LIMERICK senior hurling manager John Kiely has called for his side to make home advantage count this weekend as they face Galway in the semi final of the National Hurling League.
The game, which throws in at 2pm, sees the two sides meet for the second time in three weeks with Galway having won by 0-24 to 1-18 in the final round of 1B games on March 26.
Shane Dowling (0-11) and Joe Canning (0-10) were top marksmen in a game where Limerick led by a point at half-time. Kiely is still frustrated by the result, which saw Limerick falter at periods in the game.
“That Galway performance and result still hurts, to be honest. This weekend is going to be different, of course, but it is still a chance for us as a group to test ourselves against the bigger teams. We know that we will have to have the right attitude for 70-80 minutes on Sunday”
When asked about the significance of home advantage, Kiely was quick to admit that the team need to make Limerick a hard place to come to and hopefully with a big crowd on Sunday, the challenge can be laid down to Galway for the entire game.
“I always hear people saying that Wexford Park, Nowlan Park, Cusack Park etc. are hard places to go. We need to make the Gaelic Grounds the same. I have been on to the players about that. We need teams to know that should they come to Limerick, they are going to get one hell of a battle.”
Limerick are expected to be at full strength at the weekend with Peter Casey (toe) the only real doubt.
John Kiely has called on the Limerick fans to come out and support his side, which he believes gives the entire squad a huge boost.
“When we play in front of a big crowd, like we did in the last Galway game, there is nothing like it. Our supporters are fantastic and they know that we are working hard and trying hard too. It’s up to us to give them something to roar about now.”
Limerick are in search of a final spot, their first since 2006, while Galway are looking for a return to the final which they last won in 2010. The game is live on TG4 and on Limerick’s Live95fm.
