LIMERICK face Antrim this Saturday afternoon in Round One of the All Ireland Hurling qualifiers. (Throw in at the Gaelic Grounds is at 3pm). The Shannonsiders have qualified for this clash by hammering a hapless Laois last weekend in the preliminary round at Limerick GAA’s HQ.
With another round of qualifiers awaiting the winner of this weekend’s clash, the season seems to be split in two following Limerick’s loss to Tipperary in the Championship proper.
Speaking to PostSport this week, Limerick forward and scorer of 3-1 last weekend against Laois, Niall Moran, feels the qualifiers do have a hugely different feel.
“To be honest these games have a feel of Division Two of the league all over again. The intensity isn’t there and no matter what way you look at it, it is not real championship fare”
The qualifiers are knock out however and should Limerick get caught cold this weekend by Antrim, the season will be over.
“John Allen has been preaching to us that these games are as important as any. We need to be back in the championship proper in the coming weeks” added Moran. “To be honest, the last number of years Limerick hurling has been going around in circles. We need to beat one of the top six teams. We need to beat them regularly to have any chance of being real contenders. We are the same as all other counties at schools level, college level and in some cases underage. We just need to have the belief now that we can be the best”
Moran, now considered an experienced member of the panel knows only too well that talent coming through in Limerick does not always guarantee success.
“This is not the first flood of young talent Limerick has had. Yes there is huge competition for places, but we need to get that win against a big team to make the talent count. Look at 2007. It took us 3 games to get over Tipperary, but when we did we had the beliefe to go on and reach an All Ireland final. That is really what it boils down to. We need to be at the later stages of the All Ireland so we can compete and getting there starts on Saturday”
Should Limerick win, they will face one of the winners from Clare/Dublin and Cork/Galway in the last round of qualifiers on July 14th, the same day as the footballers return to qualifier action.
Scorers v Laois – Limerick: Shane Dowling 1-8 (0-6frees, 1 ’65), Niall Moran 3-1, David Breen, Thomas Quaid 1-1 each, Graeme Mulcahy 0-4, Declan Hannon 0-2, Sean Tobin, Paudie O’Brien, James Ryan, Thomas O’Brien 0-1 each. Laois: Willie Hyland 1-10 (0-6free, 1 ’65), Stephen Maher 0-1.
Limerick v Laois – Nickie Quaid; Stephen Walsh, Richie McCarthy, Tom Condon; Wayne McNamara, Donal O’Grady, Gavin O’Mahony; Paul Browne, James Ryan; Shane Dowling, Brian Geary, David Breen; Graeme Mulcahy, Niall Moran, Sean Tobin. Subs: Paudie O’Brien for Browne, inj (24mins), Declan Hannon for Tobin (44mins), Shane O’Neill for Condon (54mins), Thomas O’Brien for Geary (58mins), Thomas Quaid for Mulcahy (65mins).
