Never-say-die Déise reap

HEARTBREAK for Limerick at the end of this magnificent Munster senior hurling championship yesterday, denied by that most cruel of strikes, the late, late goal, but Waterford, Waterford — what a display of true grit and character to dig out a win from a game that looked lost.

They trailed by two points as the game headed into injury-time, a rampant and rejuvenated Limerick with their tails up and looking set for the hurling upset of the season. A 25 metre free by Eoin Kelly in that final minute of normal time, mis-hit in an attempt on goal and comfortably saved, had looked to be Waterford’s final chance. However, intense pressure applied by their forwards kept the ball alive and Limerick were unable to get in a telling clearance. It bobbled, it broke, it fell to Eoin Kelly again, this time in the wide left position, no opportunity to score himself. But beyond all the bodies massed in around the Limerick goalmouth and lurking over in the opposite corner, Eoin spotted a blue and white jersey and a red helmet, sent a telling cross.

Oh so unfortunate for Limerick that the red helmet belonged to the deadly John Mullane, so fitting that the final lethal strike should come from one of Waterford’s greatest players of the past decade. John gathered, aimed, fired one of his missiles, and a cruel/kind deflection took it past the faultless Nicky Quaid in the Limerick goals — two-point deficit transformed instantly to one-point lead.