Limerick 1-21 Clare 1-19
A late goal from Aidan O’Connor saw Limerick snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against near-neighbors and rivals Clare on Sunday to make a return to All Ireland final action after a three-year absence. They will meet Galway in the Sunday, July 19 final, and so there will not another 2026 rematch with Munster rivals Cork, as had been widely expected
Clare made the early running at Croke Park and had a 0-8 to 0-4 lead by the 17th minute. For the most part, they kept up the intensity against a side that completed a four-in-a-row from 2020 through 2023, and the Banner went in at the break with a healthy enough 0-16 to 0-11 lead, though their foes had just cut it back from a 7-point advantage.
By the 42nd minute, it was a 2-point game. For much of the next 15 minutes there were three points dividing them — then Tony Kelly made no mistake with a penalty to make it 1-19 to 0-16. Limerick closed the gap to that one goal as the game entered the 65th minute, and it was down to a two-point deficit when O’Connor snatched a high ball and fired low into the Clare net to take the lead for the first time
The Banner had no immediate answer as the game went into an allotted 5 minutes of added time, and instead O’Connor added an extra point from a free. Clare needed a goal but were prevented at their second last attack by ‘keeper Nickie Quaid on the line. The last assault on Limerick fizzled out, and the Treaty advanced to a final date with Galway.
Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Sean Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash (0-01); Diarmaid Byrnes (0-03, 2f), Will O'Donoghue, Kyle Hayes (0-01); Adam English (0-01), Darragh O'Donovan; Gearóid Hegarty, Aidan O'Connor (1-09, 9f), Cathal O'Neill (0-02); Aaron Gillane (0-01), Shane O'Brien (0-01), Peter Casey (0-02).
Subs: Tom Morrissey for Hegarty (34, temp), David Reidy for O'Donovan (48), Tom Morrissey for Gillane (51), Cian Lynch for O'Neill (57), Mike Casey for Dan Morrissey (62), Fintan Fitzgerald for Peter Casey (74)
Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Adam Hogan, Conor Cleary, Darragh Lohan; Diarmuid Ryan, David McInerney, Niall O'Farrell; John Conlon, Ryan Taylor (0-02); Cathal Malone (0-01), Mark Rodgers (0-06, 5f), Séan Rynne; Tony Kelly (1-05, 1-00pen), Peter Duggan (0-04), Shane O'Donnell (0-01).
Subs: Cian Galvin for Cleary (46), Diarmuid Stritch for Conlon (48), Ian Galvin for Rodgers (61), David Fitzgerald for Rynne (63), David Reidy for Stritch (68)
