More than any other season there is a lot of stake in Division 3 of the 2022 National Football League with Longford seeking a vital victory against Limerick in .
From Limerick football days to claiming a sixth All-Ireland title as hurling coach
Paul Kinnerk’s remarkable winning run as a hurling coach contined in Limerick yesterday. Fintan O Toole By Fintan O Toole Monday 14 Dec 2020, 5:15 PM Dec 14th 2020, 5:15 PM 11,808 Views 8 Comments
Coach Paul Kinnerk celebrates Limerick s success with manager John Kiely.
Image: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
Image: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
A DECADE AGO, Paul Kinnerk had his first taste of All-Ireland hurling final day as a coach.
He watched on as the Clare minor team he had helped prepare produced a power-packed display, yet they fell just short of Kilkenny by two points in that 2010 showdown.
RTÉ Sport Journalist
For Limerick fans raised on the heartbreak of the 90s and 2007 this must all seem like a mad, wonderful dream.
Back-to-back Munster and Allianz League titles. The chance of a second All-Ireland title in three years and a final that, for a change, they are hot favourites to win.
What has changed? A lot.
A long-term development strategy embarked upon in 2011 has yielded a steady stream of underage talent.
Manager John Kiely took over for 2017 and rebuilt a team that had peaked with a memorable All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny three years previously.
The secondary school principal accelerated the introduction of players he had managed to U21 success in 2015 and was able to add more from the 2017 vintage like Aaron Gillane.