This Saturday night at 7pm, Donal O’Grady’s men will travel to Parnell Park in Dublin to take on the Saffron of Antrim. The 10 times in a row Ulster champions now stand between Limerick and the last eight of the All Ireland championship.
Limerick qualified for this round by defeating Wexford 1-22 Wexford 2-13. The win was never really in doubt. Limerick were in the ascendency for most of the game. The championship debutant, Declan Hannon, the star of the show.
Limerick winning a game in hurling is not a new thing. The way Limerick are winning is. There was no hooting and hollering after the game. The players went into the dressing room, put on their training jerseys and came out for a warm down. The post match interviews were littered with phrases like, ‘focused’, ‘hunger’, ‘aggression’ and ‘will to win’. The difference this year? The manager.
Speaking after the game Donal O’Grady was more worried about his sides wide count than by who they would draw. The levelled headed Corkman was quick to point out that his side were very young and that their panel would now be tested with such a short turn around.
“The only problem we have is that we have a quick turnaround,” said O’Grady.
“We won’t have any time to plan for the next match but we’ll have to take that as it comes. Brian Geary came off with a slight groin problem, Graeme Mulcahy hurt his ankle and Tom Condon, I’m not quite sure whether it’s his ankle or his shin. These will have to be looked at. It was very warm out there, a tough, hard championship match and a lot of physicality in it. Trying to get them rested and back to peak condition for Saturday is going to be a major challenge. When it comes around we may be up for it or we not be up for it. We’ll have to take it as it comes.”
Ever the cute media man, O’Grady was not giving anything away, while also looking for improvement for next weekend.
“The qualifiers are a different animal. We were playing at home today, in front of a big Limerick support, and I was thankful for that because they really got behind the team. But when you have that pressure, and maybe the pressure of the notion that we left the last game behind us, players never play as fluently as you’d like. Anytime you win in the qualifiers is a plus. We expected a tough game and we got that and it was good to get back to winning again. The disappointing thing was that we conceded two goals which were maybe avoidable”
The sense of lots done more to do is echoed in O’Grady’s players words. Seamus Hickey, increasing in stature at full back was quickly focussing on the future minutes after the final whistle.
“We had too many first half errors. We were working the ball well in possession, but the final ball was not there. It was going astray. We went in at half time two points up after conceding a soft first half goal. We spoke at half time about cutting out those errors and going into the second half hunting the ball with more aggression and try and finish the game strongly. The aggression we used in the second half lead to their mistake and we got the goal”
When asked if this half time calmness was new, Hickey added, “It’s never a new thing. It’s the attitude and the commitment and the application is the key. When you are calm and focussed you can perform. But it is a fine line between calm and focussed and being too relaxed. We will do our recovery and preparation right and that is the way this team works. We have the right backroom set up and we are lucky to have it. We will be as fresh as a daisy next Saturday going into the game and thank God we are there now to be honest”
With Limerick on a hiding to nothing this weekend, the favourites tag will sit easy on these focussed bunch of players. Limerick captain Gavin O’Mahony has the last words,
“We have to keep grounded and that is not easy. Especially in Limerick. The supporters are so good. They really row in behind you and they can get ahead of themselves, but that is where Donal is very good with the players. No one gets above their station and everyone just has to do their job. It is a great feeling to be playing in July, but this game is all about winning. That is why we play the game. Some of us have not experienced too many victories with Limerick and if we lose next week, then it was all really for nothing. We have to keep the head down now and go for it”
