Micheál Houlihan may be the exception that proves the rule on Limerick's production line | ArthurJamesOD
Arthur James O'Dea LIMERICK’S HURLERS WERE six weeks from a Munster championship opener against Cork when Mike Houlihan’s jaw was broken in two places by the flailing kick of a bullock. “Of course we are disappointed that Mike will not be available to us,” manager Tom Ryan conceded. What with the operation and recuperation that such an ordeal required, three months would pass before the Kilmallock man could even hope to hurl again.
“Iron Mike himself,” a delighted Tommy Walsh remarked when naming his Top 5 Hurling Strongmen on Off The Ball a few years ago. “I went for naturally strong men, not guys who had spent five years in the gym . . . I went for strong, hardy men.” Houlihan was named third on his list. Saturday’s starting place has its origins in club form. Three times a county finalist, he scored 0-11 as Kilmallock won the 2021 decider. The club’s dead ball specialist, Houlihan never wanted for hurling skill. Whereas his contemporaries benefited from the conditioning work which compliments the academy’s skills training, however, Houlihan has had to catch up.
As was the case in Mike Houlihan’s time, size and strength remain highly prized characteristics. The only major difference now being that the preponderance of such players is prioritised to eradicate any reliance on genetic good fortune. Be it Sean Finn’s legs, Cian Lynch’s torso or basically the shoulders and arms of any Limerick hurler, they are the product of a systematic approach and culture that lends itself to individuals willing to work within it.
Houlihan has been in or around the Limerick panel for a year or so. He is proof that the rule allows some exception. On the one hand, it is a testament to John Kiely’s eye and impression of a player’s attitude. Buoyed by the assembly line feel of Limerick’s annual influx of fresh talent, Kiely’s willingness to afford opportunities to the likes of Houlihan or David Reidy has served him well.
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