Limerick hurler Dan Morrissey in attendance to mark the 10-year anniversary of Samaritans as the GAA Mental Health Partner at Croke Park in Dublin. Through the partnership, GAA players and former players team up with Samaritans volunteers from across the country to reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage anyone in need to seek help. For information contact s.stack@samaritans.org. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
By John Harrington
Limerick defender Dan Morrissey still hasn’t been able to bring himself to watch back the All-Ireland SHC semi-final defeat to Cork and doesn’t think he ever will.
It’s been difficult though to stop his brain pressing replay on a few pivotal moments in the game that possibly tilted it in Cork’s favour, and there’s always small personal regrets that he might have done better himself in certain situations.
Not playing in an All-Ireland Final for the first time in five years was tough to take too, but, overall, he’s been able to look back on the 2024 championship with some healthy perspective.
It comes down to a simple story in the end. Limerick gave it everything they had, but it just wasn’t good enough.
“I think we were as ready as we have been any of the years, to be totally honest,” said Morrissey at an event in Corke Park yesterday to mark the 10-year anniversary of Samaritans as the GAA's Mental Health Partner.
“We felt as fit as we have been. We felt our hurling was as good as it has been. We may have had one or two injuries but we had one or two injuries in all the years the last few years.
“It's just a credit to the intensity that Cork brought to it. It didn't come as a shock to us because obviously we had played them below in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and we knew how good they are. It was nip and tuck there at the end. Cork probably slightly deserved it in the end. You just have to move on.
“To be honest, the two semi-finals and the final, they all came down to such fine margins. Even when you look at the final it was a puck of a ball. And even when you go through the last few years, some of the games that we played we've been very lucky to come out the right side of it.
“Last year's Munster Championship we were a puck of a ball away in two games from being knocked out. Look, what goes around comes around sometimes. Sometimes the luck is on your side. This year, maybe that bit of luck just wasn't on our side. We had a couple of wides, missed a couple of goal chances, other days they might have gone in. At this level it is such small margins. Literally just one per cent margins. Maybe Cork just got them that day against us.”
Dan Morrissey of Limerick is tackled by Alan Connolly of Cork during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Limerick and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
What about missing out on the chance of creating history by becoming the first ever team to win five All-Ireland senior hurling titles in a row? Will that slipped opportunity always sting?
“You'd always have some regrets,” says Morrissey. “No matter what year you lose or you don't win an All-Ireland you're going to have some regrets. We still look back to 2019 with regrets.
“You'd always have regrets that we didn't win this year. Just because it was a five-in-a-row...the regret isn't because we didn't win a five-in-a-row, it's because we didn't win an All-Ireland. You want to win an All-Ireland every year whether it's going for one-in-a-row, three-in-a-row, or five-in-a-row.
“I didn't think the five-in-a-row got to us in any way. We did approach every game as it came. We never looked too far ahead or too far down the road. We have regrets but it's the same any year. Only one team can win it at the end of the year. There's going to be seven, eight, nine other teams who are going to go home disappointed.”
There’s no official word yet as to whether John Kiely will stay on as Limerick manager for ninth season, but Morrissey is taking it for granted that he will be.
“Yeah, that's my understanding,” he says. “I haven't heard anything different. I hope it is the same management team and backroom team again. We haven't been told anything different so I presume it will be.”
One thing the 31-year-old is definite about is that he’ll be back himself in the green and white in 2025 for an 11th championship season.
Dan Morrissey of Limerick celebrates after the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship final match between Clare and Limerick at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile
He’s arguably played his best hurling for Limerick in the last two years and feels like there’s still plenty left not just in his tank, but the team’s as a whole.
“Hopefully there's another few years left in me,” says Morrissey. “I think it's still a fairly young team. I know when we broke through in 2018 the average age was probably early twenties. Late twenties is nearly the average age of the team now. Then again you've new lads coming through like Adam English and Shane O'Brien making huge impacts this year.
“I would expect nearly everyone to come back again next year. I haven't heard any talk of retirements. I hope there's a few more years left in the older few of us anyway. When you mind your body...you see the likes of TJ Reid, Pa Horgan and those playing well into their mid-thirties. I think if you mind yourself and try to keep yourself fresh and injury-free there's no reason why you can't play until you're 34 or 35.”
