Shane Dowling and Limerick beginning to dream out loud

“Do you think so, yeah?” asked Shane Dowling, gently mocking the seemingly inconceivable: that Waterford and Tipperary have no hurling left to play for this summer, while Limerick are only getting going. Especially Dowling himself.

Truth is no one knew how treacherous the new round-robin Munster hurling championship would prove, and Dowling’s brazen response is justified. Limerick have been boldly showing their rivals the way, and only need to draw against Clare this Sunday to book their place in the Munster final.

Sunday’s 13-point win over Waterford perfectly demonstrated that progress, including the fact it was Dowling’s first start for Limerick this season – or indeed since their qualifier exit to Kilkenny almost a year ago.

Originally tied up with Na Piarsaigh on their extended club run, which only ended with the epic All-Ireland replay loss to Cuala, Dowling returned to the panel before the championship, but didn’t feature in either their win over Tipperary or their draw with Cork.

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Then opportunity came knocking: with first-choice free-taker Aaron Gillane suspended for the Waterford game following a red card in that Cork game, Dowling got his first start at full forward, and grabbed it like the proverbial horns of the bull – scoring 0-15 of their 2-26 total, including 13 frees, his overall contribution equally immense.

“Delighted, yeah,” added Dowling, now 25 and an All Star forward for Limerick back in 2014. “I’d a couple of wides as well, so I’m not going to get too complacent. Obviously with Na Piarsaigh we’d been away for a couple of months, the boys had the jersey, and it was there for everyone to see that they were doing a fantastic job. There would have been something wrong if I came back in, and went straight into the team.

“So it was great to get the opportunity. They are hard to come by, a strong panel of players, but listen, it’s just of matter of when you get in, you’ve to try to do your best, and that’s what we did.”

Gillane is back in line for selection for Sunday’s trip to Ennis, giving manager John Kiely one of those welcome selection dilemmas. Limerick can still make the Munster final if they lose to Clare – and Cork lose to Waterford – but either way Dowling is treating it like a knock-out game.

“That [permutation] is irrelevant, because you’re going out against Clare on Sunday, we’ve an unbeaten record in Munster and we want to keep it that way as long as we can. Limerick won’t be going out looking for a draw, that’s for sure. Limerick will going down to Ennis, Clare in their own back yard, it might sound cliché, it’s not going to be easy, but this team loves a challenge.

Build momentum

“And we’re not looking at the four weeks as an excuse to get tired. We’re looking at it as the chance to build momentum, and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“We’re a young team, and the excuse is there if you want it to be, but we’re certainly not going to have it there. Next Sunday, of course there will be a couple of tired bodies, sore bodies, but we’ve six days to recover, and from my own point of view, as I said, when you get the chance you have to take it. And anyone who gets the chance next week will have to take it as well.”

With Tipperary already gone, and Waterford’s pending exit after the Cork game, Limerick’s progress has certainly gone against the form of recent seasons.

“Absolutely. I mean Waterford, All-Ireland finalists last year, and Tipperary, who have been so consistent over the last number of years. But you know, we’ve a good team. Have built a good base, and we’re going to drive on from here. It’s great to be playing on your home ground, before a big crowd, put on a performance, but we’ve done that before and haven’t pushed on. So one thing is for sure, we definitely won’t be getting carried away.

“But it’s great, isn’t it, and for Limerick? You could see coming off at half-time there, the performance we put in for the first half, everyone from Limerick knows what hurling means to Limerick people, and you get shivers down the spine when you hear the roar, and see the crowds that are turning up [23,194) at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday] . It’s absolutely fantastic. It makes it so much easier for us, absolutely.

Back in October, speaking to The Irish Times ahead of the AIB club championship, Dowling was open about his hopes and dreams for Limerick hurling.

“Look, I go to bed most nights dreaming about winning an All-Ireland,” he said at the time. “And that’s no cliché, that’s the reality. But we have the right people involved now, have players that are good enough.

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to win. The next three or four years will tell a lot. There’s a savage amount of work being put in. I think there is optimism there since 2014, but at the same time last year was disappointing. Hopefully we can kick on. But as long as everyone is trying their best, and I believe they are, there’s nothing more we can do. The chasing pack aren’t too far behind. I don’t think Limerick are a million miles away, but time will tell.”

Time is already beginning to tell.