5 days ago
'That narrative has been debunked now' - Limerick boss hits back at end of an era talk
JOHN KIELY SAYS that Limerick have firmly 'debunked' any notions that they were coming towards the end of an era.
The Treaty heroes have plenty of miles on the clock during their dominant streak of five All-Irelands and six Munsters across the last seven seasons. Ahead of Saturday's provincial decider against Cork, Kiely was asked about those voices who had been writing Limerick off.
'Maybe that narrative was out there,' he replied. 'I think that narrative has been debunked now.'
The Galbally native is perfectly happy to leave 2024 in the rear-view mirror. He reflects that the five-in-a-row hype became all-consuming around the county.
'It was the first words out of everybody's mouth when you go to the shop or go to the post office or go to Mass. It was almost the first line at Mass. We'll pray for the five in a row, and we'll move on to the more important matters of life and death. So, it's definitely no harm that it's finished with,' laughed Kiely.
Setting those changed narratives aside, the Treaty chief believes his stalwarts can even stretch out their careers over even longer time frames. Patrick Horgan and TJ Reid are still topping scoring charts at 37. Kiely doesn't see any reason why his team can't hurl on at least that long.
'Absolutely, 100%. Why not? Maybe longer. I think that's all doable. They're not made of metal or steel, as I've said recently. They don't rust, they don't corrode. The body is designed to renew, to heal, to get stronger. It's what you do with it rather than what it'll do to you.
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'The lads have worked really hard. Plus, they've had fantastic care over the last 10-12 years in their S&C and medical programmes. We've always done right by the lads medically. If they weren't fit, they didn't play. That's been borne out now. They're really strong.
'The support that's there for the players now means that they can go on for many more years than what they would have done 20 years ago, even. You can see that in the professional game of rugby, where players are peaking in their early 30s. Peter O'Mahony is a perfect example of it. Lads who can really stretch the envelope in terms of the duration of their careers.
'It's really important that we don't almost pre-empt an earlier than necessary step away from the game. We need to make sure that the boys can enjoy the time playing the game that they love. That's the most important part of it.
'Acknowledging that along the way there are going to be dips in their form, there's going to be dips in terms of their physical readiness, and that we have to try and support them through that piece the best we can.
'But definitely there's much longer careers there now. Look at Patrick Hogan, he's a perfect example of it. It's great to see.'
There was no better example of that regeneration for Kiely than Nickie Quaid's return to play within 19 weeks of a cruciate rupture. Kiely hailed the 35-year-old All-Star goalkeeper, saying: 'It took real courage to do what he did.'
Tom Morrissey took some time away to travel around South America early in the season. Kiely praised the wing-forward for his fitness work, which saw him play a National League game within three weeks of his return. The manager reflected that 'being an inter-county hurler shouldn't be a barring order against leaving the country'.
During the final-round defeat to Clare a fortnight ago, Kiely was seen gesturing to the crowd to raise the noise levels. There will be no fear of that scenario repeating on Saturday.
'It was a weird atmosphere. It was actually great to hear that the atmosphere in Cork was weird, muted, and unusual as well. There was probably a lot riding on the games in different ways.
'The public just found it difficult to engage in the game here anyway. You could hear people talking up in the stand. Normally, you can't hear your ears, let alone hear somebody talking up in the stand. When there are 35,000 people in the stadium, that is so unusual
'I just didn't want it to creep onto the pitch, that lack of engagement. It was a little bit frustrating at the time. Every day the team goes out, it doesn't matter in what context, we expect the supporters to support and drive the team forward. To acknowledge every single effort that they make, every tackle they make, every run they make, every catch they make, every strike they make.
'We want them to really engage with every action on the field. We are just trying to encourage them to do that as much as possible. Last Sunday was just a bit unusual in that regard. I know we won't have anything like that (in the Munster final).'
With seven in a row on the line, Kiely sees huge value in a Munster title. He reminds his squad of the less successful days to avoid taking it for granted. Before 2013, the county's previous Munster title came in 1996.
Cork defeated Limerick twice last year, with a response coming at the Gaelic Grounds last month in a 16-point victory for the team in green. Still, Kiely sees room for improvement.
'There was plenty we came away from that performance that we weren't happy with ourselves. There was elements that we were very happy with, but our focus is, and will always be, on getting better. What the opposition bring is the opposition's business. My business is about what we bring.
'The Munster final is a showpiece sporting event here in Ireland. It's up there with the All-Ireland as a sporting event in its own right. They're rare days. We've been very fortunate, we've been part of these for the last number of years, but it's not lost on us.
'They really love these occasions, and they look forward to them. It means a great deal to them to be in the Munster final.'
