Hegarty on Ryder Cup, John Kiely's future and looking ahead to 2027

GEARÓID Hegarty has been named hurling’s PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for July and the now six-time All-Ireland winner already has his sights set on next season.

At the launch of this month’s awards, alongside Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue, Kerry’s Síofra O'Shea and Galway’s Ciara Hickey , the St Patrick’s club-man spoke on next season, the future of his manager and the Ryder Cup coming to Limerick next year.

An avid golfer and golf fan, Hegarty admitted the potential of next year’s Allianz League Division 1A Hurling final coinciding with the Ryder Cup wouldn’t be a ‘bad idea.’

“This is the first I’ve heard of it to be honest, I didn’t realise this was the case but it’s an interesting idea. I’m not sure if that will go ahead or not but I don’t hate it in terms of the promotion of the game.

“It’s not a bad idea and it’ll be interesting to see if it does go ahead with the scheduling, club championship in September, all that kind of stuff. We’ll see how it pans out.”

Hegarty admits he already has provisional plans in place for next September and shared his love and admiration for one of golf’s finest spectacles.

“It might get in the way of what I have planned to do that week!

“It’s going to be an unbelievable week but that’s an interesting one for sure. I just can’t wait for the Ryder Cup.

“I love it, it’s the best week of the year and to think that it’s going to be 20 minutes over the road from me, with all the best golfers in the world coming, it’s such a unique sporting event.

“Adare is a magical little place but I don’t know how they’re going to handle the foot traffic that’ll be going through the village that week but it’s going to be class,” he said.

On the future of his manager, Hegarty remained tight-lipped and stated that there hasn’t been much, if any contact with many of the players or management following last month’s triumph over Galway.

“After an All-Ireland win you spend a few days with each other, not necessarily with management but with the players and then lads quickly get back to club championship.

“We start to lose lads pretty quickly because once they go back to the club you don’t actually see them and you don’t hear anything from the Limerick GAA side of things for a good while whilst club championship is on.

“I’ve actually not been in contact with John or anyone from the management or with most of the lads, especially when you get back to club championship,” the seven-time Munster champion said.

‘Hego’ reflects fondly on 2026, in a season where Limerick won every trophy possible and hit their stride just at the right time against the Tribesmen last month.

“It’s immensely satisfying. To get our best performance of the year on All-Ireland Final day was incredible and I know for the neutral it probably didn’t live up to the expectations but as a player you couldn’t dream it up any better.”

“I felt like that performance was coming, the training leading into the Munster Final, All-Ireland semi-final and to get that performance in the final was incredible against a really strong Galway team.

“I was so impressed by them in the league match we played against them in the Gaelic Grounds this year, they have talented young lads and they brought serious intensity that evening and I was very impressed, I knew they’d bring a massive challenge in the final.

“We’re an experienced team and to perform like we did on the day was immensely satisfying and I know it might not have been great for the neutral but it doesn’t take away one jot from our experience on the day.”

Hegarty, who to many, is in contention for hurler of the year, had been chatting to Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue, with Mayo’s recent All-Ireland triumph reminding him of Limerick’s 2018 success.

“I was chatting to Ryan O’Donoghue and our chat reminded me so much of 2018 for us, I’m just so happy for him and the people of Mayo.

“I remember 2018 for us, it was a 45-year wait and lost a couple of finals. They lost a lot more than us and they had a 75-year wait and you couldn’t be only happy for them with all of the heartbreaks and hardship they’ve had over the years.

“I’ve been thinking of people in Mayo who are in their seventies or eighties or even nineties and have never seen it or don’t remember their last All-Ireland.

“It’s awesome for them and I’m so happy for them that they got over the line and deserved to get over the line. It reminded me of the 2018 final in that sense as well.

“I thought we were well better than Galway on the day but only won by a point and won by the skin of our teeth. Mayo were well down after the first 15 minutes but after that they were awesome. They were deserved winners and I’m delighted for them,” he said.

With change aplenty coming to Gaelic Football in the last two years, Hegarty is adamant that hurling is in an ‘unbelievable place’ and does not need to be changed or altered in any way.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hurling. I’d hate for us to go down the VAR route. I heard there’s talks of VAR being brought in and it’s rubbish, I’d hate that.

“I used to be one of the biggest soccer fans ever. I’m a Liverpool fan and I’d watch Crystal Palace vs Everton on a Saturday morning but since they brought in VAR, I find it hard to watch Liverpool games these days, I think it’s ruined the game.

“The spontaneity of a goal going in and now nobody celebrates anymore because they have to wait for the VAR check, it’s ruined the game and it’s a brutal watch nowadays. It has slowed the game down and the emotion and the atmosphere has been brought way down at games.

“I think technology can be used in a good way but not in hurling. First of all, it’s way too fast. Imagine being somebody above in room trying to knit-pick through all of the decisions in a hurling match?

“It’s just way too fast and I know it’s easy to say after winning the All-Ireland but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hurling. I think hurling is in an unbelievable place, there’s been three different All-Ireland winners the last three years, look how competitive Munster and Leinster were this year,” he said.

Hegarty, who turns 32 next week, is already excited by the prospect of the 2027 season.

“It’s the start of August and I’m already excited to be going back training in a couple of months, we have club championships to play our first.

“When you’re in training and you’re coming up against these guys in training, you’re being tested to the absolute most and that’s what we’re in it for, to test ourselves against the absolute best.

“I’d be a big believer that if you’re going well against these guys in training then you’re in a good spot heading into whatever teams you’re going to be facing.

“I’m such a competitive person, whether that be on the golf course, the training field, All-Ireland Final Sunday or the Munster League Final in January and long may that last.”

The four-time All Star is hopeful that Limerick’s 2026 All-Ireland winning panel will return in 2027, stating that there is ‘a lovely blend of experience and youth.’

“I hope all of the lads come back training in a few months time. Everyone is in a different spot in their lives. I’d be confident they everyone would be back but you just never know.

“I’m 32 next week which doesn’t feel right to say but I’m very curious as I get older as to what are the limits and where can we bring this thing to as a team and as a group.

“I think I heard after the All-Ireland that 15 lads won their sixth All-Ireland and 15 lads won their first so I think that shows the lovely blend of experience and youth we have in the panel at the moment and hopefully we can go again next year,” Hegarty concluded.