Aaron Gillane's decisive goal against Kilkenny re-emphasied how important the Patrickswell man is for Limerick as they look to defend their All-Ireland title.
That’s the opinion of former Tipperary hurler Shane McGrath, who believes that Gillane is a "massive" player for Limerick, as he once again showed his wide-range of attacking attributes in Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League final victory against Kilkenny.
Gillane accounted for 1-07 of Limerick’s final tally of 2-20 as they beat the Cats by 11 points at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, while his sublime strike to the back of the net sealed the victory as it increased the lead from six to nine points late in the game.
"It was incredible skill," said McGrath, speaking about Gillane’s goal on this week’s RTE Sport GAA Podcast.
The goal reminded McGrath of something similar in the 2019 league final as Gillane finished a great move that started back in their own goal, travelling the length of the pitch without hitting the ground until it flew into the back of the net.
"When the Limerick players are asked about Aaron Gillane, they just start laughing," added McGrath.
"Physically he doesn’t mind it, he doesn’t mind mixing it, he doesn’t mind what way the ball comes in, and he has proven that over and over again.
"Last year his clubmate Diarmaid Byrnes got hurler of the year and one of the things he mentioned in his speech that night was Aaron Gillane.
"This guy is so central and key to everything that they are doing and the players really do appreciate that."
Gillane missed the start of Limerick’s league campaign, however, he was reintroduced to the squad in March and proceeded to prove crucial in the decider against Kilkenny, which sets up the Treaty County’s push for their fourth All-Ireland title in a row.
"And when all the controversy came out about him, I’d say Limerick hurling fans and definitely the players were wondering 'how are we going to deal with this?’" said McGrath. "They dealt with it internally and fair play, he got his punishment or whatever it was, and he came back in. He is massive for them."
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