There’s a bounce in Treaty team but you need luck too..
BENNIS LIKES THE LOOK OF LIMERICK’S 2018 CHANCES
JUST a couple of days after Limerick’s last Championship visit to Ennis in 2006, Richie Bennis took a phone call from a friend.
The previous Sunday Clare had beaten the Treaty by 17 points in a round robin qualifier game at Cusack Park, causing manager Joe Mckenna to resign mid-season.
Limerick still had two games, against Offaly and Dublin, to get out of the group.
His pal asked if he’d be interested in the job. “I would if the money was right!” Bennis (left) joked. “The next phone call I got was from an official of the county board and he asked me would I be interested, just to take over to finish off the year.
“I put together a set-up and got Gary Kirby on board as well as Bernie Hartigan, Tony Hickey, Anthony O’riordan.
“Our first match was in Tullamore. We were five or six points down, Offaly hit the crossbar and we ended up going down the other side and scoring – by half-time we were level. The thing rolled on from then.”
They won well in the end and took care of Dublin to reach the All-ireland quarter-final against a Cork side chasing three-in-a-row. They were edged out by a point but Bennis had done enough to get to job on a two-year term.
The following year they went all the way to the All-ireland final, only to lose honourably to the greatest Kilkenny team on its way to four-in-a-row.
Bennis said: “It’s always an honour to manage your county, it’s something that I’d dreamed about but never thought that I’d fulfil it.
“Phil, a brother of mine, had done it previously too and was fairly successful, won a League. I thought I’d never get the opportunity but it arrived and things went well.”
He remains the last man to guide Limerick to an All-ireland final. But will John Kiely be the next?
Bennis said: “I don’t like talking too far ahead but he’s going the right way about it and has what Limerick teams haven’t had in a long time – he has a panel of players that he wouldn’t be too overly concerned if he had an injury.
“He’s been very lucky so far, he’s had no injuries but in the event of some fella not playing up to form, he’s able to replace him.” Limerick have been the most impressive team in Munster so far but need to avoid defeat in their first Championship game in Ennis for 12 years to reach the final.
Bennis added: “We haven’t the best record down there. I remember going there in 1972 when we were on a high after winning the League in 1971 and beaten by Tipperary in the Munster final that year. We were expected to beat Clare and they beat us well. We went down in 1993 as well and the same thing. But I think this team is different.
“They seem to know how to win and have no fear of any opposition. They have beaten them at underage level too which is a big plus. Winning is a habit, I hope we have developed that.
“I must give management great credit, they’ve kept it very low key and kept the players from being boosted up too high.
“The whole set-up is good. They’re capable of winning an All-ireland but you need a bit of luck as well.”