Barry Hennessy: "Limerick netminder Nickie Quaid has transformed goalkeeping"

LIMERICK hurler Barry Hennessy has compared teammate Nickie Quaid to top goalkeepers Donal Og Cusack and Stephen Cluxton.

The Kilmallock man has been the second-choice goalkeeper with the Limerick senior hurling squad to Effin's Quaid for the last eight years.

There's an element of history repeating itself as Barry's father, Tom was understudy to Nickie's father Joe in the 1990s.

Speaking on the Players' Voice podcast with former Cavan keeper Alan O'Mara, the 33-year-old had sparkling words for his senior teammate.

"He is probably one of the most undervalued goalies by a lot of people, very much like a Stephen Cluxton. He has transformed goalkeeping in hurling, similar to what Donal Og did simply by what he does," Barry said.

Despite the fact that he and Nickie are vying for one place on the starting panel for Limerick, there's no hostility between the pair.

"We have similar personalities. We are both mad in one sense, but also relaxed in other ways. We get on extremely well. We'd probably spend more time with each other then we would with our families over the years.

"We've been supportive of each other on and off the field. I'd like to think he is one of my closest friends I'd consider him to be," he said.

Barry, who spoke of the importance of 'humility' during the interview, said there is no room for 'ego' on a panel which has won four Liam MacCarthy cups in five years.

"You have to park your ego at the door. There's no room for ego. If you're letting this dictate and you've an agenda, that's poison in the group," he said.

"My job is to make sure the starting goalkeeper is prepared, he is comfortable."

Despite this, he said the pair push each other extremely hard.

"We are on the pitch an hour before the lads, we are probably on the pitch an hour after the lads. We train separately. I did extra sessions outside the extra sessions to put more pressure on him. But we bounce very well off each other. We are both Dads, we both have kids," he said.

Barry said the reason Nickie has performed so well and remains a rock in the Limerick team is the fact his attention to detail is 'top class'.

"I think he is one if not the best in the game," Hennessy concluded.