JOHN KIELY hailed comeback king Nickie Quaid after a day of double-draw drama in the Munster SHC.
Clare came back from the dead to share the spoils with Cork in Ennis before Kiely’s Limerick and Tipperary played out a classic in Thurles that failed to find a winner.
Quaid’s shock return began when he resumed full training THREE weeks ago after suffering a torn ACL last November, before Kiely named him to start for yesterday’s clash.
There was nothing he could do to stop John McGrath’s wonder goals for Tipp at Semple Stadium but his pinpoint puckouts were like he was never away, as the Treaty netted in each half through Adam English and Shane O’Brien.
Kiely beamed at his three-time All-Star stopper’s miraculous recovery in his bid for a sixth All-Ireland as boss – and praised the rest of the camp for keeping it a secret.
He said: “That’s Nicky’s first game in goals, I thought his puck-outs were excellent. I thought he had a super, super game. He’ll benefit greatly from that today.
“He’s been in full training for the last three weeks. So when he’s able to play in-house games and do everything that he would have been doing all along, it had to be considered.
“Just delighted that he got through it, it’ll be a huge confidence builder for him. You can’t replicate a championship match in training, you try to.
“So this’ll be a huge, huge plus for him and something that he can build on. He’s back now and that’s it.
“There’s great unity and togetherness in our group. This is a reflection of that, I think. We’ve 62 people involved. They all have families and partners and work colleagues, and friends.
“It’s a really strong piece from our group, I think, in the preparation for the championship. I take my hat off to everybody involved.
“You don’t want to be putting anybody under pressure either. You’re only taking one session at a time.
“If somebody gets through one session, you’re waiting for the next one, for the next one.
“Who’s to say on Friday night that we would have been back to an alternative selection. You just have to trust everybody around you. Fair play to everyone involved.”