It hasn't been a great start to the year Limerick. They won't be quite hitting panic buttons just yet, although it has been a bit strange seeing them lose their opening two games in this year's league.
The performances against both Wexford and Galway have been a bit short of what we have come to expect of John Kiely's side. They have also found themselves at the centre of a bit of controversy this weekend due to Gearóid Hegarty's red card.
Heagrty is a remarkable hurler, although there has been a sense over the last couple of years that he does skirt the edge of the rules at times. That came back to bite him on Saturday night, getting sent off for swiping his hurl at a member of the opposition.
Gearóid Hegarty of @LimerickCLG sees red. pic.twitter.com/f6lIojm13L
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) February 12, 2022
READ HERE: How Return To Junior Hurling Brought Gearóid Hegarty 'Back Down To Earth'
Donal Óg Cusack said after the game that such a punishment had been a long time coming for Hegarty, who had gotten away with similar incidents on a couple of occasions in the past.
However, Davy Fitzgerald believe this incident should not be overblown.
Davy Fitzgerald defends Gearóid Hegarty after sending off
Speaking on RTÉ last night, the former Wexford boss said that it would be a mistake to remove that sort of edge from Gearóid Hegarty's game.
The Sunday Game panel do not believe that Limerick have a discipline problem and Davy Fitzgerald insists that Gearóid Hegarty will learn from his red card against Galway. #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/7oyFBwklgA
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) February 13, 2022
You'll see this incident here, and looking back it here tonight, 100 per cent it is a red card. It is a high challenge around the head. Gearóid is a serious player but you cannot condone that.
In another way, it has been simmering over the last year and there have been a few of those tackles.
But I think going forward this will stand to him, I really believe he will learn from it and it won't happen during the year. Another thing is that I don't want to take away that edge. A small bit lower on the tackle and you can have that, you just have to be careful on that head space and you can't go near that space.
I would still like to see Limerick play with that edge and go at it. Especially Gearóid, he's that type of player. Just a small bit lower on the tackle and he'll be fine.
As Fitzgerald alludes to, many of the the best players in the game need to operate on the edge in order to maximise their potential.
Hegarty certainly overstepped the mark on this occasion, with John Kiely likely hoping that lessons will be learned from this incident ahead of the summer.
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