John Kiely: Enjoyment is key ingredient of Limerick success

“One thing we have done well as a group, a backroom team, every single person there is cognisant of the fact that it has to be a really enjoyable place to be," said Kiely.

Limerick manager John Kiely said there is an "indomitable" sense of "unity and togetherness" in his panel. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

John Kiely has lauded his Limerick squad’s relentlessness in reaching their potential again and, by doing that, bridging a three-year gap and bringing the Liam MacCarthy back to Shannonside.

This was a sixth All-Ireland senior hurling title since 2018 for the Munster county and they did it with a smothering defeat of a young Galway team at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.

It was clinical, comprehensive and it was ruthless.

Kiely praised his players for working tirelessly since mid-November, for taking only five days off and that over Christmas, and for wringing every last drop out of their brains and bodies to make Limerick the pre-eminent force in hurling yet again.

“So they have been relentless in their application and their work, and the two lads are correct – there is an incredible sense of unity and togetherness within the group. An indomitable one, I would have described it as, to be quite honest with you."

There was plenty of praise to go around.

The Limerick manager talked up the work done by Paul Kinnerk in dreaming up the Xs and Os, Caroline Currid for returning to work on their minds, Adrian O’Brien for the work he did with S&C, and the efforts of their medical team.

“Huge hats off to those people, but most of all the players. The manner in which they have tackled every obstacle that has come in front of them, the calmness and composure, the execution from game to game in terms of tactical approach, the energy they show… 

“We weren’t accurate all the time, 52% in the All-Ireland semi-final and still found a way of creating an opportunity. The contribution of the overall group has been just massive and those young lads… 

“There’s lots of lads in that dressing room who have never been in an All-Ireland final, nearly 20 of them. There’s a good number of that backroom team that has never been here at an All-Ireland final day.

“The core group on the pitch, yes, have been here for all of those days but the people around them haven’t. Everybody is learning, gaining experience, learning and contributing to the journey of that team and that performance you saw out on that pitch today.” 

Kiely bathed in what he called a shared sense of joy and one that, for all their success this last nine seasons, is still framed for him by those heartbreaking losses he experienced as a player with Limerick in the 1994 and 1996 deciders.

Limerick manager John Kiely celebrates with selector Paul Kinnerk after their side beat Galway in the All-Ireland final. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

A hurt, he said, “that never leaves” him.

If the result was the aim then the process was just as satisfying.

Limerick swarmed all over Galway, squeezed them like a pip and for Kiely it was a return to the days when they were able to wring every last ounce of themselves and leave it on the pitch which he didn’t see in 2024 and 2025.

If anything embodies Limerick this is it.

“It’s our identity. Their identity is based on how hard they work, in training and in matches, and how committed they are to be doing the right thing for the group at all times. Whatever it takes, whatever they have to give, that’s what makes them special.” 

Workrate is a foundation though, not a means to reach for the sky.

Kiely shared memories of how, with the U21s back in 2015, he worked off a projector and a laptop with the flimsiest of software and the young men sitting on a concrete floor before him took it all in, assimilated it and made it work on the grass.

This, he believes, is an intelligence that is not common in elite sport but even that isn’t enough to achieve what this Limerick team has. If there is a secret ingredient it's one we don’t hear mentioned all that often at this level of our games.

“They have an incredible desire and hunger, there is no doubt, but it is about the level of enjoyment they get. You can hear them next door, you can’t do this if you’re not enjoying it. You can’t make those sacrifices if you’re not enjoying it.

“One thing we have done well as a group, a backroom team, every single person there is cognisant of the fact that it has to be a really enjoyable place to be and that’s been challenged in the last couple of years because we were finding it hard to get performances and results.

“But everybody contributes to a happy environment and there is great mutual support for everyone in the group no matter what is going on in your life. Everybody means a great deal to everybody else and we have a lot of fun. That is critical.”