Limerick aim to lower 'the Banner' in Munster senior hurling championship

IN-FORM Limerick will look to finish their Munster senior hurling championship round robin campaign on a high against Clare on Sunday at the TUS Gaelic Grounds, 4pm throw-in. Limerick are guaranteed to progress from the round robin phase of the provincial championship and onto the All-Ireland series alongside Tipperary following last Sunday's thumping 3-26 to 1-16 victory over Cork in front of 42,477 sun-drenched supporters.

A positive result this weekend against Clare could also see Limerick book their spot in a seventh Munster final on the trot.

“All we can do is control what is in front of us, every game outside on that pitch matters to us. It doesn't matter who we are playing on any given day,” Limerick manager John Kiely said after Sunday's win over Cork.

“We'll work hard to get back here and get as right as we can for the game.”

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Limerick's opponents this weekend, Clare, have been knocked out of the championship.Manager Kiely said it was important for his side to deliver a performance against Cork.

“We got beaten by Cork twice last year. They are one of the top teams in the country. You’re at home in the Gaelic Grounds in the championship, you only have two games here so we have to deliver on days like today. You have to deliver, you just have to. There is no out on it.”

Sunday will provide Kiely with a an opportunity to give gametime to more players.

“We had too much work put in, we had six months of really hard effort put in. We had a really difficult spring with injuries. If you saw the last two rounds of the league we had here against Wexford and above in Kilkenny, we were struggling.”

Kiely praised the display of RTE TV Man of the Match Kyle Hayes. “Kyle's leadership (on Sunday) I thought was just tremendous at the back. The block he made for the shot on goal, he was exemplary. His discipline is through the roof, he's an example to all the other lads on the field and he's in a great vein of the form and long may it last,” said Kiely.

The Limerick manager went on to praise the work his squad have put in over the last number of weeks.

“We’ve had a great 10 weeks, the boys are in great shape, working really hard. There is a sense of enjoyment in the boys in their hurling and from being within the group, and even (on Sunday) morning the 12 guys who trained exceptionally hard above in Castletroy College.

“It was just a joy to behold and it gets the day off to a fantastic start. Everybody on the panel is pulling their weight and pushing the thing forward and that’s what drives the team forward ultimately.”

If Limerick are to reach this year's Munster final it will be in Thurles if they play Tipperary or if Cork are to reach the Munster final against Limerick it will be in the TUS Gaelic Grounds. The Munster final takes place on Saturday June 7 at 6pm.