Jackie Tyrrell expects John Kiely to be 'ruthless' in Limerick rejig

Jackie Tyrell believes the moulding of a new Limerick side by John Kiely will demonstrate how ruthless the manager is ahead of expected changes at the heart of their defence for the new season.

The Shannonsiders begin their Allianz Hurling League Division 1 campaign in Cork on Saturday night in what is a high-profile clash, particularly for the time of year.

The former Kilkenny defender is expecting many questions to be answered about what tweaks Kiely will make for Championship over the course of the league, including the impact of the move to replace Declan Hannon as captain.

Speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, Tyrrell said: "It's definitely a curious time for Limerick supporters. And it's probably the first time that John Kiely has been really challenged in terms of the year that has just gone by, it wasn't good enough.

"So he can't go back with the same 15. He can't go back with the same ideas. He needs to come with something different. So that poses a question on how ruthless he is?

"He has been very loyal to a lot of his lieutenants that have served him really well.

"You mentioned Declan Hannon, he was one that struggled last year in the All-Ireland semi-final with Cork.

"Shane Barrett dragged them everywhere, exposed them, so much that Declan Hannon ended up in the second half at left corner-back.

"You don't see that. It was interesting that Kyle Hayes was positioned at centre-back against Waterford (in a challenge game) at the weekend.

"Cathal O'Neill spent some time there. William O'Donoghue spent the second half of the challenge match there last weekend. The fact that he has moved the captaincy on suggests to me that that is one area of concern that Limerick have next year and are going to address it."

The RTÉ GAA analyst