LAST UPDATE | 16 Aug 2021
IN JOHN KIELY’S speech on the Limerick team bus after their 2018 All-Ireland win, he implored the players not to let the victory change them.
“We will be judged as we go forward as people,” the manager told his players.
“On how we carry this victory. As people. I want to be the same man I was two years ago, a year ago, last September, October, when we were trying to figure out how we were going to make this thing better.
“I don’t want to be thought of as John Kiely who managed the Limerick team to an All-Ireland in 2018. I want to be remembered for who I am, the person I am. Not an ounce different.”
As the bus completed a short trip from Croke Park to Limerick’s reception, he was keen to hammer home the message.
Three years on and Kiely’s words still resonate.
Limerick have remained a winning machine. They retain their hunger for hard work, coupled with their sculpted physiques, silky skills and well-defined style of play.
The Treaty are three in-a-row Munster champions and 70 minutes way from their third All-Ireland title in four years.
Like any team, they’ve had their ups and downs along the way but the pride Kiely has for his players is obvious.
“Of course the boys have been through a lot over the last few years, as much as there’s been success, in their own lives they’ve had the normal challenges, and the last couple of years have been particularly challenging,” he says.
“Some members of the group have lost family members and friends, all those grounding experiences and tragedies, stuff which is real above and beyond sport.
“We’re all aware it’s a very privileged position that we’re in as a group, and that we need to be cognisant of the fact that it’s a privilege and an honour, something to be treasured, not something for us to feel that is has made any difference to us other than this is what we do, we play sport, we play hurling.
“So humility is a big factor in our group and I’d hope that can be seen in how they play. They’re united, they play for each other, they play for the group and they play for the jersey – and not for themselves.”
Limerick’s ability to play for one another was witnessed during the semi-final against Waterford, when there were numerous examples of men in green jerseys making vital last ditch tackles.
“It’s something we’ve worked hard on this summer. All the teams are trying to engineer more goal scoring chances, and teams are working harder to deny those goal chances.
“Some of those pieces of defending were exemplary in terms of the timing, the technical ability to deliver it, and the collective unit working together. One player would do one piece then it rolls over to the next guy, and the next guy.
“For me that’s the most pleasing part, that it’s a collective effort as well as the individual brilliance.”
For Kiely, outstanding defensive plays like those exhibited by Tom Morrissey and Kyle Hayes is a combination of coaching and character.
“It’s both, but we have worked hard on it in training. Paul Kinnerk puts in a huge piece on it over the summer and the layers have responded.
“We’ve seen some fantastic examples of brilliant defending this year from a number of teams, but we’re very proud of our team in terms of the work they’ve done on defence.”
After a stuttering start to the league where they were winless in their opening three games, Limerick have really got into their groove since half-time in the Tipperary game.
“I’ve to trust the coaches and their planning, be it strength and conditioning or hurling coaches, or both- when they set out their plan for how they want to work, that they’ve made the right calls,” Kiely reflected.
“They’re the ones with the expertise. Mikey Kiely has a doctorate in S&C (strength and conditioning) so I have to trust his work is correct, and to date he’s gotten it bang on.
“We put huge trust in the coaches to get that right, and the fact we’re having this conversation is testament to that work, and that that trust was well placed, that we would be right.
“I’m not qualified in any of that and that’s why they’re there, why they studied that – so they could contribute to decisions like that.
“Every team is working with that level of expertise behind them, to try to peak at the right time, to improve incrementally, and our coaches have gotten that right over the last four or five years.”
He caused a minor storm early in the season when he accused Galway players of looking for soft frees before warning that hurling is would suffer if the tackle is taken out of the game
The Galbally man later retracted his comments. He believes the game is in a good place after a thrilling summer of action.
“Sure we all have our moments, don’t we?” smiled Kiely. “It was a senior moment, maybe.
“We’ve all upped our game throughout the season and maybe certain frustrations at the outset might have been a combination of a number of different factors. But I think we can agree it’s been a very good championship, the players have risen to the challenge and produced some incredible moments, incredible games, from all the participating teams.
“We’re blessed with what we have. The fact that it was played throughout the summer was a great thing, it allowed the players to express themselves and produce the magic we’ve seen in the last few weeks.
“Obviously there’s a lot of very fine young players coming into the game who are going to leave their mark on it in the coming years.”
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