Ciarán Carey: ‘Absolutely Savage’ history between Limerick and Tipperary

Home advantage should play it’s part for Limerick

The standout  memories of Munster Finals for me were the wins. My first final was in 1992 when Cork beat us, but the first one you win is what stands out. Looking back, there is a huge difference between now and then. Munster Championship was knockout hurling. If you lost, that was it. Limerick now find themselves in a position where they have two games won and two games lost, and could still win a Munster Championship.

On Sunday, it’s all about winning. History and tradition between Limerick and Tipperary down through the years is absolutely savage. This one will be no different. If anything, it is set up to be a cracking game, especially after the result a couple of weeks ago.

When Limerick last won a Munster title in 2013, the Gaelic Grounds was electric. There are only a few left from that team so I would imagine the young guns will all be hungry and eager for a Munster medal. They are getting that opportunity on Sunday, but not only that, it would be sweet to do it in your own back yard.

From when they first met Limerick in February, Tipperary have made a few adjustments. Bringing in Eamon O’Shea and Eoin Kelly has helped transform the team totally from a tactical point of view. They are the form team in the country presently. There is obviously a few more gears for Limerick to go up when you add the four that didn’t start the last game, but I think there is another few gears in Tipperary as well.

The onus is on Limerick to dictate from the word go. I still would fancy Limerick for two reasons. One is that we have the better hurlers and number two, our bench is far superior to Tipperary’s. Bonner Maher is going to be a huge loss for Tipperary and Cathal Barrett, even though he was under pressure against Aaron Gillane, is seen in Tipperary as doing some sweeping behind James Barry.

I believe that we have too much ability, too much skill in every line of the field and that, combined with our bench, should be enough. My only concern is that this time last year we were a lot more consistent as a squad. As John Kiely said several times, and rightly so, any question that was asked of Limerick was answered and they responded brilliantly.

I think you will have the four boys (Declan Hannon, Gearoid Hegarty, Cian Lynch and Graeme Mulcahy) coming straight back in. I think the other change could be Pat Ryan coming in at corner forward. He was impressive when he came on the last day. I think it’s the type of game that is tailor made for Pat Ryan and his pace.

I would also imagine that Kyle Hayes, who did fairly well in the first half in Thurles, will be perfectly suited to this game. He is hurling better than last year and I think if he runs at Padraic Maher, not every second, third or fourth ball, every ball, he would have him in all sorts of trouble.

Of course the minors are in Munster Final action as well. I have seen every game this year in the championship. It took them a while to get off the tracks with the two draws at the start, but they have hurled very well since then.

They have an even and balanced team. Without a doubt, Cathal O’Neill is the standout player up front, but Aidan O’Connor, Adam English look really dangerous and I’m really impressed with their composure in defence. I have seen Clare as well and they are a good team. It also has the makings of a cracking game.

It would be great for these kids to get a taste of a Munster minor medal, but the bottom line is that the conveyor belt is tipping away. Once your county is represented in a Munster Minor Final it’s a great sign. It’s a bonus if you go on to win it, but it’s a great sign to even be there.