John Kiely says keen competition for places crucial after Limerick claim Munster Cup

LIMERICK senior hurling manager John Kiely says it is ‘vital’ he has so many talented young players coming through that are fighting for places in his starting 15 and keeping his All-Ireland winning side on their toes.

Kiely's experimental young side were crowned Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling Cup champions thanks to an impressive 0-27 to 0-18 final win over near neighbours and close rivals Clare at a sold-out Cusack Park, Ennis on Sunday afternoon.

Just four players named in the starting 15 - Dan Morrissey, William O'Donoghue, Barry Nash, and Gearoid Hegarty - started last August’s All-Ireland final defeat of Cork.

Speaking after the game, Limerick boss Kiely said he was delighted to be able to give a run out to players that “have been on the panel for a number of years”.

“It is time for them to put their hand up and start pushing for their place on the team and have more involvement in the campaign ahead,” he told Limerick Leader Sport. “They know that, and they expect that of themselves, so I wouldn’t expect anything less of them”.

“They’ve done well over the last two games, but they know themselves, they’ve a lot of work to do and that it is a very competitive environment that they are working in.

“At the same time, their attitude is good and that’s all I can ask for this time of year. They are trying to bring as much as they possibly can to the table. They are trying to play a bit of Fitzgibbon Cup as well at the same time, so it is a balancing act but so far so good for us. We have given the boys enough time to work with their college, but at the same time get a little bit of involvement with us as well. "

Kiely said it is not only satisfying but “vital” that he has so many talented young players in his extensive panel to push Limerick’s regular starters.

“These boys are ambitious, and they want to be playing a bigger part in what is ahead of us… maybe throughout the Springtime and Summer so now is the time to be putting their hand up.

“They are playing well with their colleges as well which is important.”

And the pleased Limerick manager said it is great to see large, full capacity attendances back at games, following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions last Friday.

“There were little moments near the sideline, over near the far side, where the crowd got involved – it was brilliant to hear the crowds again going at it. It was fantastic. Long may it last.”

However, Kiely remains undecided on whether water breaks– which were introduced in 2020 when games returned during the Covid-19 pandemic – should remain in place for the upcoming season.

“By all accounts, it is going to be a major setback to us,” he smiled. “So, we will just have to wait and see on that front”.

Kiely feels water breaks, in its current disguise, allows managers to communicate with their players during the game.

“It is very difficult now because I was trying to shout in messages during the game in the first half when the crowd was really involved,” he said. “There was a lot of noise in the stadium. There were only 8,000 here, and the lads still couldn’t hear me. This is a problem.

“It will be very interesting to hear the comments from others throughout the season when people will struggle to get messages into their team, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

“It was easy during Covid. Sure, you could hear every word that was said on the field during Covid.

“You could hear a fella whispering into another fella's ear during Covid. You are not going to hear a thing this year, with the crowds back.”