Limerick take football title in tight contest

Limerick 1-16 Waterford 1-14

Limerick goalkeeper Brian Scanlon was the hero in Croke Park this afternoon as he kicked a last-minute 45’ to