JUST MOMENTS after last September's comprehensive All-Ireland final defeat to Kilkenny several diehards approached Mark Foley to plead with the veteran not to walk away. Now 33, the keenest observers of Limerick hurling knew that no ready made replacement was waiting in the wings.
Thankfully for them, a drawn-out club campaign with Adare ensured Foley was back in winter training before he had a chance to really mull it over.
"I told them I'd think about it of course," he told the Limerick Leader last January, "but I really believe that if I hadn't gone on to win the county (title) with Adare and if the year hadn't lasted so long for me that would have made up my mind. I would have retired. There would have been too much work to do physically and I don't think I could have faced into it."
It's always easier to face into the dark nights with your tail up. Most people walk away from continual failure and while Limerick's 2007 season will ultimately be remembered for provincial and All-Ireland final defeats they did enliven the championship with some vicious hurling.
"The only thing that motivates me is the chance of success," says the Limerick captain. "I wouldn't say I am there to enjoy the training or anything like that. I'm there for the big days and hopefully to win things. When you get to the All-Ireland final and see the character that's there, it was a no-brainer to come back."
It started with an epic three-game series against Tipperary. The confidence gained from eventual victory arguably carrying them all the way to September.
"I think we learned an awful lot last year in those games against Tipp. It brought on our hurling and definitely it improved the confidence of the team. Players had more belief in their own ability."
If they can find a way past Clare on Sunday and another meeting with an, albeit rejuvenated, Tipperary in the Munster final on July 13th then conceivably the roller-coaster will take off again.
But the absence of Brian Geary and Brian Begley through injury and an abysmal league campaign that ended in a pitiful 0-13 to 0-8 defeat to Cork last April led selector Gary Kirby to state: "We definitely have to add to the squad and we hope to bring on a few more but whether they are there or not we don't know because we have looked around and we haven't seen much."
Kirby was standing in for manager Richie Bennis, who couldn't bare or perhaps couldn't be bothered, to face an inquisition in April perhaps knowing such a fate was inevitable down the tracks.
Foley also noted the lack of depth in Limerick hurling: "The league was a concern. It didn't go well and we struggled. Not many new players showed up but just as worrying was how some of the players who played starring roles in 2007 didn't show up well either.
"We were looking to pick up one or two players and I suppose it's not obvious that they are there. Stranger things have happened. Mike Fitzgerald didn't start the championship last year against Tipperary but he came on as a substitute and ended up making a big impact. You'd be looking for something similar to that.
"I think there is talent there but even though it didn't show up in the league, you'd be hoping that once the ball starts to travel and the ground is harder, a few players will show how good they are."
Hope remains for Limerick hurling, if little else.
