Former Limerick hurler Tom Condon is buoyed by the form his ex-team-mates showed against Cork in the last round of the Munster Championship.
Limerick were up against it coming into the game, and needed a win to stay alive. Condon always believed, however, and despite their middling form through the round-robin, he had faith that a big performance would arrive when it mattered most.
John Kiely was another who kept the faith as, despite some under-par performances from key player Gearoid Hegarty in particular, his manager gave him another chance, and didn’t drop him from the starting fifteen.
A big performance came in response and now Limerick are back on track, with a Munster final vs rivals Clare coming down the tracks next weekend.
“Limerick didn’t become a bad team over-night,”says Electric Ireland ambassador Condon.
“The intensity and work-rate were still there – it was just small things that weren’t going their way. I had a feeling they were getting better game-on game.”
“We had struggled with too many players not performing,” says former corner back Condon.
“It would have been easy for John to drop Gearoid the last day but he kept faith and Gearoid rewarded him.
“Things weren’t always going his way in the game but he worked hard and towards the end he came out with vital balls and catches and scores.
“It’s a great confidence boost if they do keep the faith in you. But look, John was always an advocate of if you’re performing, you’ll get your rewards. He’ll go with whoever is performing, so Gearoid must be going well in training.
“Cian (Lynch) is trying to get back up to the intensity too of where he was before after the injury and look,” continued Condon, who is married to Cian’s cousin Sarah Carey, “every game is a bonus for him.
“Byrnes is flying, Darragh and Will, Tom Morrissey has been phenomenal in the games to date.
“I’d say he’s in line for Hurler of the Year at the minute.
“And I’d heard Cathal O’Neill is going very well too.”
“John is very honest like that, if you’re going well, you’ll get rewarded.
“Look, Gearoid has been through the mill the last few weeks. It would have been easy for John to drop him and bring on someone else – he was dropped for the Clare game and came on – but look, it would be a massive confidence boost that he got his form the last day.”
Hegarty is coming back into form but one man who never went out of form is his team-mate Aaron Gillane.
The Patrickswell player is the most lethal inside forward in the country at the minute and, having marked him in training down through the years, Condon feels that he’s now ‘un-markable.’
If anything epitomises what Condon is talking about, it was the first half catch Gillane made from behind the end-line when a Limerick delivery went too far. It may have been too high and too far and wide, but Gillane still won it.
“Aaron is tall, strong, skilful, he’s fast – he’s improved his speed,” adds Condon.
“I don’t know how you’d mark him. If you play him from the front, he’ll catch it over your head or he’s making runs left and right behind you.
“If you play him from behind, he’s out in front and he’ll throw it over his shoulder.
“At the moment, he’s un-markable.
“I don’t think anyone can. He’s physical, he’s strong. He wins frees. It’s a tough one, I don’t know what you’d do at the moment the form he’s in.”
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