AS THE immortal voice of Dolores O’Riordan rang through Croke Park, ‘dreams’ came true as John Kiely’s army lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup for an historic fourth time in a row.
It started with Cork between 1941 and 1944, followed by Kilkenny between 2006 and 2009, now the Shannonsiders write their names in the history books having won their fourth All-Ireland Final on the trot.
A tooth and nail affair throughout the first half with the Treaty trailing at half time, there was never a doubt it was Limerick’s year in the closing half. Putting the Cats out with a tirade of 21 second-half points, Limerick finished their assault on Kilkenny 0-30 to 2-15 (21).
Not even a net-ripping goal from Kilkenny’s Paddy Deegan could stop Limerick’s hunger for four in a row, as Cathal O’Neill’s final nail in the Cats’ coffin chalked up a 30th point for Limerick and a quiet assurance that the boys in green and white were champions once again.
Lifting Liam MacCarthy in front of a sold-out Croke Park, Cian Lynch stepped in admirably for injured captain Declan Hannon.
“Looking down at these men in front of me, the sheer honesty shown over the last number of months, we may look like a team, but we’re a family,” Lynch told an electric crowd.
Lynch paid tribute to captain Hannon and the other heroes who were missing from play. He gave special mention also to “absolute genius” Paul Kinnerk, head coach, who held firm from the sideline, and sports psychologist Caroline Currid – “a mother figure to each and every one of us”.
The stand-in captain saved his warmest words for “spiritual guide” John Kiely, who has the unique record of never tasting defeat on a final day during his reign with Limerick so far.
Having led Limerick through four All-Ireland Final wins, five Munster titles, and three National League wins, Kiely downplayed his pivotal sideline role when speaking to RTÉ after the game, claiming “it’s down to the players totally and utterly, we have zero impact (on the sideline)”.
“We’ve been very strong all year, and we needed to be. We probably struggled through the first half, we found it hard to get up where we needed to be,” said Kiely.
Praising Kilkenny’s “ferocious intensity”, under the watch of Derek Lyng – stepping into the giant shoes of Brian Cody for the first time this year – Kiely admitted the Shannonsiders had met a strong match in the opening half of the game: “The lads were measured in what they were doing, they trusted in themselves and the process. They wore them out for the finish.”
“Every single day you know you’re going to get what’s inside in the tank. They will die for each other on the pitch.”
