WHEN IT COMES to the Limerick senior team, manager John Kiely and head coach Paul Kinnerk are as Limerick as St John’s Castle.
From the heartlands of Galbally and Monaleen, they are invested in their own county and will enjoy limitless support and backing.
But within the club scene, the Limerick championship has become a cosmopolitan affair and a melting pot, coaches from around the province and beyond bringing their approaches and styles to clubs as they chase the John Daly Cup.
This weekend, Doon play Patrickswell, and Kilmallock face Na Piarsaigh in the semi-finals.
Should results go their way it could be a unique Waterford double. Derek McGrath is in charge of Doon, and the brand new Deise manager, Peter Queally who has been over Kilmallock this season.
The two managers they are up against are far from low-profile either, but both are fully aware their potential turn at the Limerick county job is some way into the future.
Ciaran Carey is once again over Patrickswell, while Shane O’Neill is over the champions Na Piarsaigh, with whom he managed to the All Ireland club title in 2016, defeating Antrim’s Cushendall in the final.
All the same, having management teams from outside the county provides a trickle-up of information with various philosophies collected and utilised. Whatever way you look at it, it does Limerick no harm.
McGrath’s term in charge of Waterford was characterised by driving tactical change and innovation. It’s fair to say that not everything he tried was universally welcomed.
The memory of five years ago still stands out like the bizarre episode it was, when Donal Óg Cusack defended McGrath using the sweeper system, when he was on punditry duty in 2019.
“I actually believe that type of accusation of disrespecting the traditions of the game, I actually think it’s part of the last remnants of British culture on these islands,” Cusack said.
“The British, with the games – they founded a lot of them – but they struggled to accept and adapt to all of the wider influences in their games. I would equate this long ball to John Bull type spirit, Jack Charlton-type spirit, it’s exactly the same type of spirit for me, but I’m delighted that the modern [hurling] player has moved on.
“If you went into any modern inter-county dressing room, they wouldn’t even be interested in that talk. They know themselves that the game has moved on.”
In June 2018 McGrath stepped down from his post as Waterford boss, having won the 2015 National League and reached the 2017 All Ireland final.
He’s been linked to senior roles in Wexford and Dublin, while his name has come up each time Waterford have had a vacancy.
Instead, he’s taken a more winding path, involved with the Laois minor and Dublin U20 teams. He was with Faythe Harriers for two years, the club of county star Lee Chin. From that time, the Wexford links were strong but nothing came of them.
This Doon team is exactly the kind of job that could add to your lustre if you get them across the line. They have never won a county title but finished runners-up four times, most recently in 2018 and 2020.
The club of county midfielder Darragh O’Donovan have had youth arriving on the scene for years. They have always enjoyed a healthy county representation.
The breakthrough has been threatened for a long time. Perhaps it may arrive yet.
The other semifinal will be closely watched by Deise hurling fans. Peter Queally’s appointment as Davy Fitzgerald’s successor was something of a surprise, if only for the reason that he never looked entirely gone on the idea of being a county manager.
He served twice as selector under Fitzgerald but once the first period ended, he cut his teeth in management by managing Passage to the 2013 county title, the last time it was won by a team other than Ballygunnar.
Once that dominance began, it was difficult to shift. Queally managed both Abbeyside and Roanmore to deciders but they came up short against Ballygunner.
Queally finds himself in a similar position as a number of incoming managers as they conclude their club duties before setting sights on the county scene for 2025.
Dan Shanahan, who will be going in as part of Queally’s backroom team, is also on the club scene at present. Having served previously as a coach-selector with McGrath, he has considerable experience built up now.
It will take all of it as he coaches Bennettsbridge in Kilkenny. They beat Tullaroan in the quarter-final and now face defending champins O’Loughlin Gaels in the semi-final, live on TG4 on Sunday afternoon.
Much like McGrath’s assignment with Doon, there is not a huge recent tradition in Bennetsbridge, with one final in the last 50 years, coming in 2018. The waters run deep down that way though, with a scattering of titles from the 1950’s and ‘60s.
Shanahan and Queally will be looking to delay Waterford preparations that little bit longer, with the Kilkenny and Limerick finals slated for the weekend of 26/27 October.
