Gearoid Hegarty's father Ger says his son is in his "little bubble" ahead of this weekend's Munster Hurling Championship clash between Limerick and Tipperary.
There were rumours that 2020 Hurler of the Year Gearoid Hegarty had been dropped from the Limerick panel but he is reported to have trained with John Kiely's group in recent days.
Hegarty was sent off in Limerick's opening round clash with Waterford, and dropped out of the starting team for the subsequent game versus Clare. The St Patrick's clubman entered the action against the Banner as an early second half substitute as Limerick lost by a point.
29 April 2023; Gearóid Hegarty of Limerick is marked by John Conlon of Clare, off the ball, during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 2 match between Limerick and Clare at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
"I hadn’t met him for a couple of weeks, to be honest with you, because he gets into his own little bubble, for the want of a better word, around championship time, and we give him plenty of space," Ger Hegarty told Limerick Live 95's Sideline Cut podcast.
"He’s living out in west Limerick. He's living out in Dromcollogher, and we tend to leave him alone.
"He gets enough stick from the outside so we tend to leave him alone. He’s in that little bubble."
[See Also: Waterford Hurling Great Hits Back At Suggestions He Needs To 'Step Up']
Ger Hegarty, who played at minor, U21, and senior hurling levels for Limerick, said his son has moved past the defeat to Clare.
"He’s fine, he got over it very quickly," he said.
"He is much stronger now than I was when I was playing.
"Maybe that’s because the matches aren’t knockout. The fact that the matches aren't knockout games like they were in my time, you move on very quickly and it's about the next game."
'I'm always in fear that you'll lose your Limerick starting spot'
Gearoid Hegarty told Balls last month that he has always had a "fear" of losing his place in the Limerick starting team.
25 June 2010; Limerick manager Ger Hegarty during the game. ESB Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship Semi-Final, Limerick v Clare, Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. Picture credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
"I'm always in fear that you'll lose your starting spot, that's the way I've always been," he said.
"Even since I came on the panel, I always wanted... I want to play every game.
"You always have that element of fear inside you: 'Are you doing enough? Am I gonna get a starting jersey?' [John Kiely] names the team on a Friday night before a championship match on a Sunday and you're never 100 per cent sure that you're gonna be named. There's always that moment of doubt as he's getting to the half-back, midfield line. 'Please, please, please.' There's always an element of fear, for sure. Always.
"I know that he will reward the lads that deserve to be starting, it's as simple as that. I suppose he probably hasn't thrown any curveballs over the last number of years, if you want to phrase it differently, there has never been any ambiguity.
"You know if you're not starting you're not doing enough, simple. If you're unsure, you can go to him and he'll tell you straight up."
See Also: Waterford Hurling Great Hits Back At Suggestions He Needs To 'Step Up'
