THE FEAR OF joining the long list of empty-handed Limerick hurlers inspired John Allen’s men to their historic Munster Championship.

Now Sunday’s win will liberate them as they take on the even bigger challenge of landing a first All-Ireland title in 40 years.

The Treaty men sparked a pitch invasion and wild celebrations when they beat 14-man Cork and lifted the Munster Hurling Cup for the first time since 1996.

The party continues on Thursday when the boss John Allen takes his squad to see the real Boss, Bruce Springsteen, who plays to a packed-out Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the second night of his Irish run.

Then the real work will begin ahead of a semi-final showdown on 18 August.

“The Munster Championship means a lot down here,” Paudie O’Brien said. “[Beating] Tipperary and Cork, that’s a well-earned Munster Championship and I suppose to do it with Limerick makes it that bit special.

“It’s great. We’ll enjoy this couple of days but we really have to put the head down now because we have a great opportunity.

I said it before, you look at some of the Limerick hurlers that have passed and not won anything — Brian Geary, Andrew O’Shaughnessy — they are too good hurlers not to have won anything.

We didn’t want to go like that and that’s what John Allen has been drilling into our heads.

The success was even sweeter for O’Brien who was in danger of missing Sunday’s final when he tore his hamstring two weeks ago.

“I have no problem going on the record and saying our physio, Mark Van Drumpt, I have basically been living with him for the last two weeks to get that right. He has done unbelievable for me. Without him I wouldn’t have got out there.”

He added: “To be quite honest it was going to take a lot more than that not to get me out here. These days are once in a lifetime. I wasn’t missing it.”

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