JOHN KIELY savoured Limerick’s epic Munster final win as one of his greatest days after they held off a fierce challenge from Clare.
A 1-29 to 0-29 extra time victory secured Limerick’s first Munster four-in-a-row since 1936 and sends them back to Croke Park for an All-Ireland semi-final next month eyeing a third Liam MacCarthy Cup on the spin.
A beaming Kiely said: “It’s a great day, it’s a great day but today is a particularly great one for us now, I have to say. That was seriously tough going. I’ve been involved in a good few, and that one takes beating.
“It felt phenomenal because the challenge we had to overcome was immense. There were times there when things weren't stringing together and we were struggling, we were struggling with restarts, we were struggling with general play. We just had to keep going.
“It was one of those days where you just had to keep grinding and keep grinding it out.
There were phases then where we got a bit of control, in the last 15 of the first half, the start of extra-time, as well.
“Even in the second half of normal time, as well, we had a lot of the play, we just didn't convert enough of our chances into scores. We had just too many wides. We created enough of scoring chances to win it in normal time.”
A sensational sideline cut from Clare’s Tony Kelly with the last play of the regulation 70 minutes sent the game to extra time and the Limerick boss conceded: “Listen, when you leave the door open with a one-point deficit and Tony Kelly has a sideline 21 yards out on the left hand side, you are opening the door.
“There was a chink of light and he struck it through the chink of light and that is a measure of the man he is himself.”
Gearoid Hegarty netted one of the goals of the year in the first half to draw Limerick level and Kiely acknowledged: “The goal was vital actually because it kept us in touch and closed the gap. We actually got a lead for a bit of a while and then came back drawn, but the goal was absolutely crucial.
“Every score mattered out there today as we saw with the sideline from Tony. It was a tremendous battle.
“All credit to both sides, they worked really hard. But I am super proud of my guys because they have huge work put in over the last number of years, and whether there is four weeks or 54 weeks between now and the semi-final, we are damn glad to have to won our match today and be in a semi-final.”
Seamus Flanagan was man of the match having hit 0-8 from play.
“Seamus, massive, yeah,” said Kiely. “He would have been disappointed with his performance in Ennis the last day. Struggled to get on ball and just to get to the pitch of it.
“He had a broken thumb, that's the bottom line, so he was out for a number of weeks. The game's so fast and inside in the full-forward line, your touch has to be immaculate in order to control the ball.
“So it was going to take a game or two to get up to the pitch of it. But all credit to him today, he worked really, really hard as did everybody out there.”
With a four-week break to the All-Ireland semi-final on the weekend of July 2/3, Limerick will hope to have Cian Lynch and Peter Casey back in contention after their injury travails by then.
Kiely added: “Listen, we had 24 fit players going down to Ennis the last day, we had 10 guys training this morning. So that'll give you a measure of how things have changed in three weeks.
“Delighted, we got a really good block of work done this morning with the other guys. It was a full group effort now today, from start of business this morning to now this evening. Very, very proud of the lads.”
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