Limerick Post Sports Blog all the sports not fit to print

Nick Williams chats about Aironi Rugby

In the Aironi team there’s one player for whom Saturday will be a special day. Musgrave Park match will be the first game ever for the Aironi in the Magners League, but it will also represent a return to home for Nick Williams. The massive number 8 spent the last two seasons playing for Munster before signing for the new Italian franchise during summer. With Munster, Williams collected 19 caps in Magners League, scoring 4 tries, included an hat-trick against Newport Gwent Dragons.

You are the only one in the Aironi team who knows what is Munster and what it means to play Munster. What can you say to your team-mates before the game?

Mickey Ned leaves Limerick in limbo

Limerick senior football was plunged into limbo last week as Mickey Ned O‘Sullivan, manager for the last five years, decided against going ahead for a sixth season. The Kerry native’s backroom team will also not be returning. This now means that the Limerick senior football team are managerless for the coming season.
The Kenmare man informed Limerick board member Sean Mc Auliffe of his decision last Thursday night and since then, players and fans alike have been expressing their shock at the unexpected exit.
Donie Buckley, Paddy Ives and Maurice Horan have all left too which now means the county football board will be searching for a new management ticket over the coming months.
Mickey Ned felt that the players needed a “new voice” to bring them that extra step. Having lost the last two Munster football finals by the kick of a ball, Mickey Ned feels that another management team might make the difference.

Four remain in hunt for hurling crown

THE Live 95fm Senior hurling championship is now down to the final four. Punters would have gotten long odds on Emmets, Na Piarsaigh, Kilmallock and Knockainey being in the semi final, but after last weekends final round of quarter finals, all four sides are well worthy of their spots in the September 12th weekend fixtures.
Na Piarsaigh ended Adare’s quest for four in a row with a 4-12 to 2-15 victory. Avenging last season’s 17 point mauling in the county final in the process. Under 21 stars Kevin Downes, Shane Dowling and Adrian Breen were the main men for the City side who at one point trailed by seven points. The light blues now face Kilmallock in the semi finals, while the other final four pairing is divisional side Emmets against Knockainey.

Emmets qualified for the final, all be it in Blackrock jerseys, against Murroe Boher on a scoreline of 2-23 to 3-13. The times and dates of the semi finals are to be announced this week, but they are however scheduled for the weekend of September 12th.

There is no better feeling than playing for Munster

RONAN O Gara might be capped 99 times for his country and he may also be Irish rugby’s leading point scorer, but there is nothing like wearing the red of Munster for the 33-year-old out half.
“Sometimes there is more pressure as you are playing for the people of Munster and Cork. It is something that is close to me and very important to me. It is up to you how much you leave the pressure affect you. I enjoy my rugby which is the important thing for me. Sometimes you can worry too much about games and that can be a struggle. You have to find a balance in life and in rugby. There is no better feeling that playing for Munster.”
The Cork native is heading off to La Manga this week with his Munster colleagues after a tough week of training ahead of a much anticipated new season.
“I am really looking forward to it. It is a big season for a lot of us. We are disappointed the way the Biarritz game went. I think we had a lot of injuries too you know. That is not an excuse, but I think even for 45 minutes of the Leinster game we played good rugby. However we seemed to be losing games we should have been winning, so that is something we will have to look at for this season and to address it. There is a great management team there and a great set of players too, so we just need to come back this season and reinvigorate ourselves”.

The ‘Drive for Five’ Yes or No?

AS Kilkenny tacked on their final score of last weekend’s all Ireland semi final rout of Cork, (3-22 to 0-9) one could only sit and watch in amazement as the final point capped a game of hurling that was played almost to perfection by the current champions.
Indeed, one can also be amazed at this current Kilkenny side’s “drive for five”. Kilkenny have won the last four all Ireland finals. They have won 32 in total. This year’s final will be their 57th in all. A win ratio of 32-24 as it stands. These are mind boggling statistics. The ‘Cats’ dominance does not look like waning anytime soon either.
As the final point went over the bar. Kilkenny had subjected their fiercest of rivals to an absolute spanking. Cork, one of the leading lights in hurling, were taught a lesson in hurling skills, physical conditioning and brutality. Brian Cody’s men showed no mercy as they tacked on point after point after point. The win is even more astounding when you realise that the all time leading scorer in hurling, King Henry Sheflin, had gone off before half time.
Win or lose in September against Tipperary or Waterford, this Kilkenny team’s ‘Drive for Five’ will be their legacy. The fear now for hurling fans nationwide is, has their legacy ended everyone else’s chances of glory?

Three Mobile sponsor Irish soccer side

Models Georgia Salpa, left, and Sarah Morrissey

3, Ireland’s largest high speed network, and the Football Association of Ireland today announced a sponsorship agreement, worth €7.5 million over four years, which sees 3 become the primary sponsor of the Irish national football team and all international squads. Launching on August 11th this sponsorship sees 3, not only supporting the national team, but also working with football at grassroots level involving clubs and leagues up and down the country. The agreement coincides with 3’s major push into the pre-paid market.

This much-coveted sponsorship affords 3 premium branding rights to include training and playing gear and kit, ticket branding and high visibility pitch-side branding at the magnificent Aviva Stadium. Eager fans keen to get hold of the new shirt with the 3 logo will be able to do so from the Autumn onwards. 3 customers will also be given privileged access to tickets and other exciting initiatives, details of which will be announced at a later date.

Why bother, when the odds are against you?

AFTER five minutes of last weekend’s All Ireland Round four football qualifier between Cork and Limerick, all of the 10,036 in attendance, knew one thing. Cork were going to win.
Limerick’s talisman John Galvin was felled inside the small rectangle by his Cork marker. The Croom midfielder was tackled in a way that would be more suited to the international series in October, (The next big game in the Gaelic Grounds, thanks to the GAA). Referee Padraig Hughes (pictured) from Armagh blew his whistle. The home crowd jumped with joy. The Cork defender, Aidan Walsh, hung his head in hands. It was a penalty, if ever a penalty was seen.

The whistle, to the amazement of the crowd, the entire assembled media, the fans at home watching on TV, the Cork bench, the Limerick bench, the dogs on the street and the 30 players on the pitch, was for a free out. When John Galvin asked the referee, “How was that a free out?”, the referee replied, “You dived”

If we are good enough we will win – Micky Ned

CORK footballers stand between Limerick and the last eight of the All Ireland series. For the fifth time in five years the near neighbours will meet in the championship, this time, in the qualifiers.
In a repeat of last year’s Munster football final, Cork and Limerick face off in the last round of qualifiers. Cork won by the slimmest of margins last year so this Saturday night at 7pm, Limerick followers can expect another hard fought encounter.
The game itself was set up by virtue of a toss of a coin. Limerick and Cork agreed that they would toss for a home venue should they meet in the qualifiers. A risky choice you might think, but Limerick manager Mickey Ned O Sullivan believes that sometime Limerick’s luck had to come in. “If we had lost the toss, it would have been the eight straight time that Limerick followers would have had to travel to see their players in championship action. Our luck had to change. In fairness, we spoke to the players and they wanted the chance the play at home in front of a large Limerick crowd. We decided that we would go for a home game instead of settling for a neutral venue”.

JP Mc Manus Pro Am

For the next two days you can follow the JP Mc Manus behind the scenes on www.limerickpost.ie

Check back here later in the week for more insight and some unprinted interviews.