Sweeney Mcgann
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LIMERICK LEA D E R Saturday, March 12, 2016 A l l I re l a n d ClubFinal 12-page preview of Na Piarsaigh's All Ireland club hurling final bid ALL IRELAND CLUB SHC FINAL Na Piarsaigh v Cushendall D ate : Thursday, March 17 Ve n u e : Croke Park Throw-in: 2pm TV: TG 4 Email: [email protected] We b : www.limerickleader.ie Twit ter: @LimkLeaderSport Fac e b o o k : Limerick Leader Sport I n st a g ra m : Limerick Leader Sport Sweeney McGann SOLICITORS Official Sponsors of the Na Piarsaigh Senior Hurlers BEST OF LUCK ON MARCH 17TH 67 O’Connell Street, Limerick | 061 418277 | sweeneymcgann.com | [email protected] ALL IRELAND CLUB SHC FINAL - NA PIARSAIGH V CUSHENDALL On the brink of their fine st hour Jerome O'Connell previews Na Piarsaigh's Ireland final is necessary. Na Piarsaigh, like any All Ireland final as they bid to be the first team, are best on the forward Limerick side to claim the top club honour foot and possess a wealth of attacking talent that could IN twoyears time Na Piar- ALL IRELAND CLUB light up club finals day. saigh GAA club will celeb- SHC FINAL But forDownes, Dempsey, rate its 50th anniversary. Peter Casey, Adrian Breen All in Caherdavin would Na Piarsaigh v Cushendall and co to dotheir business in love nothing better than one D ate : Thursday, March 17 front of goal, thesupply lines morebig piece of history to Ve n u e : Croke Park will have tobe efficient. The putthe glosson aremarkable Throw-in: 2pm open spaces of CrokePark rise through the ranks. TV: TG 4 can be apostive for Na Piar- From the1980 Sweet saigh but onlyif primary pos- Afton Cup success in the city session works in their favour juniorchampionship to a This time last year Kilmal- in the middle third of the 2016Tommy MooreCup suc- lock carried the hopes,but f ie l d . cess in Croke Park would they were underdogs against Alan Dempseyand Will make for nice reading in any a star-laden Ballyhale Sham- O’Donoghue havebossed club history. rocks from Kilkenny. Ulti- most midfield partnerships And, while St Patricks Day mately The Balbce didn’t and one morebig display will in GAA Headquarters will be perform in Croke Park and be needed. To supplement aboutNa Piarsaigh,it’s also a the Kilkenny men justified this duo the half back trio of big day for Limerick hurling. their favourites tag. Mike Foley, Ronan Lynch and Eight different counties Next Thursday, it’sNa Pi- Cathall King will need to be can boost All Ireland club arsiagh that are favourites. d o m i n a nt . SHC winners in the roll of While Kilmallock fell well I t’sa NaPiarsaigh de- honourbut sincethe incep- short of the Ballyhale medals fensive unit that wasre- tion of thenational competi- and experience, Na Piarsaigh moulded this season witha tion in 1970 Limerick’s wait d o n’t have such issues. youthful look. At a time when for glory continues. Indeed the men in Light he led the Limerick attack en- Kilmallock (twice and Blue have a host of players route to an All Ireland U-21 most recently last year), very familiar with Croke title,Ronan Lynch wasen- Patrickswell and Ballybrown Park. The memories may be trusted with the No6 jersey by have all fallen at the final painful in most cases, butthe the Na Piarsaigh manage- hu r l d e. likes of DavidBreen, Shane m e nt . The wish on Shannonside Dowling and Kevin Downes “I t’s a big role and a lot of is that Na Piarsaigh can break must be central figures, while responsibilityplaying in the newground and bolsterthe youngsters like Ronan Lynch, centre of defence but if you trophycollection in the David Dempsey and Mike d o n’t challengeyourself, you county. The All Ireland U-21 Casey are among others that wo n’t improve. You want to be title, Fitzgibbon Cup have seen game-time on the playing in the biggames and and Harty Cup all rest in Lim- hallowed turf. you want to beplaying in the erick at present. The recent I t’s over two weeks now big positions and marking since the panel of players had and my confidence is back always feel going outthat we and it resonates throughout past has seen theMunster the best players you can. now and I have a great partner can beat the person that we the team. senior and minor champion- a run-out in Croke Park and Growing up along I would this should helpedalleviate in William O’Donoghue - we are on and that