Darragh O'Donovan Gives Night Out As Example Of Derek McGrath's Impact At Limerick Club

Doon are back where they want to be, in the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship final and just 60 minutes away from defending the title they won last year.

Their 2-21 to 0-14 semi-final win over Ballybrown was a very controlled performance and showed all the experience of county champions.

Speaking to TG4 after the game, Darragh O'Donovan praised the influence of Derek McGrath, the former Waterford boss now in charge of Doon, and the balance he's struck between professionalism and perspective.

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Limerick star Darragh O'Donovan was full of praise for Derek McGrath and how he is fulfilling the role of multiple people within the set up, as well as adapting his methods to more closely suit the club game as opposed to the inter-county standard.

As good as Derek is tactically and man management-wise, he’s a psychologist as well in a sense.

He’s put big emphasis on that, putting the performance first and breaking down the game and making it that bit more simple for us.

At the end of the day it's club players playing a club game, it's not elite intercounty players, so you have to separate the two of those, and I think he has done that very well...

He isn't coming in with this all-professional intercounty setup where fellas can't enjoy themselves. We had a few beers there two weeks ago, great craic and same tonight, we’ll have a couple of beers.

We’ll recover tomorrow and back to the training field during the week. We know it's going to be a mammoth task ahead of us in two weeks’ time.

That task, of course, is a county final clash with Na Piarsaigh, the most decorated club in Limerick hurling over the last fifteen years. Doon, as defending champions, will feel they belong at this level now, but they’ll know the challenge ahead is massive.

Still, with players like O’Donovan and Adam English leading the way and Derek McGrath guiding them with the right blend of sharpness and sanity, Doon look well placed for another serious tilt at the title.