There aren't many reasons Limerick have been pronounced marginal favourites to beat Clare in Sunday's All-Ireland hurling quarter-final, but one of them must be the return of Damien Reale. His resumption in the starting line-up is significant, not just for the Limerick defence but the entire team.
Reale missed the Munster final defeat to Waterford on July 8th because of the after-effects of concussion, but he has fully recovered and will resume his corner back position for Sunday's trip to Croke Park. And Limerick will need him if they are to deliver on that favourite's tag.
"It's a huge boost," says manager Richie Bennis, "because Damien is very much the kind of player that lifts the whole team, especially the way he comes out with the ball."
The injury was sustained in the second Munster semi-final replay against Tipperary, and another injury incident with Mark Foley has since resulted in Bennis being given a sideline ban for Sunday, as he rushed on to the field to give his player attention. Reale was accidentally caught by a Tipperary defender as he tried to clear the ball, and straight away the injury looked serious.
"His helmet was caught," explains Bennis, "and pulled over his face, and that caused him to be concussed. It was a medical decision after that, because a player is not supposed to play again for another three weeks. He was willing the play in the Munster final, and disappointed that he wasn't picked, but on the medical advice we couldn't pick him."
Clare are happy to take on the underdogs' tag for Sunday, as marginal as it may be. However, it's just over a year since they inflicted a humiliating defeat on Limerick in the opening game of the qualifiers, their 2-21 to 0-10 win prompting the resignation of then manager Joe McKenna.
Tony Griffin hit 1-5 in that game and the win sparked Clare's resurgence to the All-Ireland semi-final, when they lost out to Kilkenny. All that resulted in Bennis taking over as Limerick manager, but he declines to reflect too much on that game - and laughs off the notion that Clare are underdogs.
"To be fair to everyone involved at the time, Limerick just didn't turn up that day. And Clare turned up big time. But the fact is, any team that goes down to Ennis will find it very, very hard to beat Clare there. You name the last team to do it? Even look at Galway two weeks ago. They failed as well.
"But look, I'm not into mind games. Tony Considine is playing down Clare's chances, but any time two teams play in the championship, at a neutral venue, the form book goes out the door. There are no favourites.
"All I expect is a big, big game from Clare. And they have an excellent record in Croke Park. They were very unlucky in the semi-finals in recent years, especially against Kilkenny. But our mood is good. We think it is anyway. We recovered quick enough from the Munster final. All of this team are an easy bunch to deal with, and looking forward to Sunday. This is a new venture for them."
Limerick haven't made an All-Ireland hurling semi-final since 1996, when they easily beat Antrim, and then fell to Wexford in the All-Ireland final. With Reale back on board they're at least certain to give it a good shot.
"It's all about making progress," adds Bennis. "We're ready for it, although Seán O'Connor is still a big loss. It's just a pity that he hasn't recovered (from a hamstring injury). He tried to come two or three times too early, and maybe suffered the consequences of that, and the injury was more serious that we all thought. He won't be playing any part this Sunday anyway."
