Here is my sales pitch for the Limerick team from 1992-1997 and while i acknowledge that Tom Ryan was unfairly shafted Phil Bennis who was Toms predecessor was also shafted.The county board screwed poor Phil over over in 1993.Phil wanted the game to be played in Thurles but the county board agreed to do a coin toss for home advantage with the Clare county board instead.They lost the toss and Limerick had to play Clare down in Ennis.
[SIZE=13px][FONT=verdana]The story of that Limerick team is book ended by two league final victories in 1992 and 1997.In 1992 Phil Bennis got the ball rolling when he managed Limerick to that league final win win.I think Limerick came from 10 points down to beat Tipp that day.In 1997 for some reason the league knockout stages was played through the summer and the final was played in October.Those cunts in the Limerick county board were sickened that a hammering by Tipp in the championship wasn’t Tom Ryans final act as Limerick manager.Instead Tom Ryan stuck the two fingers up at them by winning Limerick a trophy in his final game as manager before he was forced out.In the semi final Limerick played Kilkenny in Nowlan Park with half a team missing.Now Kilkenny back then were not the all conquering force that they were in the Cody years but walloping them by 10 points in Nicky Brennans final game as Kilkenny manager was a fine achievement.The way Tom Ryan was shafted was a disgrace.Yes he had his flaws and he made a few stupid decisions in the 1996 all ireland final that weren’t even mentioned in Unlimited Heartbreak but he could manage the players and keep them under control.The reason that Limerick team had such a short lifespan was because that tool Eamonn Cregan ganged up on Tom along with the county board so he could be manager.Cregan couldn’t manage the players,so he dropped them all.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=13px][FONT=verdana]They won two munster championships at a time when winning munster meant something.They played some great games against ourselves in the gaelic grounds in 94,against Clare in 96 and Tipp both days in the 96 munster final as well as walking all over us that year down the pairc.In the 1994 all ireland final they had the all ireland won but the players switched off and lost their focus with 5 minutes remaining and they paid a heavy price for it.In 1996 against Wexford a goal that should have been a goal was disallowed but at the end of the day not enough of Limericks big players stepped up to the plate that day so i couldn’t say they should have beaten Wexford that day.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=13px][FONT=verdana]Now that Waterford team also played some great hurling but i don’t attach as much cash value to munster championships in the back door era and that Limerick team did come closer to landing the big prize.[/FONT][/SIZE]
Watch this video from 20 minutes and 5 seconds onwards until 21 minutes and 11 seconds.For all the talk about what Brian Corcoran said about Waterford in his book the truth hurts.At least Corcoran had the bottle to win all ireland medals.