Limerick 1-26; Kilkenny 2-16
After losing to Waterford the previous week, the hurling world rightly asked, “Where is Limerick in the scheme of things this year?”
They got their answer on Sunday in the Gaelic Grounds as John Kiely’s men cast aside Kilkenny with some seven points to spare. That was their first win since last May in competitive fare and with talisman Aaron Gillane showing touches of form with a trademark goal, this had the smell of the Limerick of old who won five All Ireland’s and four in a row between 2020 and 2023.
A crowd of almost 9,000 saw little or nothing between the teams in the first half after which Limerick led by two, 0-14 to 1-9, with Matthew Keoghan inevitably quarrying the only goal of the half in the 14th minute.
Both these sides have a tradition for raising the tempo in the third quarter and this time it was Limerick who did that best in that period and across the second moiety by outsourcing their Leinster opponents by five points to end up seven point winners. Gillane and Eoin Cody raised the green flags in a game that threatened more than it delivered.
Limerick: N Quaid; S Finn, M Casey, B Nash; D Byrnes (0-3, 0-2f), W O’Donoghue, M Fitzgerald (0-1); A English (0-1), C Lynch (capt.); G Hegarty (0-1), D Reidy (0-1), A O’Connor (0-10, 0-7f); A Gillane (1-2), H Flanagan, P Casey (0-5) Subs: C O’Neill (0-1) for Flanagan (h-t), D Morrissey for Finn (40 minutes), 24 for Reidy (52), Tom Morrissey (0-1) for Hegarty (59), P O’Donovan for Gillane (69).
Kilkenny: A Tallis; M Butler, M Carey, R Garrett; K Doyle, D Corcoran (0-1), P Deegan (0-1); C Kenny (0-2f), J Molloy (0-1); T Clifford (0-1), E Cody (1-6, 0-1f), L Connellan; L Moore (0-2), J Donnelly (0-1), M Keoghan (1-0) Subs: L Hogan (0-1) for Connellan (47 minutes), S Donnelly for J Donnelly (48), S Murphy for Doyle (54), F Mackessy for Molly (64).
Ref: S Hynes (Galway).
GAA RESULTS
Allianz FL Division 4
Longford 2-18 Waterford 3-14
Allianz HL Division 1A
Cork 0-29 Tipperary 0-22
Waterford 1-19 Offaly 0-16
Limerick 1-26 Kilkenny 2-16
Allianz HL Division 1B
Clare 3-35 Down 0-15
Kildare 3-21 Antrim 0-20
Wexford 2-28 Carlow 1-21
Allianz HL Division 2
Westmeath 0-25 Meath 1-19
Kerry 5-21 London 1-21
Derry 2-25 Mayo 0-20
Allianz HL Division 3
Wicklow 3-14 Tyrone 0-15
Louth 3-20 Fermanagh 2-19
Roscommon 2-17 Armagh 0-12
Allianz HL Division 4
Sligo 4-21 Lancashire 1-12
Longford 1-23 Monaghan 0-12
Leitrim 2-28 Warwickshire 2-11
Ladies NFL Division 1
Waterford 1-10 Dublin 0-8
Armagh v Cork Postponed
Galway 3-12 Kildare 1-7
Kerry 4-10 Meath 2-12
Ladies NFL Division 2
Cavan 1-11 Wexford 2-6
Mayo 0-9 Tipperary 0-7
Monaghan 1-12 Westmeath 1-6
Donegal 3-9 Tyrone 1-8
Ladies NFL Division 3
Down 7-13 Clare 4-13
Laois 5-15 Limerick 0-7
