Thirty-year Croke Park exile over

LIMERICK footballers may have been absent from Croke Park for 30 years, but they are the only county of the four contesting the Division One and Two Allianz National Football League finals in Croke Park tomorrow to have won an All-Ireland.

Limerick, who play Westmeath in the Division Two decider, won the All-Ireland title twice, in 1887 and 1896.

The last time the Limerick football team played in Croke Park was in a Division Two tie against Dublin in November 1973, just two months after the county won the last of their seven All-Ireland titles.

Hurler Pat Hartigan played at full-back and the centre-back on the team was Tony Fitzgerald, who later played with Munster.

The team manager was Paddy O'Dwyer from Claughaun. The then county board chairman was Senator Rory Kiely.

Meanwhile, the meeting of Tipperary and Kilkenny in the League hurling final on Monday the first to be played in Croke Park in 12 years will revive memories of their clash in the home decider of 1968. Tipperary won that game by 3-9 to 1-13, with Sean McLoughlin and Jimmy Doyle goaling in the first half and Donie Nealon near the end.

The counties had met in the All-Ireland final the previous year when victory went to Kilkenny. The League decider was notable for a late first half incident in the Kilkenny goalmouth which subsequently led to Ollie Walsh and John Flanagan receiving lengthy suspensions. The respective captains were Mick Roche and Jim Bennett. In the subsequent final in New York, Tipperary lost by a point.