NOT even a power outage, which threatened the cancellation of the fixture but ultimately just delayed the inevitable by half an hour, could prevent Limerick from surging past Clare, 1-26 to 1-20, in Sunday’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final at a sold-out (45,158) Semple Stadium, Thurles.
Limerick’s magnificent win heralded the first-ever six in a row provincial championship wins for any county in the ancient history of the competition. Not only that, it came in a packed weekend of historic firsts, as the Treaty went to vote for its first ever directly-elected mayor.
It was also title number 25 for a team that has achieved so much under inspirational manager John Kiely.
The teams were tied on several occasions, including at half time, but the All-Ireland kingpins were clearly the better outfit.
In an interview with RTÉ Sport, Kiely said: “Really tough game, delighted we came out on the right side of it. It might have been our sixth, but it felt like our first.”
“We controlled it for good spells, and even though we conceded that goal (to Peter Duggan) just before half time and it was a tough pill to swallow and it was poor from us, but, if anything, it just sharpened the axe a small bit for us at half time and I think we got a good start to the second half, which was really important.”
A crucial score was a goal from a powerful 45th minute ground strike by Man of the Match Gearóid Hegarty, whose dad Ger featured on a Limerick side that beat Clare in the Munster Final of 1994 at the same venue.
Limerick now have a four-week break before an All-Ireland semi-final outing at Croke Park.
Limerick: Nickie Quaid (Effin); Mike Casey (Na Piarsaigh), Dan Morrissey (Ahane), Barry Nash (South Liberties); Diarmaid Byrnes 0-5 (Parickswell), Declan Hannon, captain, 0-2 (Adare), Kyle Hayes 0-2 (Kildimo-Pallaskenry); Will O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh), Cathal O’Neill 0-1 (Crecora-Manister); Gearóid Hegarty 1-2 (St Patrick’s), David Reidy 0-2 (Dromin-Athlacca), Tom Morrissey 0-4 (Ahane); Aaron Gillane 0-5 (Patrickswell), Shane O’Brien 0-2 (Kilmallock), Cian Lynch 0-1 (Patrickswell).
Substitutes used: Adam English (Doon), Conor Boylan (Na Piarsaigh), Donnacha Ó Dálaigh(Monaleen), Aidan O’Connor (Ballybrown), Graeme Mulcahy (Kilmallock).
