ONE of the key performers for Limerick in the ongoing run in the Tailteann Cup has been goalkeepeer Josh Ryan.
The towering Oola man has produced some splendid saves, along with landing many valuable two pointers from distance.
It was little wonder that Ryan was selected Man of the Match in the comeback semi-final win over Wicklow at Croke Park.
Limerick now face Kildare in the showdown in Dublin on Saturday, 2.30pm.
Ryan’s return to action has been praiseworthy.
Back in autumn 2022, he broke his tibia in three places in a Senior Hurling Championship semi-final with Doon against Kilmallock in Bruff.
The realistic fears were that Ryan would never play again.
“It looked fairly bleak inside the hospital in Limerick for 12 days lying on my back and I didn’t think I’d see the day again to be honest with you,” he reflected.
Determined Ryan returned to sport 18 months later.
“Now, every day we’re playing with Limerick, I look at the programme and see my name. That’s what it means, to see your name on an inter-county panel again is great.
“The football people of Limerick, we haven’t given them too many days out. But thankfully, our time has kind of come now and it’s about getting to a final and going that next step.
“I’m looking forward to a final. We’ve prepared but have got a lot more preparation to go as well. So we’ll take that as it comes.
“I think this team has showed a lot of resilience the whole way through the year. We had two losses at the start of the league. And we just stayed resilient. We kept close as a group, there’s serious camaraderie within us.”
Away from sport, Ryan is a Garda based in Mallow, County Cork.
