When he daydreamed about winning the senior All-Ireland title, Kyle Hayes figured that it would probably happen later in his career.

But even his dreams couldn't match with the reality of last August, when Limerick ended a 45-year famine to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

"It was even better than I imagined," beamed Hayes, still a teenager when it happened. "The moments after every game - the final, especially - were unbelievable, really. 

"If you talked to past players, they'd probably say the same. They'd never replace that feeling again. Even if you were a manager, it would never be the same. 

"It's just that special feeling and it brought us even closer together.”

The trick for Limerick is to back up that special feeling. It's something that has proved elusive to many teams -  to Clare, for example, since a youthful Banner side claimed All-Ireland glory in 2013.

Many ultra-talented hurlers, including a couple of generations of Limerick men such as Ciaran Carey and Gary Kirby, never get to experience it at all.

"Yeah, I do feel lucky, in that sense," admitted Hayes, who is studying in LIT. 

“I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it for maybe 24 or 25, when you're getting to your peak. I didn't really expect it to happen last year but as the year goes on you get more belief. 

"You have to pinch yourself and say, 'Jeez, this is happening'.”

He thinks back to Limerick finishing third in Munster last year and having to overcome Kilkenny in the qualifiers as a turning point.

“You saw the different leaders emerge that day," said the laidback Hayes. "There were guys stepping up. Tom getting the point there when we really needed it.

Limerick’s Kyle Hayes played a key role in their All-Ireland success

"That could have been anyone else too and that shows the amount of leaders that are in the team. What happened that day was special and you have to use it to your advantage as you go on.

"I'm lucky to be in with the group of guys that's in there. They're a very special team and we have a very special management.

"I came along at just the right time. There's obviously been unbelievable players that haven't won it, and it's nice to get the monkey off your back in the first year or two.

"We'll try and add to that in the years to come, but it's all a long way away.”

Having not been involved in the opening weekend of the Munster championship, they are finally unleashed against Cork at the Gaelic Grounds tomorrow - after a successful League campaign culminated in more silverware in March.

They are the team to beat and surely that will have only added to the pressure on the players' shoulders.

Well, not so, argues Hayes, last year's Young Hurler of the Year after a series of superlative displays in the half-forward line.

He points to how Limerick's academy system provides players with the tools to manage ever-more important situations as they progress through the age grades.

Limerick's Kyle Hayes with Colm Galvin of Clare

Hayes himself had played in Munster and All-Ireland finals at the minor and under-21 grades.

"I wouldn't really say that the players feel that pressure," he said. "We're a very tight-knit group. 

"There are obviously outside influences. The public in Limerick are very supportive and they'll be expecting more trophies again this year.

"But we know ourselves how to approach that. We definitely won't be getting carried away with anything.

"Some people might look at the league as being on a trials basis, and we did, we used a lot of players. 

"If you look at the great Kilkenny teams, they were winning leagues every year, along with All-Irelands and Leinster championships.

"It's still a national title. We wanted to just add to that.”

A Munster title is the next target. Hayes doesn't disguise that it would mean a lot to win it.

"It's one that has escaped me," he acknowledged. 

"I've never been in a Munster final at senior level. The Munster championship has always been special".


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