Hard work beats superstition on All-Ireland final day for Na Piarsaigh’s David Breen

We can't be certain but we highly doubt there will be lucky socks or jocks in David Breen's gear bag for this Thursday's All-Ireland club final.

Speaking to the Na Piarsaigh club man, he has not got to where he is in life, or sport, by watching out for black cats, or minding there are no ladders in and around Croke Park this week. The former Limerick hurling captain is a firm believer in the here and now, and subscribes to the school of thought that hard work will beat superstition every day. He hopes that mantra stays true this week as he and his team-mates face Cushendall in the All-Ireland club hurling final in Croke Park. To win, the Munster champions will have to break a losing streak for Limerick men's teams going back almost 40 years at Croker. He tells us:

"That's irrelevant to me, and it's irrelevant to a lot of the players as well because Limerick people love to go on about history and voodoo and spells and all the rest, but that's nonsense. Our club has a history of 48 years old and that doesn't stand up to a lot of other clubs in Limerick but that's history, that's not now. "We've got a good team and we’re trying to achieve something and that's all that matters. The amount of teams that have played in Croke park from Limerick, or won All-Ireland championships doesn't really matter."

The Limerick side finally put their own All-Ireland semi-final hoodoo to bed last month with an extra time win over Oulart-the-Ballagh. The near-misses and heartbreak of losses at the last four stage in both 2012, and again in 2014, were fresh in the mind, last month, when facing the Wexford champions. However Breen feels the 2016 team is much more experienced than their predecessors, and crucially more accustomed to filling the long gaps in the playing schedule that may have been a factor in their previous defeats.

"I think our management has handled it very well because they've given us time off mentally as much as anything else to start again and prepare for the semi and then even since the semi, given us a little bit of time just to start again and prepare for the final. "It's a bit like a boxing match, you nearly go into camp for four or five weeks, then after the game you go back to camp and prepare for your next game. It's a tricky one."

Breen 's only chance to play in Croke Park this year comes this week as he has stepped away from the Limerick senior hurling panel to focus on his work. And as sport would have it, it is an Ulster side, Cushendall, who stand in their way of All-Ireland success. Having suffered a devastating loss to Loughgiel in 2012, and more heartbreak in 2014, against Portumna, Breen is hopeful the chances of being caught cold again are slim. The Antrim side surprised many outside of Ulster by getting the better of Sarsfields, but not Breen. His team have been well warned of the dangers of Ulster sides. It is why he feels that Thursday's All-Ireland final will not be left up to chance.

"There was no surprise really, because if any team should know the dangers and the talent there is in Antrim hurling, then it’s us. "We’ve had first hand in 2012 and Loughgiel beating us and going on to win the final and Cushendall and Loughgiel, they would had a fierce rivalry there for a long time so all we can do is look after ourselves and try and be aware of the of the game they play. But if we perform to our level, we’re quite confident in our own ability."

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