Defeat won’t be the end of the world – Cregan

IT won’t be the end of the world for whichever side doesn’t win this Saturday’s clash between Clare and Limerick, according to one of Limerick’s all-time greats, Eamonn Cregan.
Speaking this week, the former Limerick star, who served as manager with both Clare and Limerick, said, “It will take time for these teams to develop into strong championship contenders. They are both young teams but it will take time.
“It’s a very sore point in Limerick to have been put back down to 1B having won promotion. It’s typical bureaucracy but it’s over and done with now,” admitted the Claughaun man, who won an All-Ireland senior medal with Limerick in 1973.
He agrees with Davy Fitzgerald that the Waterford Crystal competition has no signficance with regard to the league. “It’s used as preparation and to blood players. In our time, we used the league as preparation for the championship.”
Limerick’s aim for the league must be to build on last year, he said. “We are making positive steps forward. The lads that were introduced last year will have benefited from the experience and hopefully they will benefit further this year,” said Cregan, who managed Offaly to All-Ireland glory in 1994.
Despite Limerick’s disappointment at not being included in the top division, Cregan said, “We are now in a very competitive group where all teams will believe that they can win. Each game will be tough and it is not an easy section to win. It will be more competitive than last year. Remember, there are many new managers who are trying to get teams to perform.”
Equally at home in defence or attack when he was playing for club and county, Cregan has strong views on the amount of training that goes on presently.
“It’s gone too far. I will be standing on a lot of toes when I say that preparation for the Fitzgibbon and Sigerson has gone way beyond reality. There is a place for these college competitions but one must take into account a person’s body. Look at the amount of training these teams are doing and the amount of games they are expected to play.”
He continued, “Colleges are gone mad with regard to training at senior level. I am involved with Mary Immaculate in the Ryan Cup but we do nothing compared to what they are doing in the top levels. Players are being burnt out and it’s happening at U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-17 levels, where they are expected to play three matches on the one day. Last year we were preparing for the U-17 competition on the Saturday when a club minor game was fixed for the previous evening involving some of those players. It doesn’t make sense.”
Getting back to this weekend’s league opener, Cregan said, “There isn’t the same buzz there now. When we played Clare in the ’70s people came to see the clashes and there were some tremendous tussles. We were rivals on the field and the crowd came to see the rivalry, which will always be there but isn’t as intense now.”
He acknowledged being disappointed that Na Piarsaigh didn’t win recently. “I was very disappointed with their style of hurling. They hadn’t learned from their previous games.
“This is a young Limerick side with a lot of good hurlers but it will take time. It takes a number of years for U-21s to progress to senior.
“There will be tough games throughout this league and they should benefit from them. It’s a learning process,” he concluded.