IT really is wondrous how you can park all of life’s difficulties when enthralled in a sporting occasion. And even within that arena how you can experience a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Saturday evening in the TUS Gaelic Grounds delivered another chapter in the roller coaster that is Limerick Football.
From the sublime to the ridiculous. Head scratching to hand clapping. No league games over the opening round delivered more goals than this encounter, or as much goal mouth action surely.
Paddy Collum in the Longford goal had to dust himself off and retrieve the ball from the back of his
net on four occasions, and the Limerick goal lead a charmed life at times also.
A blitzkrieg opening salvo saw the home side fire home three well worked goals. With the umpire in
charge of the green flag being kept busy, and an attack that was opening up Longford at will, all signs
were positive.
3-5 on the electronic scoreboard by the 30-minute mark.
The energy the players brought from the first ball was great to see. I suppose it was inevitable they couldn’t keep that up for the whole game. And so, this proved to be the case, with just two points separating the sides as the clock ticked towards full time.
There was an inevitability about it. Chatting with a former teammate at halftime, we were exhilarated by the attacking play, but also uneasy that the game had not been put to bed.
Statler and Waldorf vibes maybe.
Speaking from experience unfortunately, the premonition was uncomfortably accurate. Even though the second half saw Limerick have plenty of the ball, it was often wasted.
And while Longford passed up three gilt edged goal scoring opportunities – one of those was an excellent De Gea-esque save from Donal O’Sullivan – they landed their sole major in injury time.
With the nerves jangling, one final enforced turnover allowed Limerick to lift the siege and add 1-1 of their own.
Never in doubt!
Sean O’Dea eventually came out on top in his duel with Longford dangerman Jayson Matthews. His leadership at full back – both in possession and in the tackle – meant Limerick had a solid foundation to build on.
Cian Sheehan revelled in his role in the half back line. The extra space allowed to the Newcastlewest man played to his ball carrying ability, and he took every opportunity to create a launchpad for Limerick attacks.
At midfield, Darragh Treacy’s industry was complemented by Cillian Fahy’s eye for a score. A man who has played in both defensive and offensive positions in recent years, he flew out of the blocks and had 1-2 on the board inside four minutes of the throw in. He would add another important score in the second half.
Indeed, of the 4-9 registered, all but a point came from play. The biggest contributor to this was Brian Donovan’s 2-1.
The numbers he registered on the final scoresheet were surely only bettered by his final GPS figures. He seemed to cover huge areas of the Ennis Road venue, making tackles, creating chances and most importantly finding the target himself. It was flagged on here last week how he seemed ready to be a man who would play a key role this year. If he can repeat this form over the course of the league, he will draw attention from opposition teams, which should free up space for others to shine also.
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I would also like to comment on the overall panel. Limerick went into this game short four starters
from their last competitive game against Cork last summer. And lost another from the get-go as
Mike O’Donovan looked to pick up a niggle in the warmup and had to be replaced inside the opening
minutes.
So, Billy Lee was short a third of last year’s Championship team. And very important players in that quintet.
If Kerry or the Dubs were short that, many column inches would be dedicated to this. And excuses would be made for them, despite the very evident depths in their personnel.
I don’t think enough credit is given to Limerick in this regard. No excuses were made, when it would have
been very easy to.
The coaching staff is working with who is available and the players who took the jerseys have so far stepped up. It just goes to show the potential there is in the county. And what is possible if that development was nourished in all areas.
Obviously, it’s very early days and a long trip to Antrim next weekend is a very daunting task, especially with the form Enda McGinley has the Saffrons in, and with a few more starters picking up injuries last weekend.
But no matter what happens, Limerick will not go gently into that good night.
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