Gearóid Hegarty knew Limerick were on right track as early as January

Opening day defeats to Waterford in the league and Cork in the championship raised questions but they were fleeting, Hegarty insists. 

RIGHT TRACK: Limerick's Gearoid Hegarty lifts the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

Even if they aren’t exactly true, there are metrics Gearóid Hegarty chase.

Up to this, his 11th senior season with Limerick, he thought had been replaced in at least one game in every championship. 

He actually played every minute of the county’s five SHC games in 2020 when he won hurler of the year. But sometimes the illusion is stronger than reality.

“I'm almost certain that this is the first year that I've played every minute of every match in terms of championship. So, that probably speaks for itself in relation to consistency across the year because anyone can see how ruthless the management are on our side and if you're not playing well, it doesn't matter who you are.

“We've seen it across the year with different lads being taken off. I've been taken off many times before. So, I think this is my first ever year playing every minute of every match, which I'm very satisfied with.” 

Not surprisingly, Hegarty’s omnipresence tallies with another exceptional season, which could see him once more claim the major PwC individual award in October.

On one hand, he can count the number of training sessions he missed from last November. 

“You can take great confidence from that, that you know that the work is, it's banked and that it's there for you when you need it, when you need it the most.

“Maybe in the last couple of years that hasn't always been the case where I've missed niggly injuries. I think it was last year (NHL v Cork) I got stood on in a match and I broke a bone in my hand and I missed six to eight weeks and I was physically perfect but I obviously couldn't grip the hurley because my hand was broken, I was in a cast, stupid things like that.” 

Where the journey ends for Hegarty, he doesn’t know but he’s intrigued to find out how much more he can wring out of a glittering career. 

“I'm 32 on Monday, which doesn't feel right to say those words, but I am 32 on Monday and I'm very curious as I get older as to what are the limits, where can we bring this thing to as a team, as a group.

“I think I heard after the All-Ireland that 15 lads have won their sixth All-Ireland and 15 lads have won their first All-Ireland, so I think we have a lovely blend of experience and youth in the panel at the moment.” 

Gearoid Hegarty greets fans. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

Hegarty sensed as early as January that Limerick were on the right road. 

“To be honest with you – and you probably won't be expecting me to say this – it was when we played Waterford in the Munster league final back in January.

“Even winning that gave us a little boost because we'd had a bad year last year. We had a poor league, got out of Munster by the skin of our teeth, lost the Munster final and then lost in the All-Ireland series. We lost a lot of games last year. I don't know the exact stats, but we probably lost as many games as we won, or close to it (won four, drew two, lost six).” 

Opening day defeats to Waterford in the league and Cork in the championship raised questions but they were fleeting, he says. 

“You can feel something in training. It's intangible – you can't touch it – but you can feel it. That feeling was there this year. It was there from early on and winning the Munster League and then the National League probably reinforced it after that poor first-round defeat.

“Then, of course, you go into the Munster championship and lose your opening game, and suddenly the doubts start creeping in again. It's a constant battle. It's game by game. You've got to fight for everything, as I've said many times over the years in the Munster championship.

“But the feeling was there all year that there was massive potential in the group. Was that potential there last year? It probably was. But when it comes down to the really big moments – say, with 10 minutes to go in the Clare semi-final – that's when you really find out how good your team is.” 

Perhaps it’s easy for Hegarty to say when in all seven seasons of the structure Limerick remain the only Liam MacCarthy Cup team yet to exit at the provincial round-robin stage but he sees no reason to meddle with the format of the championship. 

“I don't know if there's a structure that everybody will be happy with. I just think there's nothing that can be done to keep everybody happy.

“I've heard the argument about the teams knocked out of Munster this year – Waterford and Tipperary. But I'd always say this: you play four games in Munster, there are only five teams and three come out; 60% of the teams come out of Munster, 50% come out of Leinster. If you're not good enough to finish in the top three out of a group of five, well then, tough. Simple as that.”