Limerick footballers do 'passionate football supporters' proud in Croke Park final

YOU’D have got good odds at the start of summer on Limerick’s footballers being the county’s only senior men’s GAA team to contest a major final at Croke Park.

But the hurlers’ shock early exit from the championship to Dublin, allied with a stirring Tailteann Cup semi-final comeback by their big-ball colleagues against Wicklow meant it was Jimmy Lee’s charges who carried the Treaty’s hopes for silverware this year.

Indeed, one who didn’t know what had gone before could have been forgiven for thinking it was the hurlers lining out at headquarters, given the sea of green on show at Colbert rail station on Saturday morning, amid sold out trains.

But Saturday was all about the footballers, often second fiddle in a county where the small-ball game is the dominant code.

And it was destination Croke Park, as they prepared to face Kildare.

READ MORE: Limerick senior football championship team-by-team guide

It can be easy to forget that there are pockets of the county where ‘Gaelic’ is number one.

Sean Harnett, who travelled up to Croke Park with his 11-year-old granddaughter Emmie McGrath said: “Being from west Limerick and Rathkeale, we are passionate football supporters, probably more so than hurling. This team has progressed beyond all expectation this year.”

There was a huge turnout from St Senan’s, the Foynes club home to the influential James Naughton and Cormac Woulfe.

Cormac’s mum Lisa Woulfe said: “This is just fantastic. After all the hard work they put in every week all year round, it’s amazing to get this far. Every achievement has been worth celebrating and today is really really special.”

Proudly dressed in green was Shannon Martin, the partner of forward Naughton.

She said: “There is nobody who deserves to be there more than the Limerick footballers. They have put in so much hard work all year. Thankfully, we are now seeing the best football which is being played in years.”

On her partner, who battled injury to make the starting 15 on Saturday, she added: “I can see he genuinely enjoys it. He’s excited to go out training. He goes out in good form, he comes home in better form!”

As the army of football supporters set off on the train to Dublin - and Croker, this reporter was able to blag a lift from a friend.

Expectations were high, and there was a real sense it could have been Limerick’s day - despite our being massive underdogs.

Perhaps out of superstition I often look for signs before big matches.

A cut-out of former US president Barack Obama at the Offaly service station - where like many others we stopped en route - bearing his name, proclaiming he was supporting Limerick was one sign.

The night before the game, I noticed on Instagram that one of my friends had posted an image of the MV Killarney boat bar floating on the River Liffey.

In the past, following Limerick triumphs in Croker, we have gone there for a celebratory pint, the historic day in 2018 kicking off that tradition.

Sadly it was not to be this time, with our heroic footballers coming up two points short, the game going down to the last kick. “Fair play to Kildare, but they scraped over the line. Limerick were robbed," was O’Connell Avenue man Jack Hatton's verdict over a pint at Gill's Corner House Bar in the shadow of Croke Park post-game.

The final claxon was agonising, and it is hard to remember when I last felt so gutted at the final whistle in a GAA match.

With the hurling panel, you always have the five Liam MacCarthy wins to comfort yourself with.

While this felt like a chance missed for the footballers, there is a feeling they are on the up, and can launch a fresh assault on the Tailteann Cup next season.

I wouldn’t bet against it...

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