“We fight for each other, we’ll die for each other” | HOTY elect Cian Lynch on the bond in the Limerick camp

Not content with a dazzling first half display that saw him directly assist 2-4 of Limerick’s tally, Cian Lynch cemented his man of the match performance hitting over five second half points in the Shannonsiders All-Ireland final success over Cork.

The Patrickswell man opened the scoring for Limerick before turning his attention to his playmaking duties.

The game wasn’t two minutes old and Lynch freed Hegarty for the games first goal, a moment of class allowing the centre forward a gap to set the St Patricks man in.

The duo combined for Limerick’s third goal on the stroke of half time, Lynch handpassing over his back past the despairing Mark Coleman with Hegarty finishing to the net to end the game as a contest.

Talking to Sky Sports after being awarded the man of the match, Lynch emphasised the importance of the team, with no player more important than the next.

“Yeah that’s it I suppose, going back to the word team, every man out there on the pitch is on the next man’s shoulder, driving the next man on, pushing the next man beside him and that’s what it’s all about and for any young girl, young boy aspiring to represent your county in any sport, be a team player and just keep driving on, just keep enjoying your hurling or your sport because at the end of the day life is short and this is what it’s about you know.”

Lynch is part of a core group of Limerick players that have brought unrivalled success to the county over the past decade.

A part of the minor side that ended a 29-year Munster famine in 2013, Lynch captained the team to a similar success 12 months later.

In 2015 he was centre forward on John Kiely’s U21 side who captured Limerick’s first All-Ireland success in 13 years before winning the Hurler of the Year award in 2018 as the Shannonsider’s 45-year Liam MacCarthy famine was ended.

Since then Lynch and co have won three out of four All-Ireland’s with a huge bond within the side highlighted by Lynch as he said they would ‘die for each other’.

 “I suppose it just goes back to our growing up I suppose in Limerick, aspiring to represent your club, represent your county and I suppose we go on about family, our families at home our friends at home but when we step inside the field or go into training this is our family and especially the last I suppose 12 months, 18 months we’ve had each other and at the end of the day that’s all we have and we walk in between those white lines, we fight for each other, we’ll die for each other and for these supporters that’s what it’s about.”

The enormity of what this current team have achieved isn’t lost on Lynch who is grateful for everything that has come the way of the Treaty men over the past couple of years.

And with 40,000 supporters in Croke Park to witness their latest All-Ireland win, Lynch praised the impact of the supporters, praising them as the best in the world.

“As I said, just keep enjoying your hurling. I try get up in the morning and be grateful that I’m able to get up out of bed and attack the day and to be able to go out with these lads training, the backroom staff, my mother and father have my gear ready, that’s what its about, especially your brothers or sisters, the supporters here, I know it’s a cliché but Limerick are the best supporters in the world so Luimneach Abu!”

And while each set of supporters will claim they are the best, there is no doubting that right now Lynch is the best in the world at what he does, and it’s not even close.

Hurler of the year in waiting.