O'Neill: Na Piarsaigh are difficult to manage

November 19, 2017

Na Piarsaigh manager Shane O'Neill.
©INPHO/Cathal Noonan.

Shane O'Neill claims Na Piarsaigh are hard to manage - because they are so ambitious.

The 2016 All-Ireland club champions are gearing up for another Munster club SHC final against Ballygunner today in what is a repeat of the 2015 decider. The Limerick city outfit have never tasted defeat in the provincial series, but this doesn't make them any less easy to manage according to their highly-successful manager.

"They are a difficult bunch to manage. Because they are all so ambitious and they all want more," O'Neill said in an interview with the Sunday Independent.

"You are dealing with around 30 very ambitious young men who all want to play and all want to perform. And you have the psychology of getting the best out of every single one of them. Including the guys who are not getting regular games and are mad for action, that kind of thing, to keep them all engaged. I think we have created that, with three or four fellas who have come in that there is a realisation that guys will be rewarded if they perform. We used 23 players in the championship to date which is a lot for a club team.

"They are all different. Different buttons need to be pressed with different guys. Like, we have said to them before, we have them only for five per cent of their time. They have a huge life outside of hurling. It's what they do when they are not with us. To make sure they look after themselves. But our fellas are in great nick, they do look after themselves - generally."


Most Read Stories