That’s been the mantra for Limerick all year long.
After Limerick defeated Kilkenny in the All-Ireland quarter final, Tom Morrissey delivered a telling line.
“We’re not a group burdened by past lives,” he said.
Morrissey had been the hero that day with his late, great point but Limerick were still a long way from reaching their holy grail, from winning their first Liam MacCarthy in 45 years.
Limerick teams had reached that stage before, they’d made it to All-Ireland semis and even to finals but this is a different team now and Morrissey bellowed that there and then.
Limerick have suffered heartbreak before, as a county they’ve suffered more than most.
But these lads weren’t there for that heartbreak and that doesn’t affect them. They’ve won Harty Cups, they’ve won under-21 All-Irelands and they’ve won Fitzgibbon Cups.
These lads are a new group, a new breed and they’re familiar with winning and not losing. There’s a steel to this Limerick group of players and that much was evident from the word go in the League this year and all the way through the championship.
Think of Aaron Gillane’s red card against Cork, think of Richie Hogan’s goal that looked to have buried them in Thurles, think of that hammering at the hands of Clare in Munster.
These things would have derailed lesser teams. These Limerick men always get back up on their feet.
Worked his socks off all day long…Kyle Hayes 🙌 https://t.co/iEV3A7Qz8g
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 19, 2018
So when Galway came with a late charge in Croke Park, whittling what had been a nine point lead down to one deep in injury time, Limerick folk shouldn’t really have been that worried.
These men had been here before. They’d suffered setbacks and they’d always responded with flying colours. And that’s why Tom Morrissey, scorer of the winning goal on Sunday, wasn’t really that worried when the clock struck 75 and Galway were roaring.
John Kiely is over a group with an inner steel, an inner bravery, a mind-over-matter type will – they were never going to let this slip away.
“They gave us an awful scare, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that,” said Morrissey immediately after the game on RTÉ.
He always believed, they always believed.
“But we just had the mental strength to stay going right until the end. On 78 minutes today, Jesus, I’ll tell you our bodies were in bits but this is definitely worth it,” said Morrissey.
“A few of us were starting to cramp, the bodies were giving up but the minds just stayed going and that’s what got us over the line.”
And then Claire McNamara asked him what this win felt like. Nine times out of ten, the response to that question for a player who’s just won an All-Ireland is ‘unbelievable‘ or something along those lines.
Not for Tom Morrissey. He always believed.
“I won’t say unbelievable because I had full belief that we would win it today,” he said.
"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
And that’s why Limerick are All-Ireland champions.
