Longford hurling manager Diarmuid Cahill geared up for championship challenge

Ahead of the Lory Meagher Cup opener against Lancashire at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park this Saturday (1pm), the Longford manager Diarmuid Cahill is hoping that a successful League campaign that earned promotion to Division 3 will be the springboard for Lory Meagher Cup success.

“It’s a great boost for everyone connected with Longford hurling that we achieved promotion to Division 3 of the Allianz National Hurling League, and we used 32 players throughout the league and it was great to be able to use the full depth of the panel. 

“Everyone in Division 4 wanted to match themselves against eventual champions Sligo, as they are a championship division above the rest of us as they will be competing in the Nicky Rackard Cup. We were a little bit unlucky in that three-point league final defeat to Sligo. A few little mistakes ultimately cost us and that is what we need to correct if we are to achieve success in the Lory Meagher.”

Diarmuid then highlighted the discrimination that the hurling league finalists had to contend with compared to their footballing counterparts.

“It is disappointing that the League finalists in hurling do not get the same privilege of playing  in Croke Park that the football league finalists enjoy. Some of these players and indeed refereeing officials may never get to enjoy the Croke Park experience and the GAA need to look at this for next year. 

“Even the Division 1A and Division 1B Finals are denied the honour of playing in GAA Headquarters and have to settle for playing in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. So, it is a little bit frustrating for all the teams in the hurling league finals.”

Despite remaining unbeaten against all the other Lory Meagher Cup teams in their league matches, Diarmuid expressed caution that those teams could be different propositions in the championship and cannot be taken lightly.

“Of course it gives us great hope and optimism that we are capable of being crowned champions in Croke Park, but we have to be aware that those teams will be much improved in the Lory Meagher Cup, and they may have a better understanding of the way that we played in the league and come up with ways of countering that, 

“So we will have to adapt accordingly, and make sure that we improve as well. I believe that it will be a great championship this year. We came back training in November and the lads have put in a tremendous effort and have kept up the commitment and intensity and we have lots of competition for places on our starting fifteen and the matchday panel, and that is a healthy position to be in. 

“We also will have the added bonus of having two or three more players available for the championship who were not available for the league due to injuries and other reasons. 

“While these returning players are quality players, our league performances have shown that they will not be guaranteed a starting fifteen place or a place among the subs, and they will have to fight really hard to break into the team and the match day squad. 

“We may have beaten Lancashire comfortably in the league, but they were missing some key players that day and we will find it much harder against them on Saturday, but the big thing that will help us to get over the line will be the support of the Longford people, so I am urging the Longford GAA fan base to come out and support the team at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday.”