Limerick’s Senior Hurling team accomplished something very few hurling teams had ever done before last summer: they decisively won the Liam McCarthy Cup for a fourth time in a row.
-ADVERTISEMENT- For the second consecutive year, Kilkenny was defeated by John Kiely’s all-conquering Treaty team, 0-30 to 2-15. With this win, Limerick became hurling greats on par with the likes of the tough Cork team (1941–1944) and the storied Kilkenny side under Brian Cody (2006–2009).
Particularly in the present day, Limerick’s throwers have already cemented their legacy in the sport of throwing. Their status as the greatest of all time will be cemented if the ‘drive for five’ comes to pass.
Bruff native Seán Finn is one individual who has been involved in all four of Limerick’s All-Ireland victories. Finn has become one of the county’s greatest cornerbacks ever after working his way up through the Limerick hurling system. In addition to helping the Limerick team win four All-Ireland titles, Finn’s efforts in Limerick jerseys have also brought him several individual honours.
In addition to being named on The Sunday Game’s Team of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, he won four All-Star accolades in 2018—2019, 2020, and 2021. Finn’s on-field services to Limerick have not gone unappreciated.
The 27-year-old’s season-ending ACL injury, sustained in Limerick’s unexpected Munster Championship loss to Clare in May, prevented him from playing the entire season this year.
throughout the interview’s first segment. Finn just had a conversation on everything Limerick with The Irish Post.
First, questions were posed to the Limerick star about what it was like to be a member of an exclusive club and whether he had time to step back and process everything.
“I suppose we never expected to be where we are,” Finn replied. The expectations we had as a very young team made us aware that we were a unique bunch as we grew older. Early in our junior years, we recognised we had talent, but when we advanced to the senior level, success wasn’t assured.
“When we reflect on that period, did we expect to win four All-Ireland championships? In my opinion, no. But now that we’re here, it feels fantastic to be a member of such a great organisation. I think we won’t really know how great we’ve done until we take a step back and pass the torch to someone else.
“Devoting oneself to the work at hand is crucial when you’re in the thick of things. Success is the result of hard effort and sometimes good fortune, but I believe we won’t completely understand and be grateful for our accomplishments for a few years after we retire. It is not only about how we have affected the game; it is also about how we have affected those who stand with us.
“I just spoke with a buddy who told me that, as a result of our success, his family’s relationships had much improved over the last six years. It’s as easy as getting together over shared triumphs, having a few beers, and attending games.
‘What it’s like to be part of this group?’ is a question that I don’t think we can fully understand until after our playing days. We’re just doing what we love and are excellent at right now.”
Clearly, Limerick’s supremacy in throwing has not gone unnoticed; how could it? Many people wonder if Limerick will ever be able to be caught in the game by the pursuing pack. The chances of a fifth Liam McCarthy crown in 2024 are slim across a wide range of bookies.
Finn downplayed the idea that Limerick and the others were separated by as much as was implied. The Munster championship woes of Limerick were mentioned as the cause of this.
“I couldn’t disagree more with the perception that we are far ahead of what’s out there,” It’s really close. Take a look at the Munster Championship’s performance in the previous years. It’s not as though we are crushing teams in Munster. You can see how competitive it was this year. Fortunately, we made it through and made it to the Munster Final. You give yourself a chance once you’re in such games, and you need a little luck along the way,” added Finn.
“There is not much of a difference between us and the others, and the bar is just going to rise. Teams are exerting more pressure. It is our responsibility to uphold the standard; otherwise, you risk being exposed and falling short of both your own and others’ expectations.
“I don’t think there is much of a gap, to be honest.”
Finn has already shown a clear willingness to be modest and downplay expectations, but as the weeks and months go by, the talk of winning five straight will only intensify. Although Limerick may dismiss concerns about their motivation, any rational person would understand that John Kiely’s squad will be primarily driven to become the greatest throwing team in history, even if they choose not to express it openly.
Finn acknowledged that in the upcoming months, it will be a topic of conversation.
Indeed, there’s no avoiding the fact that it will undoubtedly be a topic of conversation for the ensuing 12 months. We’ve always acknowledged that the work we undertake is under strain. Pressure was present in the two, three, and four consecutive rows. Each year, the story is told differently. Of course, this year’s big one is the unprecedented five-in-a-row.
“We have never avoided facing that fact. Being in the position to potentially win five straight is truly a privilege. It’s a carrot worth pursuing. Instead of being afraid as we were in past years, when Limerick would never have imagined themselves in an All-Ireland final, let alone winning a possible five-in-a-row, we should be enthusiastic about it.
“Over the next months, we will be doing just that—respecting, acknowledging, and being pleased about it. We’ll also want to strike a balance between being enthusiastic and acknowledging the strain that goes along with it, without becoming overwhelmed by it.
The greatest groups and individuals in world sport history have always been able to handle the strain of being the greatest at what they do and winning championships. Prominent athletes such as the rugby team from New Zealand, the Kilkenny hurling team led by Brian Cody, Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, and several more have mastered the art of storing strain and utilising it to enhance their performance in sports.
Limerick’s capacity for continuous improvement in their hurling has turned into a differentiator. Teams frequently discover a third, fourth, or fifth gear and conquer any obstacle when they believe they are unbeatable.
Finn clarified how Limerick overcame such challenges by acknowledging that the primary distinction between losing and winning in sports was having faith in “really good people.”
Finding a very good mix between really wonderful people and believing that our training is sufficient to bring us where we want to go is, in my opinion, crucial.
Because you can hear the commotion and what’s happening in the media and online, I also believe that it’s the players’ capacity to take the criticism. “Limerick aren’t going as well as they might have been going on over the last couple of years,” is something you hear people remark. It’s really simple to let that to go inside of you and impact you.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that, but if you handle it well and direct it towards making us feel as though we’re being written off, it may act as a catalyst for us to push ourselves more and train harder.
However, we don’t usually act like that. We haven’t carried a grudge in the past few years. We have a goal to achieve, and it’s very much about the group. We’ve noticed that when we accomplish our goals, we usually get outcomes. You would think that as the year progresses, your performance will rise.
“We have seen the statistics and facts, but most people don’t see this. We discuss it internally and get confidence from the returned data. It has demonstrated that you can reach your goal as long as you’re on an upward trajectory and doing things correctly.
“We never channel it as a motivational tool, but the group over the last couple of years have done really well to keep the noise out while also knowing that the noise is there.”
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