Na Piarsaigh 1-20 Patrickswell 0-19
TWELVE years since their first county senior title, Limerick kingpins Na Piarsaigh have won their eighth-ever John Daly Cup thanks to a four-point win over Patrickswell in TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening.
Na Piarsaigh, who made the short one kilometre trip from Dromgoole Park to the Gaelic Grounds, led by four points – 1-8 to 0-7 – at half-time with a Peter Casey kicked goal in the 25th minute setting the defending champions on their way.
In the end Na Piarsaigh's experience shone through with Shane O’Neill’s charges withholding a late Patrickswell comeback to hold out and maintain their four-point advantage to secure their sixth Limerick SHC title in 10 years.
Ronan Lynch top-scored for Na Piarsaigh with 0-8, seven of which were free, while Limerick star Aaron Gillane scored 0-7 for Patrickswell.
In what was a repeat of the 2019 decider, it was Patrickswell who got off to the brighter of starts against reigning champions Na Piarsaigh with All Star Hurler of the Year Aaron Gillane putting the 'Well two points up inside three minutes.
Both sides each began the game with three players that started in last July’s All-Ireland SHC with Limerick – Aaron Gillane, Cian Lynch, Diarmaid Byrnes for Patrickswell, and Will O’Donoughe, Peter Casey, and Mike Casey.
Both sides were level four times in the opening half before Na Piarsaigh opened up a two-point gap when Lynch pointed two without response.
Minutes later, Peter Casey got the game’s only goal when the Limerick star dazzled through the Patrickswell before kicking the ball into the back of the net with his left foot as Patrickswell goalkeeper Jason Gillane was fast approaching. The goal five minutes before the break made it 1-7 to 0-5 in favour of Na Piarsaigh.
David Dempsey had put Na Piarsaigh ahead for the time minutes earlier, swinging the momentum in favour of Caherdavin men midway through the opening half.
Ten minutes before half-time, Patrickswell goalkeeper Jason pulled off his first of two quality saves from an Adrian Breen close-range effort.
Two minutes later, it was the turn of Na Piarsaigh goalkeeper Shane Dowling to get in on the goal-saving action when the former Limerick star dived to his right to pull off an unbelievable save to deny Kevin O’Brien what would have been the game’s opening goal.
Casey soon made no mistake with the game’s only goal in 25 minutes.
He evaded a number of Patrickswell defenders before kicking the ball to the net from close range to put five points between the teams.
Patrickswell responded with Jack Kelleher and Diarmaid Byrnes narrowing the deficit to a goal, but Kevin Downes' second point of the opening half saw Na Piarsaigh go in at the break 1-8 to 0-7 in front.
Soon after the restart, Mike Foley and Lynch stretched Na Piarsaigh’s advantage to six, but Kelleher, Byrnes, and Gillane kept Patrickswell within touching distance.
Na Piarsaigh, however, showed their experience of winning county finals, and kept the scoreboard ticking over with Will Henn, and two from Conor Boylan seeing them 1-15 to 0-13 ahead midway through the second half.
Shane Dowling’s inch-perfect puckouts was continuing to cause problems for the ‘Well, but it was Eamonn Kelly’s men who clawed the losing margin back to two with eight to play after Gillane Kevin O'Brien gave the ‘Well faithful something to shout for.
When the impressive Kevin Downes landed his fourth of the game, Na Piarsaigh had breathing space yet again.
Two further Lynch frees, either side of a Calvin Carroll effort from play, had the score at 1-18 to 0-18 heading into stoppage time.
It wasn’t for the lack of effort, but Patrickswell were unable to get the vital goal they needed to get back into the game before Lynch landed his seventh and eighth points of the game to seal Na Piarsaigh's eighth ever Daly Cup.
The win sees Na Piarsaigh manager Shane O’Neill now hold the record for the most Limerick SHC wins with one club after success with the former Galway manager previously tasting success with the city side in 2015 and in 2017.
Na Piarsaigh will now face the winner of Ballygunner of Waterford and Cork’s Sarsfields in the Munster Club SHC semi-final in three weeks’ time.
Na Piarsaigh: Shane Dowling; Emmet McEvoy, Mike Casey (c), Cathal King; Mike Foley (0-01), Ronan Lynch (0-08, 7f), Vince Harington; Will O’Donoghue, JJ Carey (0-01); Conor Boylan (0-02), David Dempsey (0-02), Kevin Downes (0-04); Adrian Breen, Will Henn (0-01), Peter Casey (1-01)
Subs: Keith Dempsey for Adrian Breen (57), John Fitzgearld for Henn (62)
Patrickswell: Jason Gillane; Kelvin Lynch, Mark Carmody (0-01), John Flynn (0-01); Evan Fitzgearld (0-01), Diarmaid Byrnes (0-2f) Cian Fitzgearld; Jack Kelleher (0-4, 0-1sl) Josh Considine; Kevin O’Brien (0-02), Cian Lynch, Jordan Higgins; Tom O’Brien, Aaron Gillane (capt.) (0-07, 0-05f), John Kirby
Subs: Patrick Kirby for Tom O’Brien (ht), Tom Nolan for Fitzgerald (temp 37-40), Calvin Carroll (0-01) for Considine, Nigel Foley for John Kirby (49), Tom Nolan for Higgins (59)
Referee: Michael Sexton (Bruree)
