Limerick hurling selector Donal O'Grady: 'It’s a privilege to be inside with this bunch'

ON December 13 2019 the Limerick Leader website carried an interview with John Kiely detailing the changes to his Limerick senior hurling management team for the 2020 season.

Among the changes were former Munster SHC winning captain Donal O’Grady replacing Brian Geary as a coach-selector.

Exactly one year after that interview, Kiely and Donal O’Grady will patrol the sideline on Croke Park this Sunday as Limerick go in search of a ninth All-Ireland SHC title.

"Donal O’Grady is another fantastic servant to the county - so experienced and a great leader, who lifted the Munster SHC Cup. He’s a fantastic guy to have in the dressing room and a great guy in terms of his character and personality and that’s what he will bring to the group as a whole,” outlined John Kiely of his new recruit.

Fast forward one year and O’Grady is more than happy to have accepted the invite to join the inter-county set-up.

“​It was a big learning curve for me coming into this set-up - they were after year three coming into four of the development of this bunch. To see the physique and speed they move at and the whole set-up of training took me a couple of weeks to get used to,” he recalled. 

The Granagh-Ballingarry man retired from the inter-county scene after the 2015 season after 46 championship appearances for Limerick between 2004-’15.

He played alongside nine of the current Limerick panel. Indeed earlier this Summer he marked Gearoid Hegarty in a Limerick IHC tie.

“I’ve played with a few of them - they are very driven and they want to do their best and the young group who came in are complimenting them. As a group you can’t question what they are trying to do - to try and keep hitting All-Ireland semi finals and finals as much as we can and thank god we are there on Sunday,” said O’Grady,

“It’s a privilege to be inside with this bunch. Being a selector or a coach or whatever with Limerick now involves being hands on with all the drills and constantly scrutinising players and trying to push them and I’m finding it very enjoyable.”

He explains: “From looking at the lads from the outside as a supporter for the couple of years I was looking at their physique and speed and when you see them up close in training and the whole scientific approach is gone to another level and all that incorporated with Paul Kinnerk’s method of training it’s all a totally new level”.

“The players keep raising the bar – some of the games are spectacular to watch with the power, pace and skill of these guys. A pleasure to watch. Obviously when you look back there were great players, 10 years ago and 20 years ago but I just think hurling is in a good place at the moment and Thank God Limerick are there or there abouts,” said the coach-selector.

With Limerick securing national silverware in each of the last three seasons, O’Grady is happy to see the men in green and white a consistent force.

”When you see in my career what we went through - for every two or three bad performances we would get a bit of hope with a good one but then we just couldn’t have that consistency. As we went on, 2012, ‘13 and ‘14 we did managed to win the Munster title and get back some consistently but John (Kiely) has taken it to another level.”

The O’Grady captained Limerick ended a wait of 17 years for Munster SHC honours in 2013 but it was the 45 year wait that ended in 2018 that has given Limerick a new freedom insists the west Limerick man.

“This group of players are a serious bunch of players and Thank God they got over the line in 2018 because it does take the pressure off when it is done. For every year that it dragged on and there is no point saying otherwise, ‘73 still raised its head,” he said.

In 2018 O’Grady got to enjoy the All-Ireland SHC as a supporter but all is very different this time round.

“Limerick takes off, as does a lot of other counties - we have been starved of these occasions for a long time and to get a taste of it and 2018 was brilliant. That would be the same now if we weren't in the current circumstances.”

He added: “As players they would love to have the crowd but we are just delighted that the championship went ahead at all and it is what it is - Please God we can get back to the big days in Thurles, Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the LIT Gaelic Grounds and Croke Park sooner rather than later”.

The 2020 season has seen Limerick embark on a 12 game unbeaten run and collect three trophies but O’Grady insists there is room for improvement.

”There are times we have seen exactly what we are looking for and exactly what the players are looking for and there are other times in games when we haven’t drilled it home when we have been up four or five points to try and finish it off - plenty to work on but at the same time as are after four really tough championship game in really tough conditions and Thank God we have come out the right side of them,” he explained.

”It’s a good sign of the team that we are still expecting more but we are winning the games.”

Sunday will be the third time that Limerick and Waterford meet in 2020.

”Yes we will do analysis and Waterford will  but you have to concentrate on yourself a lot. That Munster final was very tactical and we got to see up close that Waterford are all that is spoken about them - fast, energetic and a game plan that they are all buying it. It opened everyone's eyes in Croke Park when they did come back from 9/10 down to win overall. We know they are a threat but will obviously try to impose our game plan as well.”