Advantage Na Piarsaigh ahead of tomorrow’s club final, then?

“Looking at them on paper our games wouldn’t appear on paper to have been tight,” said Na Piarsaigh manager Paul Beary.

“But both games were very tough. You were there for the Doon game and you saw that we only took off and pulled away in the final third of the game, when it opened up a bit.

“We tacked on a few scores towards the end of that game in particular and the scoreline looked good, but certainly talking to the lads afterwards, they found it a very physical challenge.”

What separates champions is the ability to learn. Beary’s men picked up a couple of valuable lessons from the Doon game.

“What we took out of that game was a big focus on the start for the Clonoulty game.

“That was our fifth county final win but it was the first time we experienced playing on back-to-back weekends, straight after a county final. In fact, going back to 2011 when we won our first county, we had a four or five-week break to our first game in Munster that year.”

“We were conscious of that and it was in the guys’ heads for the Clonoulty game.”

They’d also been concerned about leaking goals at the start of each half in the county final.

“We had slow starts to a number of games in the Limerick championship, including the final against Doon, where it happened in both halves.

“In the Clonoulty game we got off to a great start and then hit a couple of goals to drive it on.

“We got the momentum and we maintained that to the end.

“But I’d have to say that both games were very physical, very demanding for the players.”

It’s that time of year when the cliche holds that it’s as much about character as skill.

Beary sees the substance to that suggestion: “I think that’s fair to say. By the time you get to this stage of the competition, the skills are there, you’re talking about county champions, so that’s taken for granted.

“You generally look on and say in club terms it’s the ultimate test of character. Take the Ballygunner-Ballyea game; I watched it the other night in its entirety and once I got past my vested interest — my wife is from Ballyea and I’d have seen a lot of their games over the years — it’s hard to describe it, but it was like warfare, going right to the wire.”

“At the end you could see as well the respect both teams and managements had for each other, that was clear. It was a great advertisement for everything that’s good about the club game — and about the club itself and what it means.”

The recent history between Na Piarsaigh and Ballygunner goes back to 2011, when the Limerick side won their first county.

“There’s a lot of similarities between ourselves. I can recall that (2011) game vividly, because we’d just won our first county title and we were in a great place. Sean Stack was managing us and kept saying that if we won the county, we’d open up in Munster.

“We were relaxed about the provincial championship and when we played Ballygunner that day we were well down at half-time but said we’d just give it a right good go in the second half. Sean said it sometimes only takes one big victory in Munster or the All-Ireland series for a club to take off, and that’s what happened, we were on the crest of a wave and took off.

“I wasn’t involved for the last couple of years in terms of management but I was there for the last couple of Ballygunner-Na Piarsaigh games and the patterns of the games have been pretty similar — there’s been very little in it.

Last year, even, was an eight-point victory for Na Piarsaigh but that game really went down to the wire and was never comfortable for our lads. At half-time that day Ballygunner should have been further in front, in fact.

“There’s huge respect on our side for Ballygunner for what they bring and the club mentality they have. We know we have to be at our best to have any chance tomorrow.”

That means maximising the return from the non-intercounty players. Ballygunner have been doing so with the likes of Conor Power.

“Absolutely, Conor is a good example,” said Beary. “We would have been playing league games all summer without our Limerick players, while a few other lads went to the States.

“As a result of that — to take one example — Gordon Brown worked his way onto the team at midfield and has been prolific for us, his work-rate has been terrific.

“You couldn’t say he’s been a great find for us, strictly speaking, because he’s been around for the last few years and was very good at underage, but he’s bedded in well there and has been a revelation for us.”

It’s Na Piarsaigh’s 50th anniversary this year: is that another incentive for the team, or is that even on the radar?

“It is, because you latch onto whatever you can. From our perspective, it was important for the players, among themselves, to give it their best shot and put titles back to back. That was very evident when I took over from Shane (O’Neill, former manager).

“And then you have the 50th anniversary, and we’ll be celebrating that later in the year win or lose tomorrow.

“The context of Limerick winning the All-Ireland for the first time in 45 years... you throw as much as you can into the pot and certain players latch onto certain things.

“They were serious motivating factors for us this season, absolutely. They still are.”