filters from 1- Since beating last season’s ships returned. have playedall sorts of posi- compliment eachother and 15.Beatthe man that youare All Ireland finalists Kilmal- Key to most of the trophy anyconcerns forthe ‘lesser tions but wheneverI play I l i g ht s’ of the group. i t’s all about knowing our on and if you do that from 1-15 lock in the semi finalofthe success were NaPiarsaigh just tryand make themost of roles and in fairness to the th at’s thefirst step to win- Limerick SHC, Na Piarsaigh players and hence the confid- Na Piarsaigh bring an un- what I have and work as hard beaten run of 11 games to management teams they n i n g ,” explainedthe mid- have got nothing easy. A run of ence surrounding theShane as I can,” said Lynch. their tactical playand ana- f ie l d e r. wins over Kilmallock, O’Neill managed side on Croke Park and while they are Another man on themove renownedas strong fin- lysis of theopposition is al- There is an inner confid- Patrickswell, Sixmilebridge, March 17. is midfielder Alan Dempsey. ways very trustworthy and we ence in what Dempsey says Thurles, Ballygunnner and ishers, a steady start in an All “I t’s all about confidence Club Final ‘Club ready for D I A RY All IRELAND TITLES final step’: O’Neill KILKENNY ’S B a l l y h a l e Shamrocks lead the way i n ,” he saidwith some satis- BY JE RO M E O'C ONNELL in the All Ireland club e-mail: j e ro m e.oc o n n e l l @ l i m e r i c k l ead e r. i e f ac t io n . SHC roll of honour. Twitter: @JeromeSpor t O’Neill leads his side out Their win over Kilmal- of thedressing roomsbe- lock last March moved WHEN Shane O'Neill was neath the Cusack Stand on St them onto six crowns. That growing up Na Piarsaigh Patricks Dayin just his made it 11 wins forThe were a junior hurling club. second season as manager – C at s . That wasn't’teven 25 taking over from Sean Stack In terms of county’s years ago. in the Spring of 2014. Galway lead the way with 13 It was 1994 when they ”Ihave learned that you titles – Portumna ac- won theLimerick IHC to have to gowith your gut alot counting for four. graduate tothe topflight of more than what I would have Limerick and Water- club hurling forthe first thought. All the best plans ford remain the only t i m e. arelaid and then something counties without an All Ire- Next Thursday O'Neill happens on thepitch when land club SHC title. manages a Na Piarsaigh you think you have senior hurling side, striving everything legislated MARCH 17 SCHEDULE to bethe envy of theover for. You haveto make alot of 2,000 affiliatedGAA clubsin decisions onyour feet with THE club hurling decider Ireland and lift the Tommy Bermo (Kieran Berm- between Na Piarsaigh and Moore Cup. ingham) and Alan (Cun- Cushendall will be the “I t’s ahuge occasion for ningham). Alan’s experience first of next Thursday’s the club - not something you has been phenomenal in double-header with ac- would have thought theclub terms of preparation and on tion underway at 2.00. would be striving fora match day - I have never seen Cork official Diarmuid couple of years ago but since acoach like him. Bermo Kirwan will be thereferee 2011 thewhole focus and be- stepped in to train theboys in charge when thesides lief has improved every when Sean (Stack) stepped emerge from beneath the yea r,” explained O’Nei l l . down because therewas a Cusack Stand. “ I think the club has be- few weeks when we didn’t The football decider is come morenationally have anybody and he got a between Mayo’s C a s t l eba r renowned in thelast few great reaction and he has Mitchels and years with us competing and been superb with the boys,” Dub l i n’s B a l l yb o d e n winning provincial titles but said the manager of his side- St E n d a s . to win theAll Ireland you k ic k s . Both gameswill be live would be joining theelite,” While O’Neill played on TG4. saidthe manager witha under a host of managers sense of expectation. and coaches withclub and BUSINESS OF SPORT “Most of thelads that I county, his father Mick was hurled with played junior and remains a club stalwart. NA Piarsaigh have made and won thejunior champi- ”Dad hada very gruff ex- huge efforts to getthe onship and then myself terior withall theboysun- north side community to Aidan Ryanand Donal derage but he had great support them in Croke Hickey came onat interme- respect for them all - from a Pa rk .