Limerick success provided huge lift

THE Limerick senior hurling side will go down as one of the greatest teams of all time, despite Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Cork.

Since 2018, the Treaty County has won five All-Ireland senior hurling titles in the last six years. Along with that, John Kiely's charges claimed six Munster SHC titles in-a-row. In the last six years, this team have only beaten twice in Croke Park and have never been beaten in a final.

This Limerick team has given their supporters across the county some magical days. Before 2018, Limerick fans had some tough days supporting their county with their previous All-Ireland final win going back to 1973.

 The success has been unprecedented for Limerick fans but this team have went onto to dominate hurling and played some breathtaking hurling in the last half dozen years.

Limerick were bidding to become the first team to win five Liam MacCarthy cups in-a-row this year which no hurling team has ever achieved.

The Shannonsiders’ can still look back on 2024 as a successful year where they claimed the Munster title. The joyous scenes after Limerick defeated Clare in the Munster final will be a day that supporters and players will long remember.

The strength and depth of this Limerick team has been crucial to the county's success. Different players have stepped up throughout the year and what this team has achieved proves that there are once in a generation side.

Nickie Quaid has set the standard of goalkeeping with his distriubution from his puckouts and making crucial saves throughout the Munster championship. Dan Morrissey, Gearoid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes, Aaron Gillane and Cathal O'Neill all stood out as some of Limerick's top performers in 2024.

Injuries played their part throughout the year in particular when Peter Casey broke his ankle. The loss of Barry Nash was huge in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final where he missed the game with a hamstring injury.

The younger players in this Limerick team all made impacts from the bench with Shane O'Brien, Adam English, Fergal O'Connor, Colin Coughlan and Donnacha Ó Dálaigh all making a significant contribution during the 2024 championship. This is a big positive for the side heading into the years ahead.

This current crop of younger players in the Limerick senior hurling panel are players that the county's hurling supporters can get excited about. Some of these players will be looking to make the breakthrough onto the starting XV in 2025 and beyond.

There is no doubt about it but that this team has the ability to compete for All-Ireland honours consistently over the next number of years.

The Limerick senior hurling players will now get a much needed break after their hectic schedule.

These players will now return to their clubs. The Premier Intermediate hurling championship will begin on the weekend of July 25, while Senior, Intermediate and Junior hurling championships will get underway on the weekend of August 1.