Late late Limerick edge out Clare

Limerick 2-11 Clare 1-12

A double whammy of injury time goals, the second a mis-hit 21-metre free from Niall Moran, saw Limerick edge out Clare 2-11 to 1-12 at the Gaelic Grounds.

Clare controlled matters for much of this curtain raiser clash, but crucially could not get further than four points ahead of their hosts.

Banner forward Jamesie O’Connor opened the scoring with a 40-metre free after two minutes.

Limerick midfielder Moran quickly replied from play, before full-forward Eoin O’Neill hit over a brace of close range frees on four and six minutes for a two-point lead.

O’Neill was in for some early attention from the Clare back line and Colm Forde was yellow carded for an off-the-ball incident in the 12th minute.

Markham’s first point from play and a Sean McMahon free a minute later levelled the game up. A growing crowd had to wait 14 minutes before another scores as Limerick, in particular, were guilty of some poor shooting – hitting their seventh wide by the 25th minute.

The sharp-shooting O’Neill picked off his first point from play with eight minutes remaining in the first half from the left-hand side.

Limerick’s Sean O’Connor had a goal chance smothered wide on the half-hour but the decisive goal came two minutes before the break, when Markham’s angled 21-metre shot was deflected to the Limerick net by goalkeeper Albert Shanahan.

Jamesie O’Connor tagged on a second free, answered by a ’65 from Moran as Limerick ended the half just a point behind at 0-6 to 1-4.

Donie Ryan was pulled down soon after the restart but former Limerick skipper Mark Foley sent the 21-metre free wide.

Ryan pointed Limerick’s seventh point on 42 minutes but two Jamesie O’Connor placed balls on 47 and 48 minutes put a goal between the sides.

Another O’Connor free with 12 minutes remaining moved the scores to 1-8 to 0-9 in Clare’s favour, and with Daithi O’Connell scraping over a long range effort from the sideline on 65 minutes, Clare were back to a goal lead.

O’Neill and John Paul Sheehan traded points with O’Connor (two frees) and McMahon again before Tobin struck for Limerick’s first goal on 73 minutes, cutting in from the right to fire a low drive past Ger O’Connell.

Moran inadvertently edged the ball under the Clare crossbar in the final seconds to give the Shannonsiders a confidence-boosting win.