John Kiely: ‘You have to be competitive to get out of Munster’

AFTER coming up short in last year's All-Ireland semi-final to Cork, Limerick will look to regain the Liam MacCarthy Cup this year.Manager John Kiely said it will be a challenge, but it is a challenge himself and the players are ready to embrace.

“It is a challenge, but that's why we love being in the jobs that we have. We love that challenge, we have a really fantastic challenge ahead of us in the weeks and months ahead. I think that's what really attracts us to go back and go at it again.”
Kiely feels the playing group has evolved over the last number of years.

“If it was the same all over and over, you'd get tired of it. You'd move onto something else and get a challenge somewhere else. This is a major challenge, there's no doubt about that. The team is evolving, the player group is evolving. Twenty of the 2018 panel are no longer part of this group.

“That's a really significant number, we are gone beyond the half way point of the transition around to a completely new group. That will continue in the years ahead, it's for us to try and manage that, to control that, to plan it and to try still continue to be competitive at the highest level,” added Kiely.

The Galbally native said in order to progress out of Munster their first aim is to be competitive.

“You've to go back to your original reason for getting involved in 2016/2017, it was to be competitive at the highest level. That's always got to be the baseline for each season to be as competitive as possible. And when the opportunity comes to seize a title, it's up to you to seize that opportunity.

“First of all you have to be competitive in order to get out of Munster, in order to get to a Munster final but when you do get the chance to be successful and to actually win a trophy that's you having to seize that moment and that opportunity.

“We just want to be competitive in the first place and hopefully give ourselves some of those opportunities along the way,” added John Kiely.

The Limerick mnager has made changes to his backroom team this year. Paul Kinnerk, Alan Cunningam and John Flavin are all part of the backroom team once again. All-Ireland winning camogie coach with Cork last year and Cappamore native Liam Cronin, former Limerick minor hurling coach Ger Barry and Strength & Conditioning coach Adrian O'Brien are some of the new faces in the backroom team.

Nutritionist Catherine Norton, who previously served as nutritionist under John Allen, and team performance coach Paul Killgannon are both involved with the Limerick senior hurlers this year.

Change is something which the five-time All-Ireland winning manager feels is good for this current crop of Limerick hurlers.

“We've had a very consistent backroom team for nearly all of our time. There's been very few and small changes along the way, just like the players the group needs to renew itself over time and it's only natural that would happen. People have other priorities in their lives.

“It's only natural that people will move on. Number one we had a really great time with the people we had. We made some really strong connections and bonds with those people.”

Kiely said the addition of fresh voices to the backroom team has been a major positive for the squad.

“The people who came in this year have really settled in well. They all bring number one expertise, lots of experience. They're fresh faces and fresh voices and the group would have fed off that in a big way.

“That really energised the whole group from the get go this year. It felt like a new group, a new team to be involved in this year because they were so many changes in the backroom team and in the playing the group as well.

“That's always good and healthy, you have to evolve over time and in order to find ways new ideas, new creativity and new opportunities, there has to be change first of all. Change is the key element and we can't be afraid of change, I have to brave enough to know change is necessary.”