‘Changes will come but they will be subtle’
Three wins from three means Limerick have room to manoeuvre and to tweak their team but John Kiely seemed almost aghast at the invitation to ease off.
“We’ll be true to what we’ve been doing,” said Limerick’s All-Ireland winning manager.
That’s not good news for their Allianz league opposition with Limerick looking like a team keen to prove that 2018 was no flash in the pan.
“Changes will come but they will be subtle,” he said. “We have to give every fella a fair chance to fit into the system.
“Making too many changes wouldn’t necessarily help that. We’ll see how things are going. Obviously we’ll lose Paddy O’Loughlin and Aaron Gillane for a couple of weeks, they have the Fitzgibbon Cup final next weekend. It will give other lads an opportunity.”
Kiely doffed his hat to his players who have begun 2019 with gusto, making light of the transition from Division 1B to 1A following promotion and their All-Ireland celebrations.
“All credit goes to the players,” said Kiely. “A lot of them went two or three months without a hurley in their hands. They’re young of course so the freshness is there. If that wasn’t there after one season it would be a concern. They’re working hard and enjoying their hurling but look, it’s early days.”
Kiely pinpointed Limerick’s burst of scoring in run up to half-time as the decisive period.
“A key phase of the game,” he said. “It was bitty up to then. We weren’t retaining as much ball as we would have liked. Those last 10 minutes before half-time were key.
“The goals came close to half-time so it was hard for them to respond and our lads took the game by the scruff of the neck early in the second-half. We ran the ball well. Overall it is thanks to a good team ethic and a good team effort from everyone.”
Kilkenny’s defence of the league title is on the rocks now following two losses from three. At least relegation isn’t a threat due to the restructuring of the league in 2020.
“We probably missed a few chances,” said Kilkenny manager Brian Cody, eyeing their 14 wides. “Simple scoring opportunities that we didn’t take.”
Defeat to the All-Ireland champions wasn’t any great surprise for Cody though.
“I could go away thinking, ‘this is crazy, this is shocking’, but it’s not,” he said. “It’s February. We’re playing the best team in the country. There’s plenty to learn from it.”
Next up for Kilkenny is Tipperary, in Thurles.
“You talk about seriously tough matches, that’s what these games are. But that’s fine, that’s a good thing.”
