“I’ve been pleased since I came to Limerick” | Ray Dempsey discusses comfortable McGrath Cup win over Waterford

The Mayo native hit the ground running with Limerick as they find themselves just 70 minutes from the McGrath Cup final.

Limerick kicked off the Ray Dempsey era with a comprehensive 17-point win over Waterford in Mick Neville Park on Wednesday evening.

Cathal Downes (2), Adrian Enright and Killian Ryan hit the net in the McGrath Cup opener as Limerick ran out 4-14 to 0-9 winners.

The Shannonsiders offered debuts to five players on the evening with Downes and Brian Barry among those to find the target on their first appearance.

Waterford offered little in response but Limerick’s ability to score at ease will have been pleasing to the Mayo native as he reflected on his maiden game in charge of the Munster outfit.

“Yeah, it’s about individual performances and hopefully that will come together collectively and we’ll see where that takes us on the scoreboard. There were patches of play where we did things accurately and I thought we were very good. But there were times where we switched off a little, didn’t get our tackles in and let Waterford run through us which is unacceptable really at this level.

“I’ll work with anyone that wants to represent Limerick in a good light if they are willing to put in the shift. There is a lot of lads with experience leading the way. I’m happy with the attitude of the trialists.”

The McGrath cup contest came three months since Dempsey’s appointment as he was announced as the man to replace Billy Lee after six years and two promotions at the helm.

It is hard to judge Limerick on that solitary performance under Dempsey but the early indications are positive. And the man in charge said he has been “pleased” with his time with the county thus far.

“I’ve been pleased since I came to Limerick. I think it’s a great GAA community, there’s a lot of things different here than we have at home in Mayo. The bond that there’s among them and trying to intertwine the trialists into it and make them feel important is the challenge.

“There’s challenges for everyone and I suppose the biggest challenge coming is playing in the second division.”

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Limerick will not turn their attention to Tipperary in the second round on January 14th where a second successive win under Dempsey will secure a McGrath Cup final berth.