AS Limerick braces itself for a winter of discontent, Graeme Mulcahy is adamant that John Kiely鈥檚 men can come back in from the cold in 2026.
Dublin shook up the hurling world last Saturday by recording a win over the Treaty that many believe was the biggest upset in the history of the game.
Mulcahy was part of a Limerick team that raised the bar by winning five All-Ireland SHC titles.
But for the first time since Kiely took charge in 2017, they are set to endure back-to-back seasons without landing the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Mulcahy, who retired last October, said: 鈥淲e lost the 2019 semi-final against Kilkenny. That was probably the biggest learning in terms of defeats for us.
“We took a lot from that year and those learnings really stood to us in the 2020 to 2023 period.
鈥淲e lost to Cork last year. I stepped away so I don鈥檛 really know what happened within the confines of the group. But did we learn enough from it? I don鈥檛 know.
鈥淟osing the Munster final on penalties and losing an All-Ireland quarter-final two weeks later, there鈥檒l be a lot of soul-searching done.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a difficult six-month period before they get back in December, January to really think hard on it.鈥
Insisting that they are also capable of a semi-final shock against All-Ireland favourites Cork, Mulcahy is full of praise for a 鈥榲ery impressive鈥 Dublin team who defied the first-half dismissal of captain Chris Crummey to overcome the Treaty.
As for Kiely鈥檚 crew, having lost to the Rebels in a gripping provincial decider that was decided by a shootout at a packed TUS Gaelic Grounds a fortnight earlier, they tried to muster a positive response.
But Mulcahy felt they found it difficult to reacclimatise for an All-Ireland quarter-final that was played as a curtain-raiser to the Dublin footballers鈥 win over Cork.
He said: 鈥淭rying to come down off a Munster final that will live long in people鈥檚 memories in terms of the drama, then going to Croke Park a couple of weeks later, an empty stadium effectively with little or no atmosphere…
“You could hear the referee鈥檚 whistle echoing around the stadium for the first five, ten minutes 鈥 it was just a completely different experience for that Limerick team.
“That really played into Dublin鈥檚 hands, allowing them to get a bit of a foothold. It didn鈥檛 allow Limerick to make the blistering start that they might have wanted.鈥
Given that quarter-finals are ordinarily played on neutral ground, Mulcahy agrees that Limerick would have been better served by playing at a venue like Semple Stadium.
On the contrast in atmosphere to their previous outing, the 2018 All-Star added: 鈥淧sychologically, if you鈥檙e not prepared for that and if you haven鈥檛 spoken about it, it can have a huge effect.
鈥淚f that game had come down to Thurles, you would鈥檝e had probably three times the amount of Limerick fans that were in Croke Park. On the flipside, you wouldn鈥檛 have had as many Dublin fans travel.
鈥淭hat would have added to giving Limerick an edge, certainly in terms of their performance, that was lacking in Croke Park.鈥
GLASS HALF FULL
Mulcahy is confident that 鈥榯here won鈥檛 be a huge turnover鈥 in playing personnel and expects Kiely and coach Paul Kinnerk to remain in situ for a tenth season.
The Kilmallock man said: 鈥淚 think people want to see an end of an era. They want Limerick gone away and I just hope that鈥檚 not the case.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l always lose a couple, but if they keep the core group together and take the learnings from this year, they鈥檒l be competitive again next year.鈥
FORMER Electric Ireland minor hurler Graeme Mulcahy was speaking ahead of the All-Ireland minor finals.
This summer, Electric Ireland are championing the Minor Stars Team of the Year winners from 2017 to the present.
Artwork will be displayed in Croke Park to highlight Electric Ireland鈥檚 support for the Championship and to showcase the minor Championship鈥檚 record of nurturing players. #ThisIsMajor