John Kiely: 'We got beaten by Cork twice last year. You have to deliver'
THE MOTIVATION THAT fuelled Limerick's drive to take down Cork today was easy to identify.
Two championship defeats in 2024 at the hands of the same opposition was always going to sharpen Limerick's focus when they crossed paths in the Munster arena in 2025.
John Kiely watched his team deliver in style, inflicting a 16-point beating on their opponents.
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'We got beaten by Cork twice last year. They are one of the top teams in the country. You're at home in the Gaelic Grounds in the championship, you only have two games here so we have to deliver on days like today. You have to deliver, you just have to.
'We had too much work put in, we had six months of really hard effort put in. We had a really difficult spring with injuries. If you saw the last two rounds of the league we had here against Wexford and above in Kilkenny, we were struggling.
'The cancelled Kilkenny game really hurt us. It upset our whole schedule and it took us a long time to recover from it and we never really did until we got away on camp a week after the last round in the league. We've had a great 10 weeks, the boys are in great shape, working really hard.
'There is a sense of enjoyment in the boys in their hurling and from being within the group, and even this morning, the 12 guys who trained exceptionally hard above in Castletroy College. It was just a joy to behold and it gets the guys off to a fantastic start. Everybody on the panel is pulling their weight and pushing the thing forward and that's what drives the team forward ultimately.'
Limerick's short-passing style was a key ingredient in their first-half brilliance as they prised Cork apart.
Limerick's Cian Lynch signs autographs for supporters after the game. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
'I think Cian (Lynch) got the thing off to a really great start with his presence of mind in that first two minutes,' said Kiely.
'He could see it. And when the first couple get going, it encourages everybody to follow suit. Our use of the ball was very, very good today. I think most of all, our defence from 15 back to Nickie, we defended really well today. We got back in numbers, we got spoils in, we were absolutely dominant on the ground and we're just really, really happy with our attitude and our motivation levels are obviously absolutely through the roof.'
Kiely hailed the Limerick support amongst the attendance of 42,477 and the input of his players.
'Listen, our supporters have been incredible over the years. But you can't take anything for granted. These players put in a huge, huge effort. Six months they're now training, that's five times a week. It means all of your other life habits are put on hold, if you like.
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'When you put in that much of a sacrifice and that much of an effort, you need to be appreciated for that effort. I was really delighted with the response that we got from our supporters today. I thought they were there and very present in every moment of the game today and we look forward to seeing more of that next weekend.'
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