“IF I WENT out with a Limerick team to play Brazil in a World Cup final I’d think we’d beat them. You have to have that sort of confidence.”
All-Star hurler Andrew O’Shaughnessy always carried a natural confidence with him during his playing days.
He’s almost apologetic as he reflects on his impressive career now but whenever he took to the field for Limerick or his club Kilmallock, he felt he was a match for any opponent who came his way.
So, when Limerick were paired against Munster rivals Waterford in the 2007 All-Ireland SHC semi-final, O’Shaughnessy could only see a victory for his side as they looked to end an 11-year gap since their last All-Ireland final appearance in 1996.
Even the intense level of expectation placed upon his shoulders as one of Limerick’s main players didn’t diminish him.
“You’re always confident,” he tells The42. ”If you’re not confident, you’re not going to perform. You’ll find that the team with the least amount of confident players will lose.
From being a player and being involved with Limerick for so long, I think no matter who we’re going to play we’re going to beat them.
“I’d be modest enough at the best of times so I just went out and did my job. If that was good enough and helped contribute to helping us win – all is good. If it didn’t then I’d be my biggest critic.”
Despite his self-belief, there was a script in place. The end of the 2007 All-Ireland hurling championship was supposed to follow a certain pattern.
A seasoned Waterford outfit were primed to finally claim a place in the All-Ireland decider for the first time since 1963, after establishing themselves as contenders for the Liam MacCarthy Cup over the previous seasons.
Players like Ken McGrath, Dan Shanahan, John Mullane and Tony Browne were all perceived as deserving recipients of a Celtic Cross, and they were closing in on a place in the All-Ireland decider.
Under the tutelage of Justin McCarthy, the Déise had picked up their third Munster crown since 2002 earlier that summer after beating Limerick in the final. They had also just come through two gruelling battles against Cork at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage after their first encounter ended in a draw.
They were on the cusp of an All-Ireland final where they could measure themselves against a formidable Kilkenny outfit who will be remembered as one of the greatest hurling teams of the modern era.
The only issue was that they were facing into a third consecutive week of championship hurling due to the Cork clash requiring a replay. The fatigue they were carrying into the All-Ireland semi-final became a major discussion point, although they were expected to power through it and ground out a win against familiar opposition Limerick.
“It’s a funny oul game,” O’Shaughnessy begins, “and looking back it was a fantastic game to be involved in but people were saying at the time that Waterford were coming off two weeks-in-a-row against Cork.
But no-one said that when we played Waterford in the Munster [final] that we were coming off two matches against Tipperary [in the semi-final].
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander so while playing two games in-a-row is obviously going to be tough physically, when you win people will say it brings momentum.”
Irrespective of the pre-match talk, Limerick had a dream start to that All-Ireland semi-final. Goals from Donie Ryan and O’Shaughnessy propelled them into a 2-4 to 0-2 lead after just 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, Waterford’s main attackers were failing to catch fire, and they were forced to bring on the fresh legs of Eoin McGrath in the first half when they would have preferred to hold a player of his calibre in reserve until the second period to close out the game.
Waterford eventually managed to settle into the tie without really establishing a foothold on proceedings, and were just four points adrift at the break after Stephen Molumphy grabbed a goal towards the end of the first half.
Dan Shanahan came close to adding a second goal moments later but his shot just went over the crossbar for a point.
Limerick were the superior side throughout game, scoring five goals in all. But every time the Shannonsiders tried to extend their lead, Waterford responded to claw their way through the deficit and even managed to bring it back to a one-point game before the end.
O’Shaughnessy finished that game with a tally of 2-7 including a penalty, and he never stopped believing that Limerick would eventually come out on top.
“It was just one of those things where you get the feeling that it was going to be your day. It was just one of those days for Waterford where everything they tried didn’t work out or just went awry at the wrong time and it went right for us.
I was fairly confident throughout. I’m starting to sound arrogant but I’m finished playing so I can say it,” he laughs.
“You get purple patches in matches and what we were doing that year, well particularly in the Munster final, we got a purple patch and didn’t make it count. When you get your purple patch you have to make it count.
They had John Mullane and that man went on and got five All-Stars. Whatever way the match is going, you don’t take off John Mullane, your main corner-forward because all you need is one chance [Mullane was substituted in the second half].
“If he had 10 chances and missed nine of them, he’d only need one because he’d get the 10th one. I don’t think they were managed the right way that day but fortunate enough for us it was managed perfectly for what we needed.”
Limerick did manage to hold on for a five-point win, prompting scenes of euphoria in Croke Park among the players and supporters all donning the green and white colours.
The All-Ireland final didn’t work out for Limerick as they suffered a 2-19 1-15 defeat to Kilkenny, but they ended an 11-year wait to get to that final which brought joy to the people of Limerick in the aftermath of that win over Waterford.
“That’s exactly what you play sport for,” says O’Shaughnessy,” even though it was a semi-final. You play to enjoy but you can’t enjoy the game unless you win.
“It doesn’t matter weeks after it, it’s literally that two minutes on the field after that’s the whole enjoyment of sport and hurling in particular, those minutes with your teammates.”
The Limerick hurlers were under the guidance of Richie Bennis at that time, and the Patrickswell man delivered a colourful post-match interview to the Sunday Game after that All-Ireland semi-final.
He expressed his pride in the team’s performance and referred to that aforementioned script in which he said that it was the pundits who misread the tie and stressed that his charges alays knew they were going to win.
Bennis also playfully remarked that ‘we got five goals and Dan The Man got none,’ a comment which drew some ire and was interpreted as disrespectful at the time.
O’Shaughnessy however, knows that his former manager did not intend to insult the Waterford legend Dan Shanahan.
“That’s just his character, he didn’t mean it that way. It just came out wrong and I understand people were annoyed but sure look you want characters like that in the GAA, we’re losing them. The whole set-up is going so professional and you’re losing characters like that.
What you saw with Richie is what you got with Richie, he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s totally committed and first and foremost, he loves his club Patrickswell and then Limerick. Enthusiasm is a great trait to have in a manager.
“You’re in charge of 30 or 40 players and if you don’t have enthusiasm, you won’t motivate them. That’s one of his biggest strengths and he was always approachable, he’d always have the hand around the shoulder and he’d give out when needs be.”
Ironically, Limerick are looking to end an 11-year wait for an All-Ireland final again this weekend as they prepare to meet another Munster rival in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Cork are the Munster champions with the favourites tag firmly attached to them. They played out a thrilling draw against Limerick when they met in the provincial round-robin stages after Kyle Hayes grabbed a late point to ensure the sides wouldn’t be separated before the final whistle.
Limerick achieved that result with 14 players on the pitch after they lost key forward Aaron Gillane to a straight red card.
But still, the expectation is that Cork will prevail on Sunday [Throw-in, 3.30] and progress to the final against either Galway or Clare.
Limerick are the perennial underdogs and this is a familiar script, one they will hope to rip up once again.
“It was 11 years before that [2007 All-Ireland final] going back to 1996,” says O’Shaughnessy.
“Maybe there’s something about 11, I don’t know. It’s great to have the ambition and you want to get to the final, that’s your goal. But it’s no good getting to a final if you don’t win it.
“Cork are clear favourites. If you listen to John Meyler, they’re total underdogs, they’re starved of success. We’re waiting since 1973 [for an All-Ireland title] and that’s an awful long time.
“Have they a chance? As I say, it’s 50/50 but if they perform like they did for all their matches except for the Clare match [in the Munster championship], they definitely have a chance.”
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