LISTEN: “Find two guys who are competing for that one space”- Kiely forging panel depth

Limerick enter their clash with Cork on Sunday in flying form, topping division 1A of the National Hurling League with three wins from three.

There has been much hype of this Limerick side thus far and rightly so with some impressive performances.

However, manager John Kiely is not getting carried away and is focused on Sunday’s challenge, a rematch of last years All-Ireland semi-final where Limerick needed extra time to prevail.

“We saw how close the teams were during the summer last, so I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference this year.”

Limerick’s strength in depth has been acknowledged consistently over the past 12 months and Kiely has been delighted with the whole squad, trying to take a leaf out of Joe Schmidt’s book

“I’m delighted with the input the panel as a whole has made in the competition so far.”

“Try and find two guys who are competing for that one space. We’ve seen it with the Irish rugby team, that has been a huge measure of success.”

As for the Cork challenge, Kiely is expecting a fast-paced game and is very wary of the threat that John Meyler’s side possess, especially in their forward ranks.

“They have a lot of forwards who are extremely sharp and efficient when they get the ball in their hand. Good point getters and lethal in front of goal.”

“The challange for us will be to match their speed around the park.”

Listen to the interview in full with Kiely on our SoundCloud channel!