LAST UPDATE | 11 Apr 2022
LIMERICK FORWARD GEAROID Hegarty has admitted he was embarrassed by his red card against Galway in the Allianz Hurling League.
Hegarty was dismissed in the early stages of the second-half of the round 2 clash for striking Joseph Cooney.
Aaron Gillane and Seamus Flanagan were also red carded during the league campaign, which prompted question marks over Limerick’s discipline issues.
Hegarty said he learned a lot from his incident and struggled to face his family afterwards.
“Definitely. Talking in my own sense, it was stupid. I was embarrassed. It’s a horrible feeling. I’ve never gotten a straight red before, definitely not with Limerick anyway.
“We were in the game at the time and I felt like I was hurling really well at the time. Then to be sent off around 45 minutes and have to watch the lads for the last 25 minutes knowing you’re after leaving your team-mates down, knowing you’re after leaving down everyone that’s after coming in to watch the game.
Gearóid Hegarty of @LimerickCLG sees red. pic.twitter.com/f6lIojm13L
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) February 12, 2022
“My family were there watching it and it’s just awkward,” he added.
“You nearly don’t even want to go home and look them in the eye after doing something so stupid.
“You do take great learnings from these things. Sometimes it’s nice that they happen in the league because it would be much worse if it happened in the coming months.”
Limerick open their Munster SHC campaign against Cork on Sunday. John Kiely’s side were convincing winners in last year’s All-Ireland final but they suffered a nine-point defeat in their February league encounter.
It was a forgettable league for the Treaty, with their only spring win arriving against relegated Offaly.
“We’ve had a couple of interesting post-match analysis this year in the league,” said Hegarty.
“Obviously the league hasn’t been super but I was thinking about it and within the league you’re going from game to game in a very confined period and you don’t have too much time to reflect on it.
“It obviously wasn’t great, we didn’t have the best league ever. But now looking back on it now that we’re and looking forward to the championship I obviously think it was a brilliant league for us because we learned so much.
“You often hear the quote that you learn more from defeat than you do in victory, and the amount of learnings we’ve taken from the last two months or so with obviously a couple of losses thrown in there has been a lot.
“I think we’re in a great place to be honest with you because we have learned so much. Sometimes you do need a couple of losses to get back on the straight and narrow and we’ve learned a lot from the league so hopefully we’re in a good position going forward.
“It’s always strange at this time of the year because you don’t really know where you are until the real stuff kicks off.”
The 2020 Hurler of the Year and two-time All-Star is excited for the championship to start.
“I feel great, yeah,” he remarks. “Last year going into the championship I missed a good chunk of the league with a groin injury I got against Galway that kept me out for five or six weeks.
“I didn’t have too much training done going into the championship last year, only two or three weeks under my belt.
“I’ve had a full pre-season, we’re back since the first week of January and I haven’t missed a training session and feeling really good so I can’t wait to get going.”
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Limerick are a team that rarely play the ball. Poor champions.
@John Moloney: hilarious John, just hilarious, poor John.
@John Moloney: terrible team, how do even score?
@John Moloney: it’s better be a poor champion then a great loser every day of the year.
@John Moloney: Jesus John I think you need to go back watching golf because you really don’t know what your talking about
@John Moloney: Ya we never play the ball,just go out with our weapons and bate the other team.
@John Moloney: aaahhh yesss it’s that time again, championship week and the haters rise!!;) you’ll get a slot on the Sunday game yet Johnny boy! Cracking analysis, you doing a championship preview this week?
@John Moloney: a team who hardly play the ball and won the last all Ireland final scoring 3-32… imagine the scoring if we weren’t such thugs how good we would be
@Bryan Mc Mahon: don’t know what to make of your comment Bryan, to suggest that Limerick are poor champions is beyond ridiculous, they are superb champions and its a small price to pay to have to listen to John’s baseless, petty and bitter comments.
Surprised that this was his first? Limerick have gotten away with dirty play for tòo long. Referees have finally wised up to them .
@Liam O’Flaherty:What dirty play,do you mean playing within the rules and being successful.
@Liam O’Flaherty: Lazy comment, there have been a handful of incidents but Limerick are not a dirty team. The majority of the team if you go through them are pure technical stick men. Nash, Hannon, Darragh o Donovan, lynch, Dan Morrissey, diarmuid Byrnes, Mulcahy, Peter Casey, Sean Finn etc. Gillane and hegarty have occasionally crossed the line and the likes of Hayes and wod are powerhouses but been very disciplined on the field. The lazy belief is the whole team are dirty but it’s simply not true. Holding possession themselves has been the number one key to their success
@Alan Fitzgerald: it’s not lazy Alan, the bitterness is seeping out of poor Liam.
He’s a great player..if you’re gonna get a red its better to do it in the league and learn your lesson.
Watching him at games ,the amount of off the ball bs he is at is crazy,never stops for the hold game
@thomas mitchell: it’s rampant in the game, watch any game and you’ve players all over the pitch at it. Austin gleeson just recently another example, most are cute enough to do it when the ball is up the opposite end of the field.
There’s on the edge and over the top, up to the referees to apply the rules, flannagans tackle last year on paudi Maher would of being a red in any sport bar MMA
Anyone notice the female panel on rté for galways win against Cork. Gone are the days when men and only men where on gaa panels
What does it say about the lady’s gaa if can’t get one brave man on there panel. I know when in a woman’s group best to keep the head down.
Thoughs please
@Gerard Heanue: noticed that , the boys didn’t get an invite