Adare are on a roll and ready to topple Ahane

AHANE, Adare, what’s between the two Limerick senior hurling finalists tomorrow but a couple of letters? More than that, a lot more than that.

When Adare were winning their first Limerick senior title last October, Ahane, champions on the double in ‘98 and ‘99, were at home counting their wounds after failing to make even the last four; they were also counting their senior county titles, a roll-leading 17. David and Goliath then? Well, not quite.

The tide has turned for Adare in Limerick hurling. After three failed attempts in the ‘90s to the same opposition, they cracked the tough old Patrickswell nut last year, and with it has come a release. Only briefly hitting the heights of last year’s performances (the final was especially eye-catching, including a tour-de-force from team captain and current potential Allstar Mark Foley), they have nevertheless fought their way back again to the biggest stage in Limerick hurling.

There is a swagger about this young Adare side, a palpable sense of purpose, the kind that winning brings. Okay, they’ve won just the one senior title, but prior to that, this particular group cleaned up at underage in Limerick, winning county under-14 in ‘94, under-16 in ‘96, minor in ‘98 and ‘99, and under-21 in ‘99 and 2000.

Success doesn’t always breed success, but in Adare, this crop was well nurtured and now there is serious fruit being harvested. Seventeen county senior titles or not, they will not be in the least intimidated by Ahane.

In their semi-final win over neighbours Croom (another coming side), Adare looked hugely impressive for the first half-hour, their rapid-fire forwards running the Croom defence ragged as they tore to a 0-12 to 0-3 lead. Just before the break, however, Croom got a well-deserved goal, and from there to late in the second half, really brought the fight to Adare. Showing the mettle of true champions however, Adare fought back, and fittingly, it was their two dangerous corner-forwards, Brian Sexton and former under-21 All-Ireland-winning captain Donncha Sheehan scoring the insurance points. Play like they did in that first half, and the title is theirs for the second year in a row; play like they did in the second, and Ahane will be going further ahead in the roll of honour.

Not that Ahane looked any great shakes in their semi-final win over Kilmallock. Like Adare, they impressed for the opening half-hour, only to fall sucker to a fine Andrew O’Shaughnessy goal in injury time. That goal galvanised the Kilmallock challenge, and for most of the second half, they were well on top, leading briefly as the game entered the last ten minutes. Again, and showing the grit of recent champions, Ahane fought back, and with the Moran brothers, Ollie, James and youngster Niall, all playing well, took the honours with a 59th-minute goal from late sub Brian Healy.

Speaking of brothers, the intercounty Moran trio are matched on the Adare side by the three Foleys, Mark, Jack and full-forward Brian, with a scattering of other siblings on both sides. A hard one to call, this. Ahane have much of that old championship toughness, and with the likes of Clem Smith (surely in his best defensive position the next day), John Meskell and Sean O’Connor, there is a lot of inter-county class throughout the side. Adare, however, when they get moving, are smooth, a real class act from front to back. With the mercurial Timmy Houlihan in goal, John Paul Healy at full-back, and Michael Clifford, Stephen Lavin and Conor Fitzgerald from the mighty Limerick under-21 All-Ireland-winning team, to reinforce the Foleys and Sheehan, they look the team to beat. If they strike form.