Some bits are crucial.
The Limerick senior hurlers were poised for 2018. Their season began back in January in front of 1500 spectators in the Gaelic Grounds when they defeated Laois before going onto win every single one of their Division One B group games. Their journey began well before then, however.
Winning is a habit and on the back of the county’s victory in the All-Ireland under-21 championship the year previous, these lads weren’t too familiar with losing.
The county had also won an under-21 title in 2015, with seven of John Kiely’s starting team that day starting in their victory over Galway last Sunday – of that starting 15 against Galway, nine of them had experienced under-21 glory on the national stage in the last three years.
Success like that doesn’t count for nothing and when you consider that they had also won Harty Cups with Ard Scoil RÃs, Fitzgibbon Cups with Mary I and UL, it’s hardly surprising that they made the breakthrough on the grandest stage of all.
Limerick starting 15 yesterday;
5 x Fitzgibbon cup winners 2018 with UL
4 x Fitzgibbon Cup winners 2017 with Mary I
4 x Fitzgibbon Cup winners 2016 with Mary I10 of starting 15 have won a Fitz in the last three years, not sure what it is saying but it is saying something
— Paul O'Brien (@paulob16) August 20, 2018
The fact that John Kiely presided over their 2015 James Nowlan Cup triumph only emboldened their case for 2018 even further. They were a winning squad working under a manager they’d won for before, they had the perfect formula coming into this year.
And Kiely’s management of this group reflected the trust he had in them and indeed their response reflected the trust they had in him. Dublin hurler Liam Rushe was a guest on Thursday’s final GAA Hour Hurling Show of the year and he praised the whole culture that Kiely has created in Limerick.
On the back of their famous triumph over Galway last weekend, many of the Shannonsiders’ stars spoke of the team spirit that had been fostered within the group from the beginning of the year. They spoke of the healthy balance they’d struck between work and play, referencing a couple of nights out in between matches earlier on this year.
“It’s not how they look after them, it’s how they don’t look after them. They give them a lot of trust,” said Rushe.
Rushe pinpointed a moment way back in February which highlighted this positive man-management from Kiely. Where men from Wexford and Clare togged out for their counties the day after the Fitzgibbon Cup final between UL and DCU, the Treaty boys were granted a few days off to celebrate despite the county having a league game against Antrim the following day.
And our Limerick contingent! (Mostly) #ULABÚ pic.twitter.com/8yWKaRSbmP
— UL Wolves GAA Club (@ul_gaa) February 24, 2018
“There were four or five of them who won the Fitzgibbon Cup in February and they were just let off, and told, right we’ll see ye in training Tuesday.”
“That type of move wins a manager a lot of credit. Down the line when you’re telling lads to cancel plans, to turn down things in the rest of their lives because we’re training four nights in a row or we’re going away for the weekend, it will be remembered that the management let them off when it was important and you’re like then, we’ll sort this out then.”
Colm Parkinson also praised Kiely for this astute, far sighted approach.
 “It’s a different way of looking at it and I’m glad Limerick won it with this open style of management that they have.”
John Kiely trusted his players, his players trusted him; and look where it’s got them.
You can listen to this discussion and much more from The GAA Hour Hurling Show right here.
