Brendan Cummins: Limerick not driven by external factors

Brendan Cummins says that Limerick's determination to better themselves is what has taken them on their current very successful run.

John Kiely's Shannonsiders will aim to become the first senior hurling outfit to lift the Liam MacCarthy five times in a row next month.

Before that though, they can claim a record sixth Munster SHC crown in a row, surpassing three previous Cork groups that have managed to do five.

Clare are the challengers in Thurles on Sunday afternoon, a side who beat Limerick in last year's Munster round-robin but, crucially, haven't been able to get one over on the Treaty men in the provincial decider.

What sets Limerick apart? For Cummins, who was speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, it's the drive that Limerick have

"You'd always look at an external stimulus to get you going as a team," the former Tipperary goalkeeper said.

"In fairness to John Kiely and [Paul] Kinnerk, their magic really has been that the team has to get better, the individual has to get better, therefore, we'll win. Rather than looking for anything externally.

"As a group we need to get better every year, not that we need to be motivated to win six in a row; can you beat your stats from the last match? Can you beat your metrics from the last game?

"Can you get more hooks, blocks or tackles? Can you use the ball more efficiently that we did in the last game? That's been the key, that they haven't ever really looked ahead to the prize.

"They've said, 'as a collective we are going to get better every single year', and that's what they've done. If the pack can catch up and beat us well then that's great.

"They're not going to be motivated by external factors like winning Munster finals. That has been a big secret to the longevity of the group and