Relegation-threatened Limerick and promotion hopefuls Meath played out a dramatic draw in Division 2 in front of 1,039 fans at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday afternoon.
Level eight times – four times each side of the half-time break - the hosts had taken a 0-10 to 0-06 lead into half-time.
Meath, boosted by second-half goals from Mathew Costello and substitute Donal Lenihan, showed their class and experience in the final 15 minutes and looked likely to grind out the result, but a late flurry of points from Limerick saw the Treaty men secured a well-deserved point.
The result means Limerick need a result at home to Kildare in two weeks to give themselves any chance of survival, but with both Clare and Kildare losing to Cork and Louth respectively, the share of the spoils on Shannonside gives Ray Dempsey’s charges a glimmer of hope heading into the final two rounds.
Meath, on the other hand, need a win against Dublin next week if they are to have any chance of promotion to Division 1.
Fresh from a 24-point drubbing at the hands of Cork two weeks previously, Limerick showed no signs of a lack of confidence in the early stages, and after Jack O’Connor opened the scoring for Meath after just two minutes, Dempsey’s men led by the eighth minute thanks to two quick-fire scores from Hugh Bourke and James Naughton (free).
Both sides were level three times inside the opening quarter before Mathew Costello slotted over his second close-range free of the afternoon to put Meath a point ahead – 0-04 to 0-03 – just shy of the 15th minute mark.
The best score of the opening half came in the 18th minute with Limerick joint-captain Iain Corbett bursting forward from the right half-back position to kick over a superb effort to draw the sides level for the fourth time.
A minute later, the Treaty men took the lead for only the second time when the impressive Cian Sheehan somehow managed to slot the ball over from a tight angle with the momentum quickly swinging in the hosts' favour.
Three Naughton scores in a row – a fisted point from play and two frees – had Ray Demspey’s charges four points ahead heading into the final five minutes of the opening half.
Upping the tempo in the latter stages of the half, Meath could have, and should have scored the game’s opening goal when Shane Walsh bore down on goal on the half-hour mark, but a calls for a push in the back were quickly dismissed from referee Derek O’Mahoney as Donal O’Sullivan somehow managed to block the loose ball in time.
Two scores from Jack Flynn and Jordan Morris saw the Royal County narrow the deficit to by the half-time break, but Limerick’s four-point lead was quickly restored thanks to two late scores from Cillian Fahy and Cathal Downes.
Limerick finished the opening half with five wides, compared to three for Meath.
After lacklustre start to the second half from both sides, Meath made it a one-point game in the 44th minute as a much-improved Jordan Morris eased through a stretched Limerick defence before Mathew Costelleo finished off the move by raising the green flag for the first of Meath’s two goals.
A minute later, Costello levelled the sides for the fifth time with his third point of the afternoon.
And only on the pitch less than a minute, Donal Lenihan found the net for Meath’s second goal to put Colm O’Rourke’s side two points ahead with 10 minutes to go.
Limerick however had other ideas and after Morris looked like he had scored the winning point after substitutes Paul Maher and Davy Lyons had drawn Limerick level yet again, Brian Donovan levelled the game in dramatic fashion in added time for a ninth and final time.
Limerick: Donal O'Sullivan; Mike Donovan, Sean O'Dea, Brian Fanning; Iain Corbett (0-01), Barry Coleman, Tony McCarthy; Colm McSweeney, Cillian Fahy (0-01); Cian Sheehan (0-01), James Naughton (0-06, 0-04f), Cathal Downes (0-02); Killian Ryan, Brian Donovan (0-02), Hugh Bourke (0-01).
Subs: Paul Maher (0-01) for McCarthy (49 minutes), Peter Nash for Corbett (50, inj), Adrian Enright (0-01) for Killian Ryan (55), Davy Lyons for Coleman (59), Davy Lyons (0-01) for Bourke (66)
Meath: Harry Hogan; Adam O’Neill, Michael Flood, Daniel O’Neill; Jack O’Connor (0-01), Donal Keogan (capt.), Shane McEntee; Ronan Jones (0-01), Jack Flynn (0-01); Cillian O’Sullivan, Jason Scully, Ross Ryan; Jordan Morris (0-03), Mathew Costello (1-03, 0-02f), Shane Walsh.
Subs: Daithí McGowan for Scully, Brian Conlon for Daniel O’Neill, Diamuid Moriarty (0-02) for Walsh (all half time); Donal Lenihan (1-0) for McEntee (59 minutes), Aaron Lynch for O’Sullivan (71)
Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary)
