Cillian Fahy keen to finish the season on a Tailteann Cup high with Limerick:
By Paul Keane
Cillian Fahy wasn’t so sure about Gaelic football’s rules enhancements when they were first introduced.
His fear was that the strong may simply get stronger though it hasn’t materialised that way.
“Maybe it’s actually been the opposite way,” said the Limerick football captain who is part of a team that has capitalised on football’s new suite of attacking possibilities.
Sunday’s Tailteann Cup final against Kildare will be their third Croke Park game of 2025. They’ve already won the Allianz League Division 4 title.
And they’ve done it all in the most swashbuckling manner imaginable, from hitting 4-21 in one Tailteann Cup fixture to James Naughton’s personal haul of 4-12 in the league win over Waterford.
Danny Neville has been filling his boots with goals too while Emmett Rigter, who made last year’s Tailteann Cup Team of the Year, continues to torture opposing defences.
So the new rules suit a side like Limerick who are on the brink of becoming the first Division 4 team to win the Tailteann Cup?
“They do I suppose, yeah,” nodded Fahy. “There’s a few lads with a lot of pace and stuff, so it definitely suits them. It has opened up the game a lot more. For the likes of our forwards that are there, James and Emmett, definitely the rules have suited them this year.”
Fahy comes back to the quality of Limerick’s coaching too, when trying to explain just why things have gone so well for the team this year.
“Micheal Cahill would be the head coach and then you’ve Evan Talty and Pa Ranahan as well,” said Fahy, pointing to manager Jimmy Lee’s backroom. “Look, they’ve been brilliant. And Eoin O’Hagan is the goalkeeping coach.
“They’ve been really influential in developing the young players that have come in. They’ve been massive and I suppose the way we’re playing is largely down to the work they’ve done on the field.”
Naughton certainly seems to be enjoying it. That remarkable 4-12 haul against Waterford went down as an individual scoring record, outdoing the 4-11 notched by Tyrone’s Frankie Donnelly in a game from 1957. And he’s maintained strong form all year.
“He’s in the form of his life,” said Fahy of his fellow 29-year-old. “He’s playing unbelievable football. His free-taking is really something we rely on as well. He’s very consistent with that. He’s been incredible all year. It’s great to have him in that form and to have him as a weapon that we can rely on.”
The trouble for Limerick? Kildare have their own stable of thoroughbred attackers. The Lilywhites started the Tailteann Cup campaign with 0-36 against Leitrim. Alex Beirne, Daniel Flynn, goal poacher James McGrath and Brian McLoughlin have all been ripping it up at different times.
It should be a high-scoring game then, one for the neutrals to enjoy?
“I’d say so,” enthused Fahy, a wing-forward himself. “Kildare have been putting up big scores throughout the league and the Championships. They have some brilliant forwards. I’d say it could be open and it could be attacking alright.”
Limerick and Kildare, fittingly, are the only two unbeaten teams in the competition. It was after Limerick’s win over 2022 tournament winners Westmeath, in the final round of group games, that they began to look like potential champions themselves.
“I think Westmeath and Kildare were probably the favourites at the start of the year,” said Fahy. “So for us to pip Westmeath at the end of that game was definitely a massive confidence booster for us. It gave an indication that there’s definitely something here and there’s definitely an opportunity to go a long way in the competition.”
If Limerick could do it and claim a second piece of national silverware at Croke Park in the one season, it would provide a giant shot in the arm for football locally. It’s already been a breakthrough season for the county.
“It’s massive because if you go into the city, in parts of the city, we could be number four behind hurling, rugby and soccer,” said Fahy.
“I was only thinking the other day actually, this year’s league final was probably the first time a lot of kids in Limerick actually saw us play, because it was on TV.
“We don’t have a big following so to actually get on TV for the Division 4 final, that was probably the first time a lot of people had seen us this year.
“Now to get this far and to be preparing for the Tailteann Cup final, to stay in the shop window as long as we have, to be on RTE two weeks ago for the semi-finals and to do it again this weekend is massive.
“It’s really important for children to see, for kids to see that there’s a competitive football team in Limerick and that there is a chance to get up to Croke Park and that there is a chance to be competing for silverware.”