John Kiely: Limerick must 'make sure we are the best team we can be in two weeks times'

HURLING’S traditional kingpins Kilkenny stand between Limerick and a historic hat-trick of All-Ireland senior hurling championship titles.

John Kiely and Brian Cody’s charges will clash on Sunday July 17 in Croke Park with the Liam MacCarthy Cup on offer.

It will be the ninth ever final meeting of the counties with four win each at present.

It’s 2007 since the counties last met in a decider, while the most recent championship game was the 2019 All-Ireland SHC semi final, which was the last time that Limerick tasted defeat.

Since that defeat Limerick are 15 games unbeaten in the championship with back-to-back titles and now on the cusp of three-in-a-row.

It’s the 1930s since Limerick last played in three successive finals and a hat-trick of titles has never been won by the men in green Limerick – indeed just Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary have done so. Kilkenny did so last in 2006-09.

John Kiely insists that the 2019 defeat will have no bearing on the Sunday week finale.

“Not any to be honest - all we are worried about it a game in two weeks,” said the Limerick manager speaking on Sunday after the win over Galway.

“The game was three years ago and we can’t change the past but by God we can influence the future,” he stressed.

“We will be going after our preparation to make sure we are the best team we can be in two weeks times because not everything we did today was at the level we would have liked it to have been. Our work-rate and other aspects like our pass completion and retention of ball,” he outlined ahead of Limerick’s fourth final appearance in five years.

“Two weeks is what we had last year in terms of preparation and you can get quite a good bit of work done in that. For the players they want the challenge for the next 10 days. If a fella is disappointed after his performance today he wants the battle in training next Friday, Sunday and Tuesday because he wants to fight for his own place and to get himself to level to prepare for games,” explained Kiely of the final countdown.

And, he expects nothing but a battle on All-Ireland final day.

“Every day that we go out the kitchen sink is fired at us and whatever is left over is fired as well and we have had to stand up and take everything that is fired at us all season long and that’s just the way it is and I don’t see that changing,” he said.

But he backed his players to again but ready.

“I know that every day our boys have stood up and withstood everything that was fired at them by showing great resilience, determination, composure, calmness and the ability to see out a game.”

He added: “The character was incredible but we know that and trust the group because there is incredible unity in the group and that has never ever been a doubt. The only thing that I would ever hate to do it lose a game without producing that unity on the pitch. We will miss passes and miss chances here and there and concede scores but ultimately at the end of the day we know if we keep at it that we will give ourselves a chance”.

Limerick report no injuries out of the semi final win over Galway and the two weeks to the final clash with Kilkenny affords more time to Cian Lynch and Peter Casey to get sharper after both returned from injury as final quarter substitutes.

“You could see that they still have work to do but they have a chance,” he said of the duo pushing for starting places against Kilkenny.

“That will do them a power of good in terms of their inner belief that they are over their injuries themselves - like Cian sprinting down the line chasing Tom Monaghan at one stage. Real confidence they are over their injuries and can now press on.”

Ahead of the final, ticket details have yet to be confirmed but it is understood, like all All-Ireland finals, that there will be no public sale of tickets. All will be sold via the GAA clubs to fully subscribed club members.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it’s the 2018 final since the Limerick hurlers last played in front of a full 82,000 attendance in GAA Headquarters.