Munster Senior Hurling Championship: Limerick triumphs over Clare with 3-15 to 1-18 score
Hopes of Limerick’s fifth consecutive championship seemed bleak as they found themselves trailing by nine points entering the last quarter of the match. Clare was in the lead, standing strong with consecutive four points directly after half-time, scoring a respectable 1-15 to Limerick’s 0-9, a justified tally considering their performance.
However, the tables turned dramatically.
Limerick, despite feeling lost and disorganised, more so than during their half-decade provincial journey, inexplicably came back to life. Their revival sparked gradually, but by the end, their strategic strike of 3-6 to 0-3 had completely taken aback Clare. The outcome? A transformation of a nine-point deficit to a three-point victory, the largest difference in points the teams have seen in the past couple of years.
It took just above six minutes for Limerick to completely turn the game around with three goals. The first was a successful shot straight to the net by Diarmuid Byrnes, albeit potentially aided by Aaron Gillane. Next was an unpredictable pass back-and-forth between substitute Donncha Ó Dálaigh and Gearóid Hegarty, resulting in Ó Dálaigh making his mark in the game. Ultimately, Hegarty’s shot hitting the post proved convenient for Gillane to seal the third goal.
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However, Gillane’s goals came under scrutiny as he appeared to be already on the inside, yet referee Colm Lyons didn’t contest the first and upon consulting with his umpires, deemed there was no basis to challenge the second.
Despite Clare’s commendable performance going up in smoke, Tony Kelly attempted some damage control with crucial points during his debut of the season, keeping the gap to just three points. Unfortunately, Limerick’s confident defence and smart attacking left little room for Clare’s redemption.
Looking back at the past four versions of the round-robin provincial format, this was only the second time Limerick won against Clare, marking its first championship triumph in Ennis since 1990.
Clare arrived at the match as league title holders, a feat achieved mere weeks prior, yet burdened by the fear that their most recent forebears found championship play unrelentingly tough. Their story mimicked that of Limerick the previous year and Waterford in 2022, both of whom found their provincial campaigns disappointing subsequent to their victories.
The opening, much like the league semi-final versus Kilkenny, looked promising for the title owners, with Aidan McCarthy quickly scoring for Clare. However, within a minute, Aaron Gillane from Limerick had equalised, displaying not only speed but also forceful forward play.
Despite Gillane’s close goal attempt being blocked by Conor Cleary, Limerick maintained their scoreboard lead, at one point leading by two: 0-4 to 0-2. Their downfall, though, lay in their lack of precision and an abundance of penalties. They committed twice as many fouls as their adversaries and ended the first half with 12 missed shots.
The slip-ups granted the flawless Aidan McCarthy numerous free throws, of which seven were successful, keeping Clare competitive and eventually leading by the quarter-hour mark.
Nickie Quaid, Limerick’s goalkeeper showcased his prowess, making a notable save off a run from Rodgers. In the following minutes, however, McCarthy was unstoppable once Shane O’Donnell, who was gaining more momentum, retrieved a loose ball and passed it onwards.
The first half concluded with Clare leading 1-10 to 0-8.
Immediate post half-time action showed no stirring come-back from Limerick, but Clare’s momentum fizzled slightly. Following a 39th-minute score by David Fitzgerald, a slew of missed shots occurred. Gillane marginally lessened the deficit, nonetheless, Rodgers, McCarthy (a free-throw), Séadna Morey and Rodgers once more, increased Clare’s lead to nine points.
It appeared Clare had an iron grip on the game at 1-15 to 0-9, but looks can be deceiving.
In Limerick, the team lineup featured N Quaid, M Casey, D Morrissey and B Nash. D Byrnes was also included, scoring 1-0, and was joined by team captain D Hannon and K Hayes who scored 0-1. The midfield comprised of W O’Donoghue and C Lynch, who scored 0-1. On the attack, we had G Hegarty with 0-3, D Reidy with 0-2, and T Morrissey. Forwards included A Gillane, who scored 1-5, notably with five frees, along with S Flanagan and C O’Neill, scoring 0-2.
Among the substitutes, S Finn replaced Casey, just six minutes in, while D Ó Dálaigh, who scored 1-1, replaced Flanagan after 46 minutes. C Boylan came on for T Morrissey after 49 minutes, C Coughlan replaced O’Donoghue 60 minutes in, and A O’Connor replaced Gillane after 68 minutes.
As for Clare, the team started with E Quilligan, R Hayes, team captain C Cleary, and A Hogan. D Ryan, J Conlon and D McInerney were also featured, joining C Malone and D Lohan in midfield. The forwards were D Fitzgerald, who scored 0-2, D Reidy, and P Duggan. Attackers included A McCarthy, scoring 1-10 with eight frees, joined by S O’Donnell scoring 0-1, and M Rodgers scoring 0-2.
At half-time, S Morey replaced Lohan, scoring 0-1. T Kelly, who scored 0-2, was introduced for Reidy after 55 minutes, followed by P Flanagan replacing Hayes after 60 minutes, and S Meehan replacing Rodgers just a minute later. A Shanagher came on for Fitzgerald after 70 minutes. Finally, ensuring fair play was referee C Lyons from Cork.