018 when Shane Dowling mentioned the treat the players and management gave after training around this time of year.

After the Friday session, the van is stationed beside the entry to their dressing room in TUS Gaelic Grounds where the group congregate and try and talk about anything other than hurling.

“Players have it immediately after training before they go for their shower and their bite to eat,” explains John Kiely. “The management go and have their bite to eat and have the dessert with the ice cream. We're traditionalists.

“It's a great little way to wind down the evening. If there’s teams after being called out and panels after being called out, there's lads disappointed. They need just a few minutes there with the crew to just process that and to know that everybody around them has their back and that they're a huge part of what's involved.

“And she does fantastic ice cream, Glenda. Jesus, it's just like cream, boy, it's unbelievable. I think she gets out the best stuff for us now. It's just class.

“For the management team as well, we go down there to the corner and it's a chance for us to wind down as well afterwards and just have a general chat about what's going on in all our lives and check in with each other. Before that, you're just on it and your head is in the game and you're just getting on with the work.” 

The principal and schoolteacher remains in Kiely but he declares himself “the chief of the fun police”. 

The environment is “as professional as possible”, but it also has to be relaxed and enjoyable for the players.

“Because this is sport,” he says. “This is these guys' childhood dreams that they're living out. And they need to really enjoy it. Because they're together for months and months. Since last November 17, we're together. So, you want to be getting on with the fellas around you. And you want to be having a bit of craic and a bit of fun.” 

Kiely often says “there’s a new soundtrack to every season” and for Limerick that is in the literal sense too. Music plays a key role in the group.

Kiely isn’t averse to giving a rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. But he’s moved with the times just as the players have occasionally switched back to the tastes of his generation.

After the recent win over Tipperary, “Billy Jean” was the first song played upon their return to the dressing room. 

“Michael Jackson is getting a twist now because he's got three songs in the top five, I think, at the moment.” 

Laughter is needed to counterbalance the sterner stuff that happens during the 70-plus minutes. Kiely and his management team know each other well enough at this stage to fall in as quickly as they might fall out. The heated moments are needed, he says.

“We trust each other, having worked with each other for many, many years. In some cases, up to 10 years together. We don't mind having an abrasive conversation on the day, because that's what it requires. People need to have an opinion. People need to express that opinion. I need to absorb it and I need to get my decision-making right.” 

With his maths teaching background, it’s no surprise he subscribes to the data presented to him by his stats team led by another teacher Seánie O’Donnell.

“We are a data-driven team, there's no doubt about that. We do have great regard for the numbers. The numbers are the numbers. If you ignore the numbers, you run the risk of making a mistake. We have to trust the numbers.

“We know from experience what they should be. Then you have your own experience to layer on top of that to get the decision right. There's no doubt you're listening to the analysis unfolding as the game is going on, in terms of what the data feedback is like.

“We get a read at half-time as to where we're at, where the opposition are at, what are the metrics we've been going after, where are they at for us in particular, because we can control that at least. It has to be very quick though. Those 15 minutes go like Billy-o, unfortunately.” 

Especially on Munster final day. 

Cork is a ground Limerick like – former forward Seamus Flanagan described it as his favourite venue and Kiely says: “We've never not enjoyed ourselves down there in terms of the pitch is spectacular. It's a real arena. There's a phenomenal atmosphere inside in the place, especially when it's full.” 

The comeback win over Tipperary there in the 2021 Munster final was one of Kiely’s proudest moments. To beat Cork on their own sod, you’d imagine, would be right up there.

“They've had the upper hand on us just the last while. So, we're just going to have to try and dig deep and find something more in ourselves.

“We've given ourselves opportunities, we just haven't taken them. And I think that's the key piece. If we keep giving ourselves opportunities, eventually we're going to take them.”