Limerick took the honours in this NHL 1 semi-final, booking their place in the final with an efficient display.

Far more satisfying for Limerick than the two points banked was the manner in which they ground out the county’s first top-flight league win since 2009.

Final reflections with Enda McEvoy.

The focus yesterday on Anthony Nash’s puckouts was more fixed than is normally the case.

Kilkenny have had little time to recover and re-energise since last Sunday. Fatigue will be a factor this weekend and it will be easier to defend a lead rather than chase a deficit in the finishing stretch.  

Mike Casey and his teammates don’t intend following the path of recent Limerick teams. They’ve no interest in midsummer exits and languishing at the back of hurling’s chasing pack.

Waterford icon Ken McGrath says the Déise have reason to be confident, based on last week’s draw against Tipperary, but he describes playing away from home as a “massive disadvantage”.

CORK 1-25 LIMERICK 0-28: The capacity of hurling to enthral knows no bounds as this wonder of a game demonstrated on Saturday evening.

Limerick’s players didn’t need the dust to settle on their six-point win over Tipperary to realise the margin didn’t flatter them in the slightest. When they return to training this evening, John Kiely may even use it as a stick to beat them with.

I came in for a bit of criticism during the week about Offaly football matters, which I’ll come back to shortly, but I’m never going to shy away from calling it like I see it. At referees seminars, I would have been known for speaking my mind, whether I was right or wrong, and it’s an attitude I’ll be sticking to here, writes Brian Gavin.

I got talking to Joe McKenna in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday shortly after the final whistle. Joe was naturally on a high, as was the whole Limerick crowd, a good share of whom were down on the pitch basking in the warm afterglow of such an impressive win, writes Anthony Daly.

Limerick 1-23 Tipperary 2-14: After giving a post-match TV interview, Limerick captain Declan Hannon was jumped on by a group of celebrating supporters.

The Allianz Hurling League concluded yesterday with a resurgent Kilkenny upsetting the odds against favourites Tipperary, writes Donal O’Grady.

I was in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday at 3.10pm. I was still there after 7pm. On another day, I’d have watched three matches in that time but yesterday’s contest was no ordinary game.

Limerick 4-21 Clare 0-33 (Limerick win 7-6 on frees AET)

Limerick’s Colin Ryan was the hero at the end of a contest that almost ran for three hours.

Limerick are well familiar with this fork in the road.

KILKENNY 0-11 - LIMERICK 0-17: Familiar territory, this, for Limerick. And a familiar question is again posed: Can this latest U21 success pave the way to senior hurling glory?

Limerick’s poor display in last weekend’s Allianz HL semi-final did nothing to prepare Galway for Sunday’s decider against All-Ireland champions Tipperary, according to former Tribes boss and Tipp hurler John McIntyre.

I was in Páirc Uí Rinn early yesterday, primarily to get a good seat and to sample the atmosphere. I’m not really a football fan, but I was there for all of the Cork-Down match.

Allianz HL Division 1B

All 15 of Tipperary’s All- Ireland winning side have been nominated for All-Stars, the first time in over 20 years an entire hurling team have been honoured.

Na Piarsaigh duo Kevin Downes and Shane Dowling proved their worth to Limerick with 1-8 between them as the Shannonsiders secured a first Allianz hurling league semi-final place in a decade.

Clare 1-19 Limerick 0-18: All gory, no glory in Ennis as a wretch of a Division 1B “final” saw Clare ascend to Division 1A 12 months after they fell out of it, leaving Limerick marooned in the second tier of the competition for a seventh season.

Mary I 0-11 LIT 0-9: The Mary I management cut a somewhat perplexed bunch at the final whistle.

UCC have crashed out of the Fitzgibbon Cup at the group stages for a second successive year.

Patrickswell 2-24 Adare 0-8: Patrickswell sent out a serious statement of intent at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday crushing neighbours Adare by a whopping 22 points in the Limerick County SHC semi-final. It appeared all so easy, as they booked their place in the final against Na Piarsaigh next Sunday.

It’s funny how the first shots of a revolution are often fired when a people are on their knees. 

Readers of a non-feline persuasion still a little glum after the events of last Sunday, will do worse than to tune in to TG4 tonight. 

Champions Kilmallock remain unbeaten in their Limerick SHC title defence.

Limerick manager John Kiely cited the half-time switch of Tom Morrissey and Ronan Lynch as the crucial move in their Munster U21 final triumph.

Cork 0-20 Limerick 0-18: The Cork intermediate team last night ensured at least one Munster hurling crown would reside on Leeside this summer – Ronan Dwane’s charges scoring a deserved two-point win over favourites Limerick.

Limerick 1-23 Tipperary 2-13: Don Flynn’s Limerick made it through to a first Munster intermediate hurling final since 2011 with a comfortable seven-point victory over Tipperary in yesterday’s semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds.