We couldn’t stay UNDER the radar for long
TOM MORRISSEY says he never bought into the notion that Limerick would have to bide their time for All-ireland senior success.
Morrissey captained the county to All-ireland under-21 glory last year (right) and was one of five players from that side to start the senior final victory over Galway in August, making for an unusually immediate yield.
Additionally, there were a further five players from the 2015 All-ireland under-21 success, with Morrissey, Sean Finn and Cian Lynch having shared in both victories.
“From the public looking in, they probably thought that we were a year or two before our time since we were such a young team,” said Morrissey (left, with Peter Casey). “They were probably looking at the under-21 Allirelands we won in 2015 and ’17 and saying, ‘Give them a few years’.
“Galway won an All-ireland in 2017 backboned by a squad that won [U21] in 2011 and I think people were expecting a similar time frame from us. As players though we stated at numerous times during the year that you have to live in the present and time is now so it didn’t some as much of a surprise within the squad.
“We had the belief that it could happen now.
“The standard of 21s’ hurling is so high that the gap has reduced slightly and when we were winning those titles there was a large chunk of us already involved with the seniors so it wasn’t that we all suddenly made the jump. We were there for the past two or three years.
“This was my fourth year on the senior panel and I’m 22 and there were a lot of lads like that.”
Various members of the Limerick team and management have identified the League win over Galway in Salthill last March as a critical point in the year but it was later in the year before the possibility of bridging the gap to 1973 moved more to the forefront of Morrissey’s thoughts.
“If you’re being honest, during the Munster Championship you’re not even thinking about it but probably after beating Kilkenny and getting into an All-ireland semi-final your mind can’t help thinking that there’s an Allireland here for us.”
The nature of that victory over Kilkenny was particularly impressive given that Limerick were hit with a potentially crippling late goal from Richie Hogan, only to finish with a flourish which included a landmark point from Morrissey, who was unfortunate to miss out on a PWC All Star last week, though his brother Dan was honoured.
“I haven’t had much time for reflection in the last few weeks. To be honest I’d say it’ll be Christmas before I get to sit down and have a real recap of the year.
“It was a nice point to get and a crucial one but in the circumstances the main thing was to get over the line, not having beaten Kilkenny since we last won the Championship in 1973.
“It showed how substantial an achievement – and how substantial a moment – that was for Limerick.”