Limerick hurling manager John Kiely has called for a cautious approach for the resumption of Gaelic Games in 2021 and urged the GAA to take its time in order to "get it right".
The all-conquering Treaty manager was recognised for his side's triumphant 2020 by being named the manager of the year in Thursday night's RTÉ Sport Awards, and while he watched his side remain unbeaten throughout the calendar year, he is in no real hurry to get back to winning ways.
Kiely is concerned about a rushed approach to return to play and believes that the general health of the nation is the main priority, while he feels the break in play will ultimately be a good thing for the players.
"We're after having a difficult six weeks as a nation so I’m not in any major hurry to see where we are going. I’d rather they took their time and got it right," said Kiely, speaking to RTÉ Sport.
"And when we do have a path forward, it is a definitive path forward, and it’s not one that we have to change or reset again in the future.
"I think everybody in the GAA world knows that we got a really good deal in 2020. We got to play our club championships, we got to play our inter-county championships, and we’re only three weeks into 2021 calendar year, we got all that done from July to Christmas last year, we still have 11 months left in 2021.
RTÉ Sport Manager of the Year 2020 John Kiely looks back on Limerick's All-Ireland winning season and casts an eye towards what this coming year may hold #RTESport #RTESportAwards #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/vcmQedYGZu
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) January 28, 2021
"Let’s take our time, get it right, and do what is best for the welfare of the players and everyone who is working around them, and what is socially accepted and socially needed.
"At the moment, it’s that we stay at home and take our ease. We’ll rest up, it’s good for the players, they’ll enjoy the break.
"They don’t often get six, eight, 10 weeks where they can say there is no club or inter-county so it will give them a chance to do their studies, give them a chance to get through those aspects and give us all a chance as a country to come out the other side of the battle that we are involved in at the moment."
The All-Ireland champions will look to defend their Allianz League title before going on to attempt to win back-to-back All-Ireland titles later in the year, and while the season will inevitably be delayed, Kiely is hoping his side's winning mentality picks up right where they left off at the end of 2020.
"We do literally take it from week to week, there was no grand plan to achieve a winning run like that right across the season. Normally you are going to come a cropper at some stage," said Kiely.
"But these guys have shown an extraordinary level of hunger and desire to become successful, and even the thoughts of losing any game is something that does not sit with them well at all.
"And long may that last, they have a great attitude, they work really, really hard, but 2021 has just started and they are facing into another season of fantastic battles and fantastic challenges ahead."
