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Cian Lynch and Limerick celebrate their Allianz hurling league Division 1 success. Evan Treacy/INPHO
Limerick leaders

'They're scary good. They’ve assembled the best panel they’ve ever had'

Limerick powered to Division 1 Allianz hurling league glory yesterday.

LIAM SHEEDY AND Anthony Daly have hailed “scary good” Limerick after they powered to Division 1 Allianz hurling league glory yesterday.

John Kiely’s all-conquering side ran out 2-20 to 0-15 winners over Kilkenny at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and lifted their third league crown in five years.

“They’re scary good,” Sheedy told The Sunday Game last night. “Really, really good again today.

“And they had quite a slow start. They had no score in the first 10 minutes, they didn’t get their first point from play until the 16th minute but once Seamus Flanagan knocked over that first point, they just went into overdrive. Knocked in 1-12 before half time, gave themselves a six-point cushion.

“Some of their play is just incredible. Their execution of the skills — when you look at those 20, 30-yard passes from the hurley, 90% of them are executed perfectly. They’re a really well-drilled side and it’s going to take a huge amount to beat them.”

“The scary, scary thing is have they won it at 85%?” Daly asked.

“The scenes there at the end, Cian Lynch getting the cup, it’s so reminiscent of Cody’s Kilkenny winning the league, there’d hardly be a smile. John Kiely is hardly smiling, he knows [it's about] two weeks’ time.

“They’re after picking up a league title that we didn’t think they’d have much interest in given last year’s league. Now they’ve won that and they’re driving on. We always say Munster is a minefield. It’s a minefield for four I think now, we know one team will come out.”

Sheedy, a two-time All-Ireland winning manager with Tipperary, believes Limerick are stronger than ever ahead of their Liam McCarthy and Mick Mackey Cup challenges.

The Treaty will be targeting five in-a-row in Munster and four on the spin at national level — or five in six years after Sheedy’s Tipp interrupted their reign in 2019. And they look primed for another assault.

“They’ve assembled the best panel they’ve ever had in 2023,” the Portroe man added.

“John Kiely and his management team have done an incredible job. John keeps referring to the squad and the group. Most teams, if you lost a centre-back and a wing-back before the game – they lost Kyle Hayes and Declan Hannon, two huge players on any team, two All-Stars, and it’s just business as usual. Will O’Donoghue was out as a result of the semi-final and Tom Morrissey only came on as a sub. There’s four guys that are at the top level. I think they have the strongest panel.

“John Kiely, his biggest attribute to me, is the way he’s kept the group together. He’s managed to all the time talk about the squad and the group, and everybody seems to have bought in. It’s very, very encouraging. He’ll be really happy because he knows he still has areas to work on.

“But my God, they’re at a level where nobody else is at right now and I think they have the strongest panel going into the championship.”

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