Kiely looking forward as new look Limerick make season their season bow

Limerick’s senior hurlers kick off their 2020 campaign as they welcome All-Ireland champions Tipperary to the LIT Gaelic Grounds for their opening game of the Munster Hurling League.

This is the fifth instalment of the Munster Hurling League and Limerick manager John Kiely says the competition is a great way for the team to build ahead of next month’s National Hurling League.

Limerick lost the final of the competition in both 2016 and 2017 before going on to defeat Clare in the final in 2018.That win would prove to be a launchpad for Limerick who would go on to a win a first All-Ireland Championship since 1973 after the Winter success in the competition.

Speaking ahead of the game on Friday, Kiely is hopeful that this campaign can provide a similar stepping stone for his side.

“Before the National Hurling League starts in January, we need a few games to get built up and no better way than a competition like this.

“It can be a launchpad as we saw in 2018, it gave us confidence and we carried it on.

“Momentum is an amazing thing. If you’ll get it, you’ll take it. We’re back training with a week now. The players are really enjoying it.

“There’s an appetite there. A real hunger. The approach and attitude have been really good. I think everyone was very happy to get back onto the training field and get down to the hard work.”

It will be a new look Limerick backroom team with both Joe O’Connor and Brian Geary gone from the team with Mikey Kiely and Donal O’Grady their replacements.

While both men contributed greatly to Limerick’s success over the past couple of years, Kiely says it is important to freshen things up and is excited for both men’s contribution to the team.

“It’s always good to freshen things up. Joe O’Connor did an incredible job for us over the past few years. Joe really did it all and its big shoes to fill for Mikey Kiely, but Mikey knows his stuff and I’ve no doubt Mikey will offer and awful lot to the group.

“He will bring freshen it up and bring new ideas and you have to do that. We all know what Dodge has done for Limerick on the pitch. Very highly regarded among the players, he’s been there and done it so he will grab this by both hands and have a cut off it.”

The Munster League will also give Kiely the chance to blood new players with Kiely saying;

“We have a few new players joining the panel and they have added huge energy. We have guys we want to give game time to and we look forward to doing that. Everybody just wants to get back up and running.”

With the 2020 season fast approaching, Kiely has a simple message for his side, with improvement the key to victory.

“The team who improves the most will most likely win and that’s the bottom line.”