ON A PROPER Summer’s Day at a packed Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, players bemoaned the absence of a water-break during the thrilling Munster senior hurling final involving Limerick and Clare.
The 39 players involved served up a compelling contest, which ultimately ended with the slenderest of wins for Limerick.
Speaking after the match, Limerick midfielder Darragh O’Donovan questioned why there was no water-break during the game.
“Why wasn’t there one today?” questioned tireless O’Donovan. “We’re amateur players going back to work tomorrow morning. Someone gets dehydrated there, someone collapses … who’s going to be held accountable then?”
“I would say there might be a need to look at a water-break there. It doesn’t have to be a situation where you have people talking about doing tactics.”
“But professional athletes can have them in an FA Cup final. Why can’t we have the same as amateurs?”
Continued the five-time Munster Championship winner: “It doesn’t have to be a situation where you have people talking about tactics. Backs go to one side, forwards go to another side maybe, a water break for one minute in each half, that would be sensible in my mind.”
Manager John Kiely has afforded his five-in-a-row winning troops a few down days to enable the players enjoy some social outings in the quaint public houses they have adopted since the memorable 2018 breakthrough. It’s not a secret the bunch prefer to mix low-key in many a rural location dotted around the county. Richly deserved!
Limerick will regroup at the weekend, three weeks out from an All-Ireland semi-final against yet unknown opposition at Croke Park (Saturday, July 8).
Clare (1/8 odds) – who Limerick can’t meet next day – Tipperary (8/13) and Galway (11/10) are the front runners to join Kiely’s side and Leinster winners Kilkenny in the last four of the All-Ireland Championship in July.
