THREE days out from his 35th birthday (June 12), two-time All-Star goalkeeper Nickie Quaid of Effin was again at his brilliant best as Limerick secured a snug victory over Clare in Sunday’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final at a sold-out Semple Stadium, Thurles.
The win achieved by Limerick secured the first ever six in a row provincial Championships for any county in a competition that is coming up on 140 years.
Under inspirational manager John Kiely, Quaid has now played every single minute of a championship journey that now has us just a couple of outings away from achieving a record five All-Ireland Championships in succession.
At the weekend, Quaid was one of several players who delivered eye-catching displays on another special occasion for no longer success-starved Limerick.
The Quaid service to the county scene extends to eight consecutive decades, through the twins of Jack and Jim (1950s/60s), Nickie’s late father Tommy (1970s/80s), Joe (1990s/2000s), and thereafter Nickie.
The win over Clare marked Nickie’s 145th senior outing for Limerick, and his 40th Munster Championship fixture.
It was then county manager Donal O’Grady (Cork), back in 2010, who drafted Nickie into the senior set-up, initially as an outfield player but that soon changed.
“Nickie spoke to me the night Donal rang him and asked him would he play in goals,” Joe Quaid recalled to GAA.ie.
“He asked me what I thought, and I said, ‘Would you prefer to play outfield?’ He said, ‘I would, but I don’t know if I’d make it outfield and he wants me to play in goals’. I said, ‘Well then go play in goals. It’s an honour to play anywhere on a county team and you’re a great goalkeeper’.”
Happy Birthday Nickie!
