Dan Morrissey ‘buzzing’ for start of Limerick SHC campaign with Ahane
Dan Morrissey spoke to LeaderSport at the launch of the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
SIX-TIME All-Ireland winner Dan Morrissey says he can’t wait to swap the green of Limerick for the green and yellow sash of Ahane as the Whitebox Senior Hurling Championship which gets underway this week.
Ahane are in the ‘Super Six’ Group 1 with the top teams in the county as they bid to return to the knock-out stages of the competition.
They have been knocking on the door, finishing fifth in each of the last four seasons - just one spot away from a quarter-final berth.
Now that the Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph has been celebrated, Morrissey’s county team-mates become rivals as the vast majority of John Kiely’s panel are involved in the competition.
“It's great to get back to the club,” Morrissey said at the championship launch at the Munster GAA offices in Castletroy. “I was down at a few of the games over the year, the league games, and they've had a few good challenge games over the past month or so.
“We're back training there Saturday morning and back into the thick of it now again over the next month, looking forward to this Saturday.”
Ahane’s Round 1 tie with Monaleen takes place on Saturday (6pm, TUS Gaelic Grounds) just 13 days after the Croke Park success against Galway. But the quick turnaround doesn’t bother Morrissey.
“Do you know what, I'm happy to go straight back into it,” he said. “It's probably a long season but going back to the club kind of gives you a second wind as well and a new lease of energy.
“I prefer having the break at the end when the club season finishes and you maybe get four or five weeks before you go back in with the county in November time. But, you know what, I was only buzzing to get down training with the club Saturday morning and buzzing for the few games ahead now.”
After a run of fifth-place finishes in recent years, there are no prizes for guessing the east division club’s goal for 2026.
“To finish in the top four, get into the knockout stages and you take it from there once you're in the knockout stages.
We've been unlucky I suppose the last few years. We drew with our last game last year and really you need a minimum two wins to get through to the knockout stages and we know we're not too far off.
“We've given a good account of ourselves over the years so hopefully this year we do make that breakthrough,” Morrissey added.