Limerick hurlers reset for Déise showdown

EXCITEMENT is building for the Limerick Hurlers as they gear up to face Waterford in their crucial final round robin game of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship this Sunday, May 26 at home in the TUS Gaelic Grounds at 4pm.

The Treaty men enjoyed a weekend off as the four other counties battled it out against each other to try and gain vital points on the Munster Championship board.

There will be plenty of permutations after today's round of games with Clare hosting Waterford in Cusack Park and Cork taking a trip to Thurles to take on Tipperary. Yet again the 'Rebels' will have to pull out an incredible performance as both Cork and their rivals Tipp need a victory in this game. 

Limerick suffered their first defeat in the Championship against Cork in their most recent run out as a late Patrick Horgan penalty sealed the victory for ‘the Rebels’, who would have exited the championship had they lost that game.

The loss against Cork not only put a dent in Limerick’s winning streak but also in their panel as Sean Finn and Declan Hannon left the field of play with injuries. Speaking after the game John Kiely gave an update on the pair saying that Finn’s injury was thought to be a hamstring and Hannon’s, a cramp. On a more positive note Kiely was hopeful to have both Mike Casey and Darragh O’Donovan back in the mix ahead of the Waterford game.

Speaking after the Cork loss, Kiely did admit that no team would be able to keep up the pressure that the Limerick hurlers have been putting on themselves in recent games. The Treaty men went behind in both the Clare and Cork fixtures with time running out against ‘the Rebels’.

Kiely went on to say: “We can’t keep this pressure on ourselves. The game is 75 minutes long, not 30 and we have to start playing consistently throughout the entire game not just in pockets. No team can keep up playing like this.”