When this Limerick team is highly motivated and full of energy they can beat anyone e.g Cork in round robin. When they have to do it for 5 and half matches in Munster and a AI QF they can be beaten as was the case against Dublin. Motivation and energy are the 2 key ingredients. Keeping these high with so much success for many of these players already is the conundrum going forward. A resurgent Tipp and Cork flying will make getting out of Munster more difficult. When this team was at the peak of it's powers 2021\22 peaking in July for AI Semi\Final was fine but now we need to peak in May to ensure qualification out of Munster. Motivation within the squad for places on the team will be key. Adam English was the only new player that cemented his starting place this season. More new players player need to be infused to energise the team. There is more All Irelands in this team but evolution is required.
the concern is that at the start of the year, there were several "newish" players positioned to start but when push came to shove we mostly went back to the old guard Barry Murphy, Colin Coughlan for starters. Shane O Brien is a bit of a puzzle to me and I have to wonder if he wasnt carrying a knock. It was a huge surprise he didnt start either the Munster Final or the QF Thats three right there Granted Aidan O Connor came in for O Brien I dont think its a coincidence that Adam English was one of our most consistent and best players all year (I would put him up there with Gillane and Lynch and was one of our best v Dublin The Limerick way has been to give these younger players plenty of blooding before trusting them Cathal O Neills injury was also in hindsight a blow, as I am convinced had he had been fully fit would he have been starting Clearly management thought the older guard had another kick in them, but we looked tired and spent v Dublin - if we had more younger players would it have been different? I hope Kiely and Kinnerk stick around, and if they do I am sure they will be more aggressive about giving some newer players more chances If we go into the championship with the likes of Barry Murphy, Colin Coughlan, Adam English, Cathal O Neill, Aidan O Connor, Shane O Brien all starting with the likes of Stokes and O Dalaigh also pushing for places we will be competitive. And hopefully we can keep our spine of Quaid, Morrissey, Hayes, Lynch and Gillane
Next year, while we may have lost some of the "fear factor" we inspired in other teams we also wont have a target on our backs But Munster is going to be even more competitive than ever - I think the Clare old guard will give it another twirl and they have talent coming up, Cork or Tipp will be new champions and both have young talent, Waterford are always competitive and its year 2 for their management
Munster will be tough next year, we have to go to Cork and Ennis makes it harder again.
As regards our team I think we still have a very strong spine in our team but I believe we currently need to find real options to step forward and refresh the half forward line and half back line. The way the game is being played now the half backs and half forwards and midfield need to be far more mobile to close space and put opposition under pressure etc. Some of our team have a lot of mileage on the clock and in my opinion can no longer last the full 70 - 75 minutes.
I honestly believe that the extra time played in the Munster final really affected these players badly and it resulted in a flat performance we got from them against Dublin
After the Semi final defeat to Cork last year i was convinced Limerick had another All Ireland in them, but now im not sure.
I'm not ruling it out entirely but we cannot afford to stand still without new faces and real competition for places in 2026.
Basically the only new faces since 2019 to challenge for a spot are Shane O' Brien, Aidan O' Connor, Adam English and Colin Coughlan, we need more to rejuvenate the squad.
The League takes on massive significance for Limerick next season as we struggled for form heading into this Championship, and while we found it apart from the Cork game in the round robin, we never hit the heights of previous seasons.
A well earned rest and recharge the batteries for next season.