WE HAVE GOT NOTHING TO DECLARE YET

DECLAN HANNON isn’t making any declarations about Limerick arriving as a force to be reckoned with just yet.

After a fine League campaign which saw them they beat All-ireland champions Galway to promotion, yesterday’s six-point victory over

Tipp was their first Championship win over opposition of this calibre for a number of years.

Sufficient proof that they have arrived? ?

“I don’t know,” shrugged centre-back Hannon. “It’s the first round of the Championship and we’re going to judge ourselves on results this year. “We’ll know in a couple of months’ time where we’re at.” Two years ago, when the two counties last met in the Championship, Tipperary suffered an early red card and still held the Treaty men off comfortably. Hannon (above) continued: “The last couple of years have been very, very disappointing for us and very disheartening.

“It wasn’t for the lack of effort that we just weren’t getting the results but it was demoralising. “You’re going home scratching your head wondering, ‘Why are we training six times a week and not performing?’.

“So this year we said that if we can give performances, we’ll be there or thereabouts. “There is a good desire there from the boys and the lads who came on made a massive difference.

“Paul Browne (inset) made a serious interception there on John Mcgrath who was bearing down on goal.

“If that went in, Tipp probably would have pumped the ball in for the last few minutes and you’d never know. That interception and Barry Murphy’s goal from the subs were huge.”