As Munster enter the new season, they can call on the services of a few fresh additions to their playing squad.
Ulster's Billy Burns is among the high-profile names to have arrived at Thomond Park this summer, and he was joined by Tom Farrell, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Jack Oliver, Ronan Foxe, Luca Cleary, and Conor Ryan in debuting for the province against Bath last weekend.
Another of those to make their Munster bow was All-Ireland League call-up Bryan Fitzgerald, who signed for the province on a three-month training deal at the end of July.
Limerick native Fitzgerald was captain of Garryowen last season, as they were promoted back to Division 1A of the AIL. Fitzgerald scored tries in both the Division 1B final and the Munster Senior Challenge Cup final last season, so it's safe to say his promotion to the squad has been well-earned.
However, Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast has highlighted another intriguing aspect of the 25-year-old's sporting background: Fitzgerald seemingly has brushed shoulders with a few giants of Limerick hurling.
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Munster's Mike Prendergast highlights Bryan Fitzgerald's intriguing GAA background
9 January 2024; Attack coach Mike Prendergast during Munster rugby squad training at the University of Limerick in Limerick. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Speaking this week, Mike Prendergast ran the rule over the Munster squad ahead of the new URC season kicking off later this month.
Prendergast praised the addition of Bryan Fitzgerald, saying that the arrival of an AIL player would be a "breath of fresh air" for the squad.
The Munster coach also hinted at Fitzgerald's "GAA background."
He’s been consistently good over a number of years in the AIL and I watched him in a development game against Munster in Rosbrien last year and he caught my eye from an attacking point of view.
He’s there on merit and to me it’s a great story. We’ve seen it a number of times with players like James Coughlan. It doesn’t happen too much, but when it does it can be a breath of fresh air.
He’s come in, he’s fit, he’s got a GAA background, he’s on his bike and he goes. He’s great.
It appears that Fitzgerald, who hails from Patrickswell, has been heavily involved in the hurling set-up at the famous Limerick hurling club over the past few years.
The name "Bryan Fitzgerald" appears in several Junior A match reports from the club spanning from 2020 up to 2022. Judging by the exploits described in those reports, Fitzgerald was also a high-scoring player during his hurling days, contributing several important goals for the Patrickswell junior team.
Patrickswell stands as one of the most prolific clubs in the Treaty County, having contributed some of the biggest stars of Limerick's immense run to four All-Ireland titles in a row.
Cian Lynch, Diarmaid Byrnes, and Aaron Gillane - the 2021, 2022, and 2023 GAA Hurlers of the Year - all ply their trade for the club, as well as Peter Casey, with several of those players mentioned in the same club reports as Fitzgerald's name.
The hurling background would certainly explain why Mike Prendergast has no doubts about Fitzgerald's engine.
It will be intriguing to see how much game time the Limerick man manages for Munster in the URC over the coming weeks, and whether his training contract will be extended.
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