“They have learned a lot of self belief” Billy Lee hoping for continued growth as Limerick shift attention to Munster Championship

Limerick were defeated by Louth in the League final on Saturday.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Limerick fans and players alike as they came off second best against Louth in the Division Three National League Final on Saturday afternoon.

Despite a strong first half performance from the Limerick side that had the Shannonsiders a point up at the interval, Louth were able to overwhelm their opponents in the second half as they scored 1-4 on the spin with Billy Lee’s side having no answer for that burst.

The Limerick manager tried to focus on the positives of the game in the wake of the result with Limerick’s second promotion in three years secured prior to throw in.

Obviously the Newcastle West native was desperate to win the title in Croker but ensured the side would take learnings from the loss.

“At the end of the day when you arrive here you want to win you know. Look we came here to win so you know it was great to get promotion but we wanted to win here today and unfortunate we weren’t good enough on the day so congratulations to Louth.

“I think they (Limerick) learned a lot, more importantly they learned a lot about themselves. Whatever we learned, I think it is more important if the players are learning. I think they learned a lot of self belief and hopefully they can carry that into the Championship.”

In a tight affair such as the game on Saturday the contest can be decided on a few key moments and this was the case in the league final. Louth netted a goal which put Limerick on the back foot and found them scrambling towards the end of the game.

Reflecting on the only major in the game, Lee knew that it was going to be crucial.

“The way the game was going, I felt that a goal was always going to be a huge score in this game. Unfortunately there was a turnover down in our right corner-forward position, they swept down the field and look that’s it.

It certainly gave them a renewed energy for sure for the five or seven minute spell before we could grasp ourselves again. We did grab hold of it but by then the damage had been done. That was the key moment in the game I feel.”

Despite the loss, it has been a hugely positive League campaign as they shift attention to the Munster championship on April 30.

The importance of being able to go out and put on a strong showing of themselves is paramount in the development of the players and Lee knows the importance of the game in Ennis.

“I think Clare are a well developed, really competitive division two side you could say they have a lot of experience. I think there is still a jump for us to go, we are going to Ennis and they will be waiting for us and we will go there the best we can and we still have to find a bit.”

Watch the full interview with Billy Lee here

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