Look what it means to them.
Star players, substitutes, coaches, supporters. Na Piarsaigh men and women.
It was a proud day for Limerick GAA as the first senior club All-Ireland was delivered for the county, courtesy of the unstoppable Na Piarsaigh.
Adrian Breen got the super blues up and running after not even 30 seconds when he was brought in from the bench to start the game and went on to deliver a man of the match display with 1-4 from play.
The sharp forward rattled the net early doors and it was followed up by a stunning Kevin Downes effort, both goals pure beautiful examples in the art of stickwork mastery.
Neil McManus was having an off-day from the dead ball, in the first period at least, and Cushendall could do nothing but succumb to the momentum of their Munster counterparts who just cut through them time after time in a rampant first half in which Shane Dowling was simply unworkable.
McManus wasn’t silenced for too long though and it was him who bagged Ruairi Óg’s first goal after the break before setting up the second for Karl McKeegan – both courtesy of long, direct balls deep into the area.
Shane McNaughton all the while was producing scintillating stuff for the Antrim champions and, whilst he didn’t deserve to finish on the losing team, it was to be Na Piarsaigh’s day – they made damn sure of that.
David Breen impressed for the Limerick men too, his deep surging runs piercing countless holes in the Cushendall rearguard whilst Alan Dempsey went through his usual earth-shattering shift around the middle of the park.
When all those parts were added together, the sum total was deserved All-Ireland glory. 2-25 to 2-14 in the end after a hard-hitting, relentlessly breathless game that the scoreline failed to reflect.
As stated, Na Piarsaigh made sure of it. They left nothing to chance. They left nothing in the changing room. They laid it all on the plains of Croke Park. Nothing would stop them on St. Patrick’s Day.
Cathal King walked those famous steps – the first Limerick man to do so with his club – to lift the All-Ireland club hurling title.
And didn’t he just enjoy it.
The best feeling in the world!! @NapGAA CHAMPIONS 🏆 #TheToughest pic.twitter.com/9wGic5SEwU
— AIB_GAA (@AIB_GAA) March 17, 2016
