Limerick players and supporters celebrate after their side's victory in the oneills.com Munster GAA Hurling U20 Championship Final match between Limerick and Tipperary at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
By John Harrington
It’s a simple fact that Limerick’s dominance of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (three titles in the last four years) has been built on their All-Ireland U-21 winning teams of 2015 and 2017.
Sean Finn, Richie English, Mike Casey, Gearoid Hegarty, Darragh O’Donovan, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey, Peter Casey, and David Dempsey all played in the 2015 All-Ireland U-21 Final victory over Wexford.
Finn, Lynch, Morrissey, and Casey were also members of the 2017 team that featured other luminous talents like Kyle Hayes, Aaron Gillane, Barry Nash, Conor Boylan, and Robbie Hanley.
Transforming underage All-Ireland winners into the same in the senior grade is a notoriously tricky science, but Limerick certainly seemed to have nailed it.
Sunday’s All-Ireland U-20 Final against Kilkenny is their first in the grade since that 2017 win over the same opponents, and Limerick gaels will be hoping that the class of 2022 will also graduate with honours.
Cathal O’Neill has already done so – his involvement with the Limerick seniors in the Munster Championship this year ruled him ineligible for most of the successful U-20 provincial campaign.
Limerick U-20 manager, Diarmuid Mullins, is hopeful that the county’s hurling structures are so solid from top to bottom now that the unprecedented success they’re achieving can be a sustainable one if they keep bringing through players of that calibre.
“I think it’s just great that the flagship team which is the senior hurling team in Limerick is doing so well and being very, very consistent in how they've performed over the last four or five years,” he told GAA.ie
“Obviously the aspiration of all the lads on our panel is that they would like to play at senior level. I think the fact that they can see that Cathal (O’Neill) and Colin (Coughlan) were involved last year with the senior panel and this year now you've Cathal pushing on in terms of starting Munster Championship games at senior level.
“Plus we've Padddy O'Donovan, Adam English, and Jimmy Quilty up training with the seniors as well. It means that the lads who are involved at the U-20s can see that within their peer group there are guys that are getting opportunities. That John (Kiely) at senior level is prepared to have a look at them.
“I think that is a driving factor. We want them to succeed at U-20 level but we want them to also believe that if they do have the ability and they do apply themselves properly that becoming a senior player with Limerick can happen. Then ultimately what has happend over the last five or six years is that becoming a winning player at senior level is possible in Limerick currently.
“That won't last forever, but we're hopeful that if we can get some players from this squad that will be able to make it at senior level, but it will take a little bit of time after U-20.”
Limerick manager Diarmuid Mullins celebrates after his side's victory in the oneills.com Munster GAA Hurling U20 Championship Final match between Limerick and Tipperary at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
Much like Kilkenny did in the noughties, Limerick are now producing underage teams that mirror their seniors both in terms of personality as well as style of play.
This U-20 side beat Clare, Cork, Waterford, and Tipperary on the way to winning the Munster Championship and what as notable about all those victories was that they showed great character to play their best hurling in the final quarter when the match had to be won.
“I think all of the games were tight,” says Mullins. “There wasn't much between the teams in Munster so we were just happy that we managed to get over the line in those. In particularly obviously the first-round game against Clare when Cathal came up with a goal and a point in injury-time to get us off to a good start.
“I think we've improved in each of the games since but there's been no game that has been anything but close going into the last 10 minutes.
“I think the lads showed good spirit among the group that we can win if we stick to the plan. And also I think in nearly all of the games we've used probably 20 players so guys who have come in off the bench have made a big impact as well in just making sure that we've got over the line in those games.
“I've no doubt that Sunday will be a tight affair as well.”
Like Limerick, Kilkenny have shown grit as well as quality to make it to Sunday’s All-Ireland Final.
After a convincing win over Offaly in the quarter-final, they had to dig really deep to beat a quality Galway side by a single point after extra-time in the semi-final.
Kilkenny captain Padraig Moylan celebrates with the cup after his side's victory in the oneills.com Leinster GAA Hurling U20 Championship Final match between Wexford and Kilkenny at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow.
The Final itself against Wexford was another nerve-shredder, with the Cats eventually winning out by a single point again.
Mullins is well aware their opponents possess both class and character.
“I think it's fairly clear what we can expect from Kilkenny,” he said. “They've had a fantastic Leinster campaign, beating Offaly and beating Galway in what was probably the best game of the U-20 Championship.
“Galway were coming off the back of four minor All-Ireland winning teams are a very formidable team. Kilkenny showed great spirit and determination to win the Leinster Final.
You have two unbeaten teams and I think Kilkenny will bring what they always bring, a huge amount of determination and work-rate and then natural ability.
“We're also conscious that at minor level Kilkenny beat us and beat us convincingly. So we've a lot of work to do to try and overcome that.
“But, look, we'll be giving it our best shot anyway.”
Sunday, May 22
oneills.com All-Ireland U-20 Hurling Final
Kilkenny v Limerick, FBD Semple Stadium, 1.30pm_-_ TG4
