Limerick wait on key injuries ahead of Tailteann Cup final in Croke Park

THE Limerick senior footballers are waiting on the fitness of key players ahead of next Saturday's Tailteann Cup final against Kildare in Croke Park.
James Naughton, Iain Corbett and Emmet Rigter all departed prematurely in the second half of Limerick's semi-final victory over Wicklow last month.
And, Cormac Woulfe, Colm McSweeney and Fiachra Cotter remain sidelined through injury.
“We still have a few concerns and probably won't know the full extent of them till early this week. It's no different than any squad this time of year, there'll always be knocks,” said Limerick senior football manager Jimmy Lee at Thursday's media event in the TUS Gaelic Grounds ahead of next Saturday's Tailteann Cup final in Croke Park.

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This will be the Shannonsiders second time competing in a national final in Croke Park this year after they won the Division 4 league title earlier this year.
“It's massively important for Limerick football to be in a national final, obviously we had one already this year, it's massive to be in two. On the pathway of the journey it's massive but it just doesn't stop there, it's beyond that.”
Limerick have recorded victories over London, Antrim, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow during the Tailteann Cup, while their opponents Kildare have got the better of Sligo, Tipperary, Leitrim, Offaly and Fermanagh on their route to the final.
Lee is expecting a big challenge from Kildare in Croke Park.
“Kildare will be a step up but that's where we want to be, if you were to look into the future that's where we want to be. We're going to test it and find out where we are at, we won't be long knowing the journey we have to go. It's not a surprise (that we are underdogs) - it's actually a better challenge in terms of the direction we want to go in.”
Brian Flanagan has replaced Glenn Ryan as Kildare senior football manager this year and he achieved promotion from Division 3. Flanagan guided Kildare to an All-Ireland U20 title in 2023.
Saturday's Tailteann Cup final gets underway at 2:30pm which will be followed by the All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Kerry and Tyrone at 5pm.
Limerick vice-captain Barry Coleman is aware of the quality that Kildare have.
“Kildare are rightly so favourites, they have extremely good players Daniel Flynn, Darragh Kirwan, they are top quality forwards. They are a division ahead of us, they got promoted to Division 2 this year but at the end of the day we have players on our team that are just as good as their players. It's all going to come down to who works the hardest, who wants it the most,” added Barry Coleman.
Limerick sharpshooter James Naughton has impressed scoring 0-29, while Danny Neville has contributed 3-10 and both Emmet Rigter and Peter Nash have chipped in with 0-10 apiece.
“It's a big prize to win a national final, not to mind playing in the Sam Maguire next year, we'll focus on our own principles of play, that's what we can control. The result will hopefully take care of itself at that stage,” said Jimmy Lee.
The winners of the July 12 Tailteann Cup, which will be refereed by Mayo's Liam Devenney, will be guaranteed Sam Maguire football for the 2026 season. Tickets for Saturday's Croke Park final, which is a double-header with the Kerry v Tyrone All-Ireland SFC semi-final are available online at Ticketmaster and in Supervalu and Centra stores.