'It's not just Limerick that get red cards' - Barry Nash defends Treaty discipline

Barry Nash accepts that Limerick's physical approach can sometimes be "a bit over the top" but thinks they are no different to their hurling rivals in that respect.

Nash’s team-mate Kyle Hayes missed the recent league win over Westmeath due to an off-the-ball strike on Galway's Brian Concannon (punished retrospectively) while the All-Ireland kingpins had four players dismissed across league and championship last year, including Gearóid Hegarty twice, the second time for a much-debated second yellow against Clare.

Fellow forwards Seamus Flanagan and Aaron Gillane also respectively picked up their third and second red cards over the last five seasons in 2022, a year after they both could have seen the line against Tipperary, which raised questions around the four-in-a-row chasers’ ability to keep their cool.

This year, however, Waterford are leading the suspension stakes, having had three players sent off in their five 2023 Allianz Hurling League fixtures.

"Discipline is massive for us," Nash told RTÉ Sport at the launch of the ONeills.com Under 20 hurling championship.

"Obviously, people talk about us playing 'on the edge'. We just work hard and that's what we do. At times it can get a bit over the top. Last year in the league we had a couple (of reds) as well.

"Kyle there a couple of weeks ago was unfortunate, look, these things happen in matches. Other teams get red cards as well, it's not just the Limerick team that get them. That would be my opinion on it."

The Treaty face familiar foes Tipperary in a league semi-final on Saturday but Nash insists the rivalry is "a healthy battle, healthy competition between the two of us".

"Obviously there's a bit of a rivalry there between Limerick and Tipp, we play each other every year in