Na Piarsaigh manager Paul Beary says his side face "a very tough ask" in returning to championship duty just four-and-a-half weeks on from their All-Ireland club SHC final replay defeat to Cuala.

The Limerick city club face Doon in the opening round of their county title defence for 2018 this Saturday afternoon and Beary says he's in no doubt that "there's a high level of mental fatigue and physical fatigue" within the group.

"It's a very tough ask. I would have witnessed first-hand the efforts that are going in by these players. There's no other way to describe it other than being pushed to the limit. Throw on top of that lads on our panel having inter-county, Fitzgibbon Cup and everything," Beary told The42.ie.

"It's made all the more difficult on the back of the defeat and in the circumstances going to a replay as well. It was only a few weeks ago and I did steer away from the players because it was all very raw. It's a tough defeat. We'd a meeting there last Sunday week and we just had a good chat about it. 

"When you take Na Piarsaigh and Nemo and Cuala and all those players who get stretched to the limit by the All-Ireland club series and then to turn around within a matter of weeks, it's quite difficult.  The players have been very good. There's no doubt there's a high level of mental fatigue and physical fatigue and all of that but by the same token we did talk about just getting to the end of this month and we'll try to catch our breath a bit."

Tweet

Most Read Stories