John Kiely: Limerick helping referees have the best day they can this year

Munster GAA Senior Hurling Championship Final, TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick 7/6/2025

John Kiely says Limerick have made a concerted effort this season to help referees “have the best day they can”.

At the county’s Munster final press briefing in TUS Gaelic Grounds on Tuesday, Kiely said an appreciation for the man in the middle and trying not to get in his way have been part of the team’s approach in 2026.

“The one thing I always say is that the referee, for them, this is their big day and they want to get it as right as they possibly can,” said Kiely.

“They're obviously under great pressure. It's a tough, tough job. I referee our in-house games and by Jesus, I'll tell you, they're tough to see everything, to catch everything.

“But for those referees that are in it at this level and have been for a number of years, it's a huge challenge. It requires the full co-operation of their whole team. They have four umpires, two linesmen, a fourth official and a referee. So, working together as a group is critical to them to help each other get the decisions right, to help that referee get the decision right.

“None of the teams want to walk away feeling that an incorrect decision might have cost them the game. I'm sure the referee doesn't want to go home knowing that he made a mistake that cost the game as well.

“So I've taken on, I won't say a different approach but a greater emphasis on helping the referee to have the best day they can this year and for us not to be a distraction and for us not to get involved, just to trust him to get on with the job and do the best he can.

“Wish him well beforehand and thank him for doing the job afterwards. That's where it's been with us this year, you'll probably have noticed that if you think back on it. Because it is a very, very difficult job.” 

Kiely continued: “We've only got a few so we need to mind them. They're not hanging off the trees. Thomas (Walsh) and Liam Gordon have been injured, the physical demands of the game for them are huge.

“We saw Thomas the way he struggled last year in the Munster final and in the heat we have had these couple of days, if we were refereeing a match, I'll tell you to put you to the pin of your collar.

“So, the bottom line is we wish them the very best, we hope that they have a great game. We hope they walk away feeling proud of their job they've done.”

With a smile, Kiely described the challenges he has faced officiating in-house matches. “I can tell you, Diarmaid Byrnes has stripped me on several occasions for decisions I have made that he won't agree with.

“It's abrasive, it's an abrasive environment inside in the middle of it. You're trying to catch it as best you can and try to do it as close to what would be done on the day. They'll tell you straight out, I'm a crap referee.”

Handpasses and steps is something Kiely has been a sticker on in those A v B matches. “I really go after those because I don't want us to suffer from having been pulled up for those and it costing us.

“So, that's my only way of ensuring that it's on their mind and that they're trying their damnedest to do it within the laws of the game, the rules of the game. I absolutely am strict on the hand-pass and strict on steps. They're two pieces in particular that we go after.”

Ahead of Sunday week’s game against Cork in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Kiely reported a clean bill of health for his panel that played against Tipperary.

“The injury update is there's no injuries, that's the update. Touch wood, it's a great place for us to be. We have one player who's nearly back with a hamstring, Eddie Stokes.

“This week he'll re-engage with the group in a full capacity. Outside of that, we're in a great place. Touch wood, it's gone well for us and hopefully it'll stay that way.”