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Kiely has ushered in an unprecedented period of success over Limerick.
With John Kiely reaching 30 championship games in charge of Limerick, it seems fitting to reflect on some of the best that the Shannonsiders have produced under the Galbally native.
Those 30 games have yielded 22 wins at a 73% strike rate. That has also equated to three All-Ireland titles in four years as well as four successive Munster titles.
Limerick completed the four in a row in the province this year which books Limerick’s place in the All-Ireland semi-finals for a fifth successive season.
The defending champions return to action on 3 July and with a four week break, we look back on some of Limerick’s best days under Kiely.
Already we have looked back on some classics from 2018 right through to 2022.
Notable Omissions
#10, #9, #8, #7, #6
#5
But today we go back to arguably the greatest moment of them all, that day in Croke Park in 2018 when the famine was ended.
#4
Limerick 3-16 : 2-18 Galway
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final | 19 August 2018 in Croke Park.
Limerick’s 45-year wait for All-Ireland honours came to an end on a glorious day in Croke Park as John Kiely’s men delivered when mattered most as a sea of emotion filled the stadium.
Seemingly cruising with time entering the red, Limerick had to do it the hard way as there was only one separating the teams at the end of a pulsating contest.
Nonetheless, it was Declan Hannon that climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand as Limerick’s wait since 1973 was ended.
Against the defending champions with no All-Ireland final experience in the starting XV, it was Limerick who dictated the opening proceedings as Aaron Gillane got the challengers off to the mark, nailing from play after missing from a free.
Kyle Hayes added to that as Graeme Mulcahy made it three points inside six minutes.
Galway got off the board through a Joe Canning 65′ before David Burke made it a one point game.
After a quarter of an hour, the sides were level at 0-5 apiece before Joe Cooney gave them their first lead.
That was to be the only time Galway led in the entire contest as Limerick responded inside a minute with Graeme Mulcahy bundling to the net.
That was enough to help them into a 1-10 to 0-9 advantage at the interval as Seamus Flanagan rounded off the first half scoring where the inspirational Hannon bagged a brace from centre back.
The second half started in similar fashion as Man of the Match Kyle Hayes began to exert himself with three from play that had Limerick eight ahead with 25 to play.
Canning kept Galway in touch with a performance for the ages but he was powerless to stop Tom Morrissey from Limerick’s second major, the Ahane man dispossessing Gearoid McInerny before finishing for a 2-15 to 0-12 lead.
Four in a row was Galway’s response but Shane Dowling grabbed Limerick’s third goal in the 68th minute to move Kiely’s men eight ahead once more.
However, with eight minutes of injury time added on, there was plenty of time to reply and Galway did that instantly as the quiet Conor Whelan struck with one of only a few possessions on the day with the gap back to five.
In the 75th minute, Canning fired a 21-yard free into the corner of the net and suddenly there was only a pair between them as Niall Burke shaved it back to a solitary point.
But Mulcahy disturbed the comeback with possibly the most valuable of his tally of 3-16 that year to make it a two point game with a minute to play.
A Canning 65′ reduced arrears as the Portumna man was afforded a chance to level with the last puck of the game from inside his own half.
His effort dropped just short and Tom Condon was on hand to fetch the sliotar, releasing Tom Morrissey before James Owens’ whistle released 45-years worth of emotion.
Scorers for Limerick: Graeme Mulcahy 1-2, Kyle Hayes 0-4, Tom Morrissey 1-1, Shane Dowling 1-0, Aaron Gillane 0-3 (0-2f), Declan Hannon 0-2, Diarmuid Byrnes, Darragh O’Donovan, Cian Lynch, Séamus Flanagan 0-1 each.
Scorers for Galway: Joe Canning 1-10 (1-5f, 0-2 ’65), David Burke, Joseph Cooney 0-3 each, Conor Whelan 1-0, Pádraic Mannion, Niall Burke 0-1 each.
Limerick: Nickie Quaid, Sean Finn, Mike Casey, Richie English, Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Dan Morrissey, Darragh O’Donovan, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey, Kyle Hayes, Gearóid Hegarty, Aaron Gillane, Séamus Flanagan, Graeme Mulcahy
Subs: Richie McCarthy for Casey (inj) (50) Shane Dowling for Hegarty (56) Peter Casey for Flanagan (64) William O’Donoghue for O’Donovan (67) Tom Condon for English (72)
Galway: James Skehill, Adrian Tuohy, Daithi Burke, John Hanbury, Padraig Mannion, Gearoid McInerney, Aidan Harte, Johnny Coen, David Burke, Joseph Cooney, Joe Canning, Cathal Mannion, Conor Cooney, Jonathan Glynn, Conor Whelan
Subs: Niall Burke for Cathal Mannion (45) Paul Killeen, for Hanbury (57) Jason Flynn, for Conor Cooney (59) Seán Loftus for Coen (60) Fhearghal Flannery for Skehill (inj) (61)
Referee: James Owens (Wexford)
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