Limerick senior football manager Jimmy Lee: 'We're better than that'

LIMERICK exited the Tailteann Cup last Saturday after a 17-point defeat to Sligo at Markievicz Park.

The manner of that defeat will hurt Jimmy Lee's side but there a huge amount of positives to be taken from their Tailteann Cup campaign.

Limerick reached the Tailteann Cup quarter-final after victories over Offaly, London and Tipperary. This was the first time the Treaty County recorded three victories in the Championship since 2020.

Lee felt last Saturday's defeat to Sligo was a hard for his team.

“Sligo are a good team. The lads were trying everything we asked them. It's like everything things happen. In fairness, to the lads it just wasn't our day. They kept working away at it. I'm not going to be negative with them, it's a hard day for them. They work hard and they've always worked hard. We're better than that.”

After last Saturday's defeat the club championship now become the focus for the Limerick senior football panel.

“They'll dust themselves off. They'll go back to their clubs and to their friends. They'll put their best foot forward and we'll see them in the club championship. We'll keep reviewing it.”

Lee will be looking to strenghten his squad during the off-season and bring some players into the squad who impress throughout the club championship.

“We'll be out and about at all the club championship games. You'd be hoping to find more and that's just the human nature of inter-county. There is talent out there. It's trying to find it and develop it from there.”

The Tailteann Cup has been a massive positive for devloping the Limerick senior footballers according to Jimmy Lee.

“They got more games into them. They built themselves up. Saturday was harsh for them and that's just the nature of the beast. None of them set out to take a defeat like that. They'll find it hard but look they're a resilient bunch. We'll keep moving it forward but the Tailteann Cup is a good competition.”

A total of 19 players from the 2023 Limerick senior football panel returned this year, while numerous players opted out of the panel.

2024 saw encouraging performances from Josh Ryan who made the switch into goals along with Emmett Rigter, Barry Coleman, Peter Nash and the returning Danny Neville impressing.

It was a difficult spring for Limerick where they failed to win a game in their Division three National League campaign which resulted in relegation to Division four.

Limerick will play Division four football in 2025 where they will play Wicklow, Wexford, Longford, Carlow, Tipperary, London and Waterford.

The Tailteann Cup campaign can only benefit this Limerick team moving forward where younger players got their opportunities to play more games at this level and develop as inter-county footballers.