Dan Morrissey getting to play out his All-Ireland final obsession with Limerick

In the Morrissey household, the tradition of going along to All-Ireland hurling finals started when the boys were young. The first final Dan Morrissey attended was the last September outing of the 20th century. The 1990s had been a transformative decade for hurling but ended on an establishment note: Cork against Kilkenny, in the rain. Morrissey was about six-years-old and got drenched.

"I've been to every All-Ireland since then," he says. "There weren't many that Limerick were in the first number of years – it was always your Tipps, Corks, Kilkennys. It is a bit mad now that we've been in three finals in four years. Limerick supporters haven't been used to that success."

Indeed. From a distance, the new dispensation is a bit mad. After decades on the periphery, Limerick have become serial All-Ireland final candidates. Morrissey belonged to a cohort of apprentice Limerick hurlers who had to fiercely imagine their own county at these marquee days while looking elsewhere for reference points.

“The 2014 final with the Hawk-Eye incident at the end, for excitement, that probably stands out the most,” says Morrissey. “There’s been some great finals. Limerick and Kilkenny in 2007, the first time Limerick had been in a final in years. I remember the excitement around the county at the time. I was only 14, only young, but I remember it well.

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Hurling can change so quickly that seven or eight points is nothing in hurling

“JJ [Delaney] was one of my favourite players growing up. The way he played the game, he wasn’t such a big lad but he used always come out with the ball, whether it was a high ball or a ruck. He changed from half back to full back in his latter years, so yeah, he’s definitely someone I would have looked up to growing up.”

That switch is one that Morrissey has made in more recent seasons. He was named on the bench for the Munster final against Tipperary in July and watched as their neighbours stunned them with a deluge of pretty scores to run up a 10-point lead in the heat. Morrissey was sent in five minutes before half-time so was on the field for Limerick's brilliant, ominous reversal of form and influence which the All-Ireland champions exerted in the third period of the game.

“It was a warm day and Tipp took their scores very well, the two goals were finished off brilliantly so I suppose coming in I didn’t have much time to think, I was told to warm up and I was in straight away.

“At half-time, we always did have belief, I know not many other people outside of the team might have thought we’d come back, but as a team we did have great belief there. We said we’d go out and win quarter three first and that’s exactly what we kind of did. We came out in that first quarter after half-time and obviously played very, very well. Hurling can change so quickly that seven or eight points is nothing in hurling. So we believed that if we got back to doing what we do best that we’d get back in the game quickly.”

The redeployment of Morrissey to the full-back line is a measure of Limerick's strength in depth. Last October, they faced into their Munster championship clash against Clare without Mike Casey and Richie English, full-back line regulars who both suffered cruciate ligament injuries.

Morrissey had won an All-Star at wing back in 2018. He did have previous fullback experience, lining out against Séamus Callanan when Limerick played Tipperary in 2016. But he had matured significantly as a player by 2020 and now gives manager John Kiely the enviable weapon of an elite wing back equally comfortable as a dominant full back.

“Half back and full back are different positions, half back you have a lot more freedom to get forward whereas full back you have to mind the house a bit more. Saying that, there’s a good bit of overlap between the two positions as well, there’s a bit of high-ball fielding in both positions, you still have to be able to win your own ball so there’s some commonalities between the positions. But there’s definitely some things that take getting used to.”

Sunday’s final will pit Limerick’s last line against a Cork attacking unit shimmering with confidence and intent. There is a sense that something has shifted within Cork since the teams met eight weeks ago in a Munster semi-final, which Limerick negotiated fairly comfortably on a scoreline of 2-22 to 1-17. Morrissey started on the bench that day also, coming in for Barry Nash after 56 minutes so he had a chance to observe their speed and movement.

They're a serious team. We've had great battles with them the last few years

“They’ve probably got better week on week, in their last few games they’ve been very serious. You saw as well the subs they have coming off the bench, they’ve a great panel there. So look, we’re under no illusions and we know what’s in front of us, we just have to deal with whatever is thrown at us on the day.

“They’re a serious team. We’ve had great battles with them the last few years. They’re flying it at underage with the minor and the under-20s so we know the challenge that’s in front of us. We know they have great players, a nice mix of youth and it’s not going to be easy, we know that. Whoever comes out on top will definitely earn it.”

Morrissey has maintained the tradition of attending All-Ireland finals even since he started appearing in them. He was in the stands to watch Tipp’s win in 2019 a few weeks after Kilkenny had ended Limerick’s title defence in the semi-final. He will happily concede it’s much nicer for the family when he and his brother Tom are playing on these occasions. After a childhood of back-garden All-Ireland finals with Tom and his twin brother Patrick, these are days to be savoured.

“And we probably won’t sit back and realise what we’ve won until the day we retire, whenever that is,” he acknowledges. “When you sit back and appreciate the medals that you won. Growing up it would have been rare enough that Limerick were in them so when we’re in our third final now in four years, it is a bit surreal, especially to have Tom with me as well. And it is a special occasion for the family and for Ahane, our club, as well so it’s great.