GREEN AND MEAN
‘Moment to savour’ for Limerick boss Kiely after historic victory over Cats
JOHN KIELY guided Limerick to a momentous first Championship victory over Kilkenny since the county’s last All-Ireland triumph in 1973 and insisted that this current generation aren’t burdened by the county’s long wait without lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Limerick showed great character in a thriller at Semple Stadium to set up an All-Ireland semi-final against Cork after responding to the body blow of a late Richie Hogan goal.
They won yesterday’s quarter-final by 0-27 to 1-22, finding a late flurry of scores when the need was greatest. The manager (below) said: ‘History has no bearing on this group, they would never be defined by it; they’re going to set their own tone, their own direction and that’s that. ‘It’s a moment to savour but there’s no medal or title given out at the end of it, it’s just another step in our evolution as a team. I’m not surprised we took it, I was fully confident in our management today and that we’d have a performance. I was confident that
they would keep their composure in matches where it comes down to the wire like that.’ After he mingled with the Limerick fans who invaded the pitch after this landmark win, Kiely jumped in the air and fist-pumped his way into the tunnel area where he regained his composure to talk through the victory. ‘I am absolutely happy, happy with the team’s performance, first and foremost, the character and steel and resolve our team showed, the composure they showed, the never-say-die spirit they showed in the face of ferocious adversity that fantastic Kilkenny brought to the team as well. ‘In the last 20, 25 minutes they hit us with everything. They got good scores, they got that goal, but really after that was the winning of the match. ‘We responded with three quick points and that kind of leadership is huge, for fellas to do that. We spoke about the need to do that during the week and that’s exactly what we did,’ added Kiely. Led by Tom Morrissey’s superb solo score, that three-point burst was a sign of how far this young team have come since losing to Kilkenny in a qualifier last year. What’s changed? ‘We’re better prepared now, we’re better physically, tactically, we’ve been together a year longer so it takes a long time to develop those aspects of our game. We won another Under-21 title last year which gives great confidence and belief.’ The result means that it’s the first time in 20 seasons that Brian Cody (below) has gone two summers without reaching the last four, following last year’s defeat by Waterford. He refused to hide behind the schedule that left Kilkenny playing a third weekend on the bounce after a tough, two-legged Leinster final affair against Galway. ‘No, I said beforehand that it had nothing to do with it. We don’t have any excuses, we don’t want excuses. There are no excuses. Not even remotely thinking about the fact that we played three weeks in a row, it beats not playing.’ For a team clearly in transition, National League champions Kilkenny brought so much to the season. ‘It’s never an outstanding year when you don’t win. Our ambition will always be to win... But character is something you either have or you haven’t and it was top class. For a management team that’s the biggest thing you’ll always look for.’