Eoin Brislane interview: 'Monaleen should be looking to win a county final in the next five years'

EOIN BRISLANE recently announced his departure as Monaleen senior hurling manager. Brislane felt now was the right time to step away.During Brislane's time in charge, Monaleen made gradual improvements each year. Brislane has recently been announced as the new senior hurling manager of Galway club Turloughmore.

In the 2022/2003 season, Monaleen claimed Limerick, Munster and All-Ireland honours at intermediate level. The Castletroy club were narrowly defeated by Patrickswell and Kilmallock at the quarter-final stages of the Limerick SHC in the past two seasons.

“The fear was would it get stale and are the players and was the club better off with a new voice to come in and get them over the line in a quarter-final. That's what we decided on, we had four years done, we were in a really good place,” Eoin Brislane told Leader Sport.

“We ended the year positively, we felt that it was the best thing for the club and for us and for the club to get a new voice and for us to seek a new challenge.”

READ NEXT: Limerick hurling and football management teams confirmed ahead of 2026 inter-county season

Brislane takes great pride in the togetherness that has developed in the club in the last four seasons.

“The biggest pleasure for us was looking back that there were forty eight players were in Budapest for the weekend of the Ireland match with Hungary. The players, planned it, booked it and travelled over themselves and that was their third holiday as a group of players.

“There is a real togetherness between the senior and junior players, but there is great satisfaction in leaving a club that are together now. That the club can now drive on and be player-led and that the players can drive the standard and there is a club spirit there, that's the biggest achievement that we look back on,” added Brislane.

2024 saw Monaleen win the Premier Minor, Premier U20 and Junior A Hurling titles. Five members of the Monaleen senior hurling squad are currently part of John Kiely's squad which include Dara Ferland, Matthew Fitzgerald, Joe Fitzgerald, Darragh Langan and Donnacha Ó Dálaigh.

Tipperary native Brislane now feels the city club must now go after winning a county title in the next five years.

“There's huge prospects for this panel, there is seven players involved with Limerick between senior and U20's. The sky is the limit with this group, these players are only going to get better with age. As a group, they should be looking to win a county final in the next five years, that should be their target.

“There's no reason why they can't win a county title in the next five years. It won't be easy, they need players to hang around, they need players not to go travelling. “When you have the likes of Matthew Fitzgerald and Dara Ferland hitting 23 and 24 years of age and Darragh Langan hitting 25 years of age, they'll be at a really good age then and they'll have the experience. It could happen next year or in two years, within five years, they'll win a county title.”

Monaleen sealed promotion into group one of the Limerick senior hurling championship this year and will face Doon, , Na Piarsaigh, Kilmallock and Ahane in 2026.

“The biggest thing for a club like Monaleen is belief. They have the hurlers, they have the ability, they have the set-up and to believe that you belong there and believe that you are good enough to get over the line, that's the difference.

“You're leaving a family behind now, it's really hard because, you get to know them personally as well on the field. It's the people you'll miss.”