By John Harrington

By winning his third PwC All-Star award and second Player of the Year award in just four years, Limerick's Cian Lynch has underlined his status as one of the most talented hurlers of the modern era.

He's the first hurler since Kilkenny legend and three-time winner, Henry Shefflin, to have won the Hurler of the Year award more than once and he's still only 25 years old so probably not even at the peak of his powers yet.

GAA.ie spoke to the Patrickswell man this week who made it very clear his feet are still planted very firmly on the ground despite his elevated status in the game.

GAA.ie: Congratulations on your PwC All-Stars Hurler of the Year award, Cian, you must be delighted?

Cian Lynch: Ah yeah, delighted, over the moon. I suppose especially as there were three of us nominated - myself, Kyle (Hayes), and Sean (Finn) - that just kind of capped off the year really. I know it's an individual award, but I think it represents the whole 36-man panel too.

GAA.ie: The fact that 12 Limerick hurlers have won PwC All-Stars this year is also representative of just how much of a team effort this year's All-Ireland SHC success was...

CL: Yeah, it's massive, it's some achievement for all the lads. But the 15 plus lads on the panel who didn't play on any given day are just as big a part of all the success we've had along the way too. We keep harping on about that. I know these are individual awards, but without the 36 lads all pulling together, none of this would be possible. We're lucky to be the players on the day, but it's the lads who are pushing behind us trying to get into our positions are what makes us.

GAA.ie: Is that the key to Limerick's ongoing success and appetite for further success? That competition for places?

CL: It definitely is. On any given day there's no jersey that's a certainty for any player and that's the beauty of it. The next man is always putting his hand up and trying to get the man in front of him out of his way so he can wear that jersey and represent his club and his county. It's for the betterment of the team.

I always harp on about how great a unit we are. We're all great friends and we back each other in every situation. That's what makes it special.

GAA.ie: Are you conscious of the fact that you're part of something special? This Limerick team is creating history with every step so it must be a great buzz to be involved?

CL: It is, it's huge. Obviously when you're in the thick of it you don't want to take a step back to analyse it, really. You just want to keep focused and keep striving for better as a group and as a team. Going forward, as we get older and come to the end of our careers we'll reflect. But currently we just want to refocus and get going again.

GAA.ie: I heard you say in an interview once that there's no point getting too worked up about sport. Is that attitude something that stands to you?

CL: We're all human, we all get worked up, but on a personal level you always have to try to keep some perspective and look at the wider scale of things too in regards to life. Sport is huge and gives everyone a massive sense of purpose, but it's about enjoying it and making the most of your training sessions and gym sessions, your games, and making friendships and bonds that will last for the rest of our lives so we'll be able to look back in years to come and say, yeah, we soldiered together.

GAA.ie: Is that a big part of your mental make-up, that hurling is something to be enjoyed first and foremost?

CL: Yeah, it is all about the enjoyment and I know at times you do get carried away and forget it is a sport. But it's important to realise that we're in such a privileged position that we're able to get up in the morning and go to training or go to the gym and meet the lads for a training session or go off and play a match.

I harp on a lot about that in my own head but I know other lads feel the same. It's just a privilege to be able to represent your club, your family, your local people, and, of course, Limerick city and county.

GAA.ie: It doesn't seem like it's ever been a challenge for you to keep your feet on the ground. I doubt winning a second Hurler of the Year award in four years will change that?

CL: God, no! Not a hope of it! As I said, individual awards are massive, but they're first and foremost a credit to everyone else on the 36-man panel and backroom staff. That's the way we look at things. Obviously it's massive for your family an all of that, but it's mainly representative of the 36-man panel.

GAA.ie: As a sportsperson who wants to get better all the time, is it really enjoyable to be in that environment where John Kiely, Paul Kinnerk, and the rest of the Limerick management team push you all really hard.

CL: 100 per cent. It's like anything in life, really, whether it's sport or education or your job, you always have to push yourself and test yourself because there's a very short window in life to push yourself to the limit. We're obviously privileged and honoured that we have the likes of John, Paul, Caroline (Currid), Dodge (Donal O'Grady), Alan Cunningham, and a lot more behind the scenes that push us.

But ourselves as players too from 1 to 36, each man on that panel is pushing the man to his left and his right. As I said, we're great friends and have a great bond and I know we'll have that bond long after hurling as well.

GAA.ie: You recently lost the Limerick SHC Final with Patrickswell against Kilmallock. I'm sure that experience was a reminder why you love the winning feeling so much and will never to take it for granted.

CL: 100 per cent. I know people say it's not all about winning, but winning can become a habit and you want to keep experiencing that feeling of glory. As you say, we lost the Limerick County Final this year. No-one wants to lose on any given day, especially when it's a two-horse race like any game of hurling or football is.

Some team has to lose and it's not nice. You have to be prepared for those lows as well as the highs and that's why I think it's important to remain grounded and keep putting things in perspective. Okay, you have a loss, so you just get back on the horse and go again. It's the same with a win. Yeah, we'll enjoy it, but we'll go again.

GAA.ie: I'm sure you're conscious of the enjoyment you've given Limerick supporters, especially at what's been a tough time for an awful lot of people. The release that a successful Limerick team has given the county must be massive?

CL: Yeah, it has. I suppose no better moment to recognise that than after the All-Ireland Final when you had an opportunity to look around at the supporters and see your local people there smiling after a long 12-18 months. Just to be able to have a bit of normality. I suppose we're privileged ourselves that we have such a great county and city in Limerick and the people are always backing us no matter what, on the good days and bad days. I know that goes for every other county as well, Cork, Tipp, I could name them all out.

The supporters get great enjoyment out of backing their team and backing their players and I know ever player from each county is delighted they have that respect and supporter.

GAA.ie: Every other team will want to take Limerick down a peg next year, but I'm sure you will relish that challenge?

CL: Come here, at the moment we're just taking a break for the winter and switch off. We went back to the clubs after the All-Ireland Final and had a busy spell with that as well. Once 2022 comes around every will be all guns blazing again and it'll be wide open. Any team on any given day can go out and win these games.

Just looking forward to the break now and then I'll look forward to getting back to it after Christmas.

GAA.ie: Anything planned in terms of chilling out?

CL: No, just relaxing with the family. Santa Claus will be coming so looking forward to that!