Limerick senior football coach Micheal Cahill says new rules have been refreshing

LIMERICK senior football coach Micheál Cahill has welcomed the new Gaelic football rules introduced this year, describing them as a ‘refreshing’ change.Cahill has previously worked with the Clare senior footballers under Micheal McDermott, Mick O'Dwyer and Colm Collins. He has also previously spent time in the US working in sports performance and sports science.

“The word that I would use to describe (the new rules) is refreshing. There's still a lot of tactical nuances to it, but I don't think it's as easy to throw 15 players within a 45 yard area. Some of the key areas of the game are back with regards to high catching and the kick-out,” said Micheál Cahill.

Cahill has stepped up from strength and conditioning coach to head coach this year.

“Personally, I was delighted, I had been away for ten years in the States working across different sports. I had always been looking at different sports and I started to see the new rules and I started to see it as a level playing field now.”

Manager Jimmy Lee added Evan Talty, Pa Ranahan and Eoin O'Hagan to his backroom this year.

“Myself, Evan, Pa and Eoin we would have looked at a lot of different sports in the pre-season in order to look at movement and focus on our principles. The biggest thing that helped us early on in the league is knowing the rules first off, not leaving anything to chance with regards to knowledge and information to the rules,” said Cahill.

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An interview Louth senior football captain Sam Mulroy did was a reference point at the start of the year, according to Cahill.

“It was an interview I heard previously with Sam Mulroy, he mentioned that there are two options, you can either whinge about being from Louth or you could be the best in Louth.

“Carbon copy, we put that to the team, we are down in Divison 4 and we had a big turnover. We spoke to the team and we said there were two options, you can either whinge about being a Division 4 Limerick footballer or you can be the best in Limerick. I think it's very evident that the whole group did the latter,” said the former Limerick U21 footballer.

The Mungret St Paul's clubman has enjoyed working with Jimmy Lee.

“Jimmy is a perfect fit for me from a coaching standpoint in the sense that Jimmy's background is HR. His man-managemt skills are excellent, he'll delegate, he won't second guess.

“He's just an excellent facilitator, his proof is in the pudding, it's the synergy that Jimmy has been able to create, not only within in the squad but also within the backroom team.”

Corner back Jason Hassett has enjoyed a breakthrough season with Limerick. Hassett impressed on Mungret St Paul's run to the senior football championship semi-finals last year. 

“I don't think Jason Hassett made a 26 in the league, then his form in training went up and up. He got his sliding doors moment in the Munster championship and he hasn't looked back since,” he said.