John Kiely: Resilience and depth key factors in Limerick's win over Galway

Limerick boss John Kiely attributed his side's All-Ireland SHC semi-final victory over Galway to gritty determination and a panel packed with strength in depth, on an afternoon when the Liam MacCarthy Cup holders struggled at times to perform at their brilliant best.

The quest for three-in-a-row remains alive, but the outcome remained in the balance until super sub David Reidy registered a third score in injury time at Croke Park.

"Sheer resilience," was the hallmark of the Green Machine's win, Kiely told RTÉ Sport after the 0-27 to 1-21 win.

"There is great determination in the group to find a way when it's difficult.

"Galway brought a phenomenal challenge today.

"We were struggling at times during the second half and our lads coming off the bench made a huge impact again today."

John Kiely feels resilience and strength of panel were the defining factors in Limerick's victory over Galway. #sundaygame pic.twitter.com/lQR3rAo2m6

Kiely, who hinted that Reidy could force his way to a starting spot when the championship reaches its denouement against Kilkenny, clearly believes there is plenty left to work on, while praising his side's response.

"Some of the errors were our own errors as well – ball-handling errors, misplaced passes, hand passes, stick passes," he added.

"The rhythm wasn't quite 110% today. That's going to happen and you still need to find a way to win matches.

"Our lads at the back really shored up well for each other. They got back in numbers, turned over ball and used it to go forward and trusted themselves to get across the line."

Limerick were buoyed by the return of talismanic midfield magician Cian Lynch, who suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Waterford in the second round of the Munster Championship.

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