Tom Morrissey is pictured at the launch of the Littlewoods Ireland #StyleOfPlay campaign. Littlewoods Ireland are proud sponsors of the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
By John Harrington
The most successful sports teams possess a growth mindset.
Not content simply to repeat what has brought them success in the past, they’re constantly looking to tweak, innovate, and improve.
In Gaelic Games, the Dublin footballers have been the exemplar of that ethos in recent years, and now the Limerick hurlers are dead-set on following the same arc.
The manner in which they followed up last year’s long-awaited All-Ireland title with this year’s Allianz Hurling League crown testifies to their determination to continue progressing as a team.
Like most of his team-mates, Tom Morrissey has developed and improved steadily as a senior inter-county hurler in recent years and is very confident this Limerick team as whole is still evolving all the time.
“I think we are, and I think the league backed that up,” said Morrissey today at the launch Littlewoods Ireland 2019 #StyleOfPlay campaign.
“It showed we evolved in that we’ve added a lot of depth. That was a talking point last year that we’ve good depth, and I think we’ve added again to that.
“We made nice subtle evolvements and experiments to our game plan that maybe some people might not have realised, but it’s definitely, you know that phrase, ‘when you’re on top, that’s when you need to change your game’, and we’re definitely doing that with the hope of pushing on and reclaiming the All-Ireland.”
Everyone in the Limerick set-up from players to management are very much on the same page in terms of their desire to continue improving.
But there’s no doubt either that one of the main driving force behind their appetite for innovation is team coach Paul Kinnerk.
Limerick hurling coach, Paul Kinnerk.
A pioneer of a games based approach to coaching in both gaelic football and hurling, he’s played a big role in encouraging these Limerick players to adopt a growth mindset.
“Since he has come in I have learned a huge amount and I know every individual within the team has learned a lot,” said Morrissey.
“He’s a top guy, really technical and looks to get you involved with your own improvement. A lot of us have flourished with him.
“He will do one-on-ones with you, but most of it is based around the collective...if you are not challenging yourself, you are not progressing. That would be the ethos of his training.”
Limerick manager John Kiely’s forensic approach to the job means his players are constantly being both evaluated and encouraged.
When they congregate for video analysis sessions on the Monday after a match, every player quickly finds out what they have done right and the areas they still need to work on.
“I think, yeah, that's definitely a part of the game that's evolved over the last number of years,” said Morrissey.
“This is my fifth year involved in the panel and it's definitely something that as an individual and as a team you would focus on a lot more than I would have when I started off.
“Especially, as you say, on that Monday session maybe after a game you'd want to watch your clips and see where you can make improvements for the following week in training.
“That's just the nature of the way the game is gone and I suppose it's just another aspect that you have to put time into. It's definitely beneficial.”
Limerick’s puck-out strategy presents the most vivid illustration of just how well-drilled and tactically smart their players are.
Limerick goal-keeper, Nickie Quaid, takes a puck-out in the 2019 Allianz Hurling League Final against Waterford.
No team won a higher percentage (72%) of their own puck-outs that Limerick did in last year’s Championship, and that ability to retain possession off restarts has played a huge part in their recent success.
“I think most teams have realised that between your puck-out and opposition puck-outs there's a lot of set-pieces there so you're going to need to have a good structure in place to get yourself that marginal advantage when you are in possession," said Morrissey.
“There's less just booming the ball up the field. It is about playing percentages and trying to hold onto that ball until at least the second play anyway.
“You want your goalie to deliver the ball to one of your own players and hold onto that initial possession to get a platform to attack from. It's definitely become a more tactical game.
“Sport, like life, it evolves and this is maybe just one aspect of the game that has evolved in hurling over the last few years.
“Maybe teams have taken it a bit more seriously as they realise the advantage of getting a good base from it.”
This is a very hungry Limerick hurling team. Hungry to learn, and hungry to win.
The only major piece of silverware that isn’t currently residing in the Treaty County is the Munster Senior Hurling Championship Cup, and you can be sure everyone in their camp is highly motivated to complete the clean sweep.
“Yeah, I suppose it is the only thing that eludes us,” said Morrissey. “We seem to have done it the backwards way of winning the national titles first and then going after the provincial title.
“But all eyes are on May 19th and it’s just about getting yourself in a top-three position in Munster first before you look at Munster finals or winning Munster. It’s just about getting points on the board and getting out of there.
“It’s definitely a tougher competition to win with the way the format is. It’s something that I’d hate to say I finished my career without a Munster medal.
“It’s definitely something I’d like to pick up and finish the collection. But you can’t let your mind drift to that. It’s too early for talks of Munster finals or Munster Championships.
“It’s just game by game at the minute.”
