Richie McCarthy identifies the unsung hero who will guide Limerick through 'warzone'
Former Limerick defender Richie McCarthy praised the influence of Seanie O’Donnell in composing game-plans for opponents
FORMER Limerick defender Richie McCarthy was said the midfield in Croke Park on Sunday will be a “war zone” as Limerick bid to regain the Liam MacCarthy Cup when they take on Galway.
Blackrock man McCarthy played in 2018 when the sides last met in an All-Ireland final and said that one of the lesser-known members of the backroom team will be prominent in coming up with the game-plan for the clash.
Sean O’Donnell leads the stats team and, according to McCarthy, “will devise a gameplan with John (Kiely)” for Sunday’s clash with the Tribesmen.
“I think our tactics are going to stay with what we do well,” he said as KFC Ireland launched a limited-edition bucket collection inspired by the iconic Liam MacCarthy Cup.
“I just think it's going to be a war zone (but) I think our tactics will win us on the day.”
No stone is left unturned in preparation - no matter who the opposition is, when O’Donnell is preparing for Championship action.
“I just think he's the best at what he does,” McCarthy outlined. “For example, in 2018, we played Carlow in the qualifiers. He just said - no offence to the Carlow goalie - but he just said he was prone to a high ball going in he could possibly make a mistake. I’d say 10 minutes in the match, he fumbled the ball and we got a goal from it. I was just thinking in the back of my head, ‘he just got that so spot on’.
“You wouldn't even think of something like that, he's never said that again. He just really identifies the space.”
McCarthy also praised the impact of performance coach Caroline Currid - both on the players and the manager - who was a bit of a “hothead” in his early days in charge.
“When he (Kiely) came into the set-up, initially he was a fella who was a bit of a hothead and I hope he would not mind me saying that. He tried (that method) to get as much out of the panel.
“He has really calmed over the years. He has really concentrated on what the players want to hear instead of this big speech at the start of the day. Like, we want to hear about what is going well and where we need to target.
“He gives you subtle information on what is going well, like where we are losing puck-outs and which areas we need to improve in. That is where Paul Kinnerk comes in as well. He does his bit on the board to see what we need to work on.”
- Richie McCarthy and former Galway forward Jason Flynn were speaking at the launch of the limited-edition MacCarthy Cup-inspired KFC buckets that will be available in stores in Limerick and Galway.