With big names missing, John Kiely praises the depth of Limerick hurling panel

JOHN Kiely has praised the squad effort as Limerick bounced back from defeat to Cork to reignite their Munster SHC campaign with a resounding 15-point win over Clare.

There were championship debuts for Fintan Ftizgerald and Hugh Flanagan with the former getting on the scoresheet late on.

With two former Hurlers of the Year absent in the shape of Aaron Gillane and Cian Lynch, others stepping up was something manager John Kiely was thrilled to see.

“The younger boys – you have to give them great credit today, particularly the lads coming off the bench,” said Kiely after the win in Ennis.

“The impact off our bench was really brilliant. We could see it in the warm-up, we could see it in training during the week, we could have put any of the 11 guys on the bench on and they were going to make an impact. It’s the best impact we’ve had off the bench in probably over two years and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they can bring in the weeks ahead.”

For Kiely and Limerick, after the disappointment of the loss in SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, they were keen to get on the board in the provincial championship table.

“There was just a huge amount of determination there from our side today after losing last week, it’s game two – there’s only four games – it’s now or never,” Kiely said.

“We knew there was a great focus, a great energy in the group during the week and coming down here that only heightens it really because you know you’re coming into a place where a team has a tremendous record and you know you’re going to have to earn every piece of it.

“We got a great performance, we got the result we deserved from the performance. It’s two points on the board and we regroup now for the next two weeks and get ready for Waterford in the Gaelic Grounds.”

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