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Limerick edge Clare in extra-time epic to win fourth Munster Championship in a row

Updated / Tuesday, 7 Jun 2022 12:57
Limerick captain Declan Hannon lifts the Mick Mackey Cup
Limerick captain Declan Hannon lifts the Mick Mackey Cup

A bone-crunching, mesmerising rain dance.

Limerick survived the toughest test of their credentials in three years with an epic extra-time Munster final triumph over Clare at a sodden Semple Stadium.

John Kiely's All-Ireland champions eventually secured their fourth provincial crown on the trot but they were pushed all the way by a Banner side seeking their first since 1998.

The teams were inseparable after a breathless first half – Gearóid Hegarty’s superb goal and seven points from Tony Kelly had it 1-11 to 0-14 at the break.

Neither team had led a ferocious battle by more two points on the day and the sides were still level as the clock ticked into injury-time.

Limerick thought they had edged it after Declan Hannon drove a point over from deep in his own half but then Clare talisman Kelly, who finished with 0-13 (six from play), whipped a sublime sideline over the bar with the last puck, 73 and a half minutes in.

A scuffle in the tunnel preceded 20 fierce additional minutes, with Limerick eventually coming out on top by three, Seamus Flanagan ending with eight points (one sideline) to break Clare hearts.

It was a soft day in Thurles but a hard one on the pitch – both teams thundering into each other in the early stages.

Rain fell all day long and players and sliotar alike were slipping and sliding all over the place.

Clare signalled their intent by moving three ahead early on, a Kelly free, delicious Peter Duggan sideline and the first of three from play by Ryan Taylor.

The Banner were playing Limerick at their own claustrophobic game and the Limerick fans howled for what they felt were fouls on Hegarty and Gillane.

There were ironic cheers when Hegarty was eventually awarded one that Gillane dispatched. The full-forward also plucked a Diarmuid Byrnes free that dropped short to feed Flanagan to inch Limerick ahead for the first time.

Kelly's second from play edged Clare back in front but a Flanagan sideline and Diarmaid Byrnes' only free of the game saw the lead change again.

After that, a brace of long-range scores by Fitzgerald and Kelly pouncing on a mishit free by Byrnes pushed Clare in front. All of their full-forward line had scored when they led by three in the 26th minute.

Cue Hegarty’s moment of magic – Tom Morrissey played the big man in with a handpass and as the ball squirted off his hurl he deftly flicked it back over Diarmuid Ryan’s hand and buried the ball past Eibhear Qulligan. All square – 1-09 to 0-12.

Kelly missed a scoreable free shortly after and Flanagan rubbed salt in the wound by restoring Limerick’s lead. But to Clare’s credit they fought back again, and Shane O’Donnell, who didn’t score but worked tirelessly won a free for Kelly to tie it up at the interval.

Aaron Gillane is pursued by Conor Cleary

The quality fell off a little in the third quarter – there were five wides in the opening two minutes – but the intensity didn't.

Conor Cleary and Gillane fought a running battle all day – the defender was eventually shown the first of only two yellow cards but he produced a textbook hook to deny Patrickswell man a goal in the 40th minute. At the other end, Mike Casey, who later went off with cramp, threw his body in front of an O'Donnell shot.

The teams were going score for score and nobody managed to pull more than one point clear until Ryan fumbled a ball over the sideline with 56 on the clock. Limerick worked it in to the unstoppable Flanagan for the briefest glimpse of daylight – 1-17 to 0-18.

Every blow was met with a reaction. Clare scored three in a row - a Kelly free, sub Robin Mounsey and a free from Peter Duggan while Kelly (turns out he is mortal) needed attention.

Limerick responded with three of their own, Gillane twice racing out ahead of Cleary – now on thin ice – to turn and fire over and, who else, Flanagan.

Brian Lohan’s men refused to buckle. Duggan dispatched a free and cut over a sideline. Hannon thought he had won it but then Kelly, on a mission to win a first Munster, waved his magic wand to force 20 extra minutes.

Limerick seemed to have the fresher legs in extra-time though, outscoring Clare three points to one in a gritty opening period and finding more space in the forwards.

In the second, Flanagan capped his stellar display with an eighth point and further efforts from sub Conor Boylan and Willie O’Donoghue took them four clear for the first time.

Mark Rodgers came off the bench in an impressive late cameo but his shot on goal was deflected over the bar – Hegarty’s strike the difference between them after over 80 minutes of battle.

Hannon lifted the Mick Mackey Cup, just the second Limerick man to captain a Munster four-in-a-row team - after Mackey himself in 1936.

He remains on course to bring Liam MacCarthy home for the fourth time in five years next month - Cork, Galway or Antrim await in an All-Ireland semi-final in four weeks' time.

After a mighty effort that fell just short, Clare must pick themselves up for a quarter-final against Wexford or Kerry in a fortnight.

Limerick are still the top dogs. But Clare are nipping at their heels.

Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Sean Finn, Mike Casey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes (0-01f), Declan Hannon (capt) (0-01), Dan Morrissey; William O'Donoghue (0-01), Darragh O'Donovan (0-01); Gearoid Hegarty (1-00), Cathal O'Neill (0-02), Tom Morrissey (0-03); Aaron Gillane 0-10 (6f), Seamus Flanagan (0-08, 1 s-l), Kyle Hayes.

Subs: Richie English for Casey (56 mins), David Reidy for O'Neill (56), Graeme Mulchay for O’Donovan (63), Conor Boylan (0-01) for Tom Morrissey (64), Oisín O’Reilly for Hegarty (86).

Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Rory Hayes, Conor Cleary, Paul Flanagan; Diarmuid Ryan, John Conlon, David McInenery; David Reidy, David Fitzgerald (0-05); Cathal Malone, Tony Kelly (capt) (0-13, 5f, s-l), Shane O’Donnell; Ian Galvin (0-01), Peter Duggan (0-04, 3f, s-l), Ryan Taylor (0-03).

Subs: Shane Meehan (0-01) for Galvin (55), Robin Mounsey for Reidy (63), Reidy for O’Donnell (83), Mark Rodgers (0-02, 1f) for Kelly (85), Patrick Crotty for Duggan (85).

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