'This could fill Croke Park!' Rivals ready for a red-hot hurling firestorm in Limerick on Sunday

IF YOU’RE lucky enough to have the hottest ticket in town, then slap on the sun screen and strap yourself in as it will reach boiling point at 4pm this Sunday in TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Battle lines are drawn on the Limerick-Cork border, The Treaty against The Rebels, green versus red, Sunday’s encounter between the two counties is set to be one for the ages.

It’s a Munster Championship qualifier but it feels more like a Munster or All-Ireland final.

Temperatures are set to top 23 degrees and both teams will fight fire with fire. It’s a long time since a team has beaten this generational Limerick side three times-in-a-row but that’s exactly what Cork are aiming to do. 

The last time they met in the championship, Pat Ryan’s team shot down John Kiely’s men’s All-Ireland five-in-a-row aspirations in Croke Park. Sunday's winner is guaranteed to come out of the Munster championship bear pit.

READ MORE: Live Music announced ahead of Limerick’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship clash with Cork

The Limerick hurling manager has put out a call to Treaty fans to turn up in their droves and roar on the players captained by The 'Well's Cian Lynch. 

“I'm sending the message out to our supporters that we're at home, it's our home ground and we want to hear them the next day and hear every single last one of them,” said John.

The green and white faithful have responded in kind with the ground set to be full to its 43,000 capacity. Local GAA clubs have reported unprecedented levels of enquiries — there are currently no tickets on public sale.

One GAA source said: “This could fill Croke Park! There’s been incredible interest - huge. Tickets are like gold dust. It’s the main topic of discussion around the place at the moment - it will be some day in the city.”

Pubs, restaurants and shops in the city and surrounds are set to get a big economic boost from the hordes descending on the Ennis Road, followed by another big clash on the following Sunday when Limerick take on Clare.

This Cork  match is the main topic of conversation in workplaces and schools on both sides of the county bounds where the two counties collide.

Nickie Quaid could drive a sliothar into County Cork from his former primary school in Effin.

Principal Anne-Maria Murphy, who taught a young Nickie, said she was explaining the word ‘controversial’ to pupils  on Monday.

“We used the example of who was going to win on Sunday and some children were saying Cork were going to win and others were saying Limerick were going to win. The match will be brought up everywhere they can,” smiled Ms Murphy.

Nickie is one of the men of the moment after his miraculously fast recovery from a cruciate ligament injury. 

“The hurling prowess was there from a very young age,”  Ms Murphy  asserted. 

“He’s very familiar to the kids and he’s always around the parish. We’re all incredibly proud of him.

"The first year they won the All-Ireland, when they came back with the cup he brought us his signed goalkeeper jersey. We have that framed in our hall,” added Ms Murphy, who, like all Limerick fans, hope Cork are taught a lesson on Sunday!