When Gearóid Hegarty snatched Nickie Quaid’s puckout from the sky deep into stoppage time last Sunday, he could have popped over a handy point, his first of the day.Instead, the towering Limerick forward laid the sliotar off to David Reidy on his right, allowing one of his best friends, who’d only come on a few minutes earlier, to get a point in the All-Ireland senior hurling final.Failing to score for the second game running was a source of frustration for Hegarty but offloading to Reidy, in marginally the better position, still felt like the right thing to do. For his friend, for the team.Reidy will be by his side again soon, as a groomsman along with Seán Finn, for Hegarty’s wedding to Niamh McCarthy.“We literally are all best friends,” said Hegarty of the bond within the All-Ireland winners’ camp. “Nearly all my best friends are inside in that dressingroom.”That bond, the half forward has insisted, is an essential part of their success.“When the heat comes on, like it did against Galway in the first half, or like it did especially in the semi-final with 15, 20 minutes to go, when the s**t hits the fan, that’s when you see what you’re made of and how close and how tight you are, and how much of a unit you are,” said Hegarty.“It’s a special feeling to go out on to that field with those lads and battle and battle and battle, and be successful and come away with the cup.”Limerick's Gearóid Hegarty, David Reidy and Seán Finn celebrate victory against Galway in last Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Hegarty isn’t the only Limerick player due to tie the knot in the coming weeks and months. Reidy will also be doing so, as will Tom Morrissey and Will O’Donoghue. Hegarty’s wedding will take place in the Algarve, Portugal. Flying out as an All-Ireland winner again is something that is particularly important to him.“I was trying to manifest it all year,” he said. “It was in my head all year about how special that would be. Declan [Hannon] got married in 2023, I think it was, and we obviously won the All-Ireland that year and I was so envious. I was thinking in my head, ‘I want that so badly’.“And I didn’t want it for me, I wanted it for my family. My uncle Joe and I are very close. He’s my father’s brother. He’s a diehard Limerick fan, just eats and drinks hurling. My uncles on my mother’s side, they just love hurling and I’m so happy that these lads, who will go down as the greatest hurlers of all time, are coming over. That they’ll be there and my family will be able to interact with these people. And I know they will appreciate that so much.[ Galway’s lack of tactical flexibility helped Limerick dominate the All-Ireland finalOpens in new window ]“And look, if we didn’t win the All-Ireland, would it have changed that feeling? It wouldn’t have. But it’s the cherry on top of the cake that makes it that extra bit special.”Some of the people at Hegarty’s wedding, including the groom himself, will be six-time All-Ireland medal winners. That places them in elite company, alongside the likes of Eddie Keher and Jimmy Doyle.“I do like the sound of that,” said Hegarty, smiling. “I think it sounds unreal. I do love the history around the game. Something I noticed on Sunday actually, I had a quick flick through the programme and I think we had 12 All-Irelands before Sunday. Now we have 13 [and] our group has six of those, which is almost half of Limerick’s tally. If we were to get one more, that would be 50 per cent of the All-Irelands that Limerick have won.”There could yet be a second Hurler of the Year award for Hegarty too, to match his 2020 gong.“Anything else is a bonus once you have that cup on the front of the bus going home, or on the train going home, after the All-Ireland,” said Hegarty.