HANNON IS KEEPING THE TREATY GROUNDED
IN THE giddy aftermath of Limerick’s win over Tipperary in May, a number of ecstatic supporters jumped on the back of Declan Hannon. Ironically, the Treaty captain had just given a television interview where he talked about the game in the Gaelic Grounds just being the first step of the summer and that there was a long road ahead. It doesn’t take much to create some excitement in Limerick, a county crying out for some senior success. Nine days before the AllIreland semi-final with Cork, the county had already shifted more than 25,000 tickets. But in their 25-year-old skipper, they have a leader who is able to keep feet firmly planted on terra firma. ‘That Tipperary game was the first round of the Championship. We had, at least, three games to go,’ points out the centre-back. Hannon has looked comfortable as the pivot of Limerick’s dominant half-back line. The understanding he has forged with Diarmaid Byrnes and Dan Morrissey on either side of him has been crucial in the Shannonsiders getting this far. Moving the Adare native to centre-back from his previous home at centre-forward was one of the first decisions that John Kiely made when he took the helm. And, while the half-back line has garnered plenty of attention, Hannon insists their dominance lies with the rest of the team working just as hard and the composure that the whole squad have shown. ‘We have shown all year, whether it has been League or Championship, that when a team gets ahead of us or gets a run on us, we just stay composed. That is down to the hard work of all the players, the likes of Tom [Morrissey] tracking back from the halfforward line. ‘It is just hard work and everyone helping each other out,’ he adds. And Hannon says the big difference for Limerick this season is that they are playing a style that all the players are now happy with. The captain admits there were one or two ropey moments last summer and even earlier this year when they were implementing the style. ‘The playing style definitely does suit us but we are two years trying to get it right, it just didn’t happen overnight,’ Hannon continued. ‘There were a few challenge games where it went wrong but we just kept at it and we spoke about it earlier in the year, that this was where we were going. ‘If you want to buy in, great. ‘If you don’t, well there is the exit door. Everyone has bought into it and they have bought into the style of play that we are trying to implement. But games take their own shape and you have to adapt on the field and we have done that quite well this year.’