Hegarty: I couldn't care less what others think of us

When you are All-Ireland champions and team discipline has been under the microscope, the last thing Limerick would have wanted during the league was to give that particular narrative more airtime.

John Kiely's men swept all before them in 2021 as Liam MacCarthy’s stay in the Treaty County was extended for another year, but as dominant as they were throughout, a talking point became the red cards received, and others narrowly avoided over the course of the championship.

Seamus Flanagan and Peter Casey both saw red – Casey's was later rescinded and cleared to play in the All-Ireland decider – while Flanagan and Aaron Gillane were fortunate to avoid dismissals in the Munster final victory over Tipperary, with Jackie Tyrrell on the Sunday Game saying "It is not up for debate".

Even within the camp, there was a feeling that they had to be mindful of their tackling.

"We certainly won’t be getting away with them in future so we have acknowledged that we are very lucky to get away with it and it’s very important that no player puts himself in a position where a referee has to make a decision whether they stay on the field or not," corner-back Sean Finn said in the aftermath of the provincial decider.

"It’s just not acceptable."

Given the physical stature of their players and the 'on the edge’ approach, coming out the wrong side of a referee’s call is almost unavoidable, but the fear for Limerick is that they could be making a rod for their own backs.

With a late return to collective training and a heavy training load in the mix, few observers are dwelling on Limerick’s record of just one win in five league outings ahead of their championship opener against Cork on Sunday.

What has overshadowed that is the return to the issue of