Tom Morrissey realises that moments like these have to be savoured.
He’s mature enough to know that Limerick won’t win an All-Ireland every year and so neither he, or his Limerick teammates have even passed a glance to next year yet.
Limerick city, Limerick county has been hopping since August 19 and it will stay that way until Christmas, says the Ahane man.
“I definitely think just enjoy the moment,” he said on Thursday.
“We’ve been waiting a long time, 45 years for this to happen and it would be foolish of us to be looking to next year and not be able to enjoy what we achieved. Definitely I think the last six/seven weeks since the All Ireland we’ve managed to do that and this side of Christmas we’ll continue to do so.”
Basking in the glory of that amazing achievement, that’ll benefit them next year.
“If we want to retain that All Ireland title, which is a very difficult thing to do, we need to have that mental freshness and that mental desire to go and do that again next year and I think it would be a good idea for us to take that bit of a ‘sos beag’ and wait till January,” he says.
He was at the heart of that achievement this year. He was the scorer of the crucial point to beat Kilkenny, it was him who scored the game-changing goal of the All-Ireland final and it was in his hands the sliotar was when the final whistle of the All-Ireland final was blown.
“The last six/seven weeks have been so busy since the final but I know when I do get a chance to reflect on the year and those moments, it’s definitely going to bring a lot of happiness to me,” he said.
Immediately after the final whistle of the All-Ireland final, Morrissey famously left the word ‘unbelievable’ out of his interview, because he had full belief Limerick were going to do the business.
"The minds kept going" – Limerick's Tom Morrissey part summation of their All-Ireland triumph #rtegaa #GALvLIM pic.twitter.com/qGvsjj35O4
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 19, 2018
Though winning the match was believable, the jubilation, the lawlessness and the unbridled joy that followed wasn’t.
“The moments that we had at the banquet, in particular the homecoming in the Gaelic Grounds and all the homecomings, I remember going out to Adare and Galbally, both Declan Hannon’s and John Kiely’s home clubs and the many clubs that we’ve done since then and even the local schools, it’s moments like that that it really hits home, the achievement that we had.
“Just seeing what it means to the people of Limerick, that is in itself, unbelievable. It’s only in moments like that that you really realise it and it makes you feel happy inside.”
After bridging a 45 year gap, those 30 something Limerick players and the management involved brought happiness to a whole county and even though they haven’t turned their minds to next year yet, the mentality within this group is an ambitious one and when they do focus on next year, they’ll be aiming on achieving this feat again, and re-achieving it.
Brian Cody’s Kilkenny are the benchmark.
“I suppose what everyone’s trying to emulate, and I don’t think anyone will, is that Kilkenny team that we’ve just seen with the amount of All Ireland’s that they’ve won.”
“You have to try and sustain that success. It’s very difficult, we’ve seen a lot of teams that have won one in recent years and they have found it difficult to add to that one. That has to be our aim and we have to make sure that we don’t make the same mistakes that they do. There is a lot of talent in that team and it would be a shame not to add to the one title we have,” he said.
If you ask me now, am I going to finish my career with one All Ireland? I’d tell you straight up, I’d be a very disappointed man,” he said.
He wants more, this Limerick panel want more.
“You need lads constantly pushing and you need new lads coming in that are going to go and take a few lads jerseys and put the starting 15 under pressure and really make them fight. You have to make sure that the standard stays up and no one gets comfortable because complacency will be the biggest enemy of this team.
“I think with the panel this year, you saw by the subs that came on in games and the impact they had, that there’s very little between us. There’s no reason that they can’t be starting ahead of you if you are having that off day or off season. I think that will keep everyone on their toes and that will only feed a competitive environment and lead to success.”
There’s no fears for these Limerick lads.
Morrissey was wearing the Limerick jersey, specifically designed for the Fenway Classic at the launch. It’s not their jersey for next year, but there would be few complaints if it was.
Adare Manor, the golf course in Limerick owned by JP McManus sponsors the one-of-a-kind geansaí.
Tom Morrissey of Limerick was at Dublin Airport this morning where Aer Lingus, in partnership with the GAA and GPA, unveiled the one-of-a-kind customised playing kit for the Fenway Hurling Classic which takes place at Fenway Park in Boston on November 18th. Aer Lingus will once again be the Official Airline of the Event and will be responsible for flying the four teams to Boston.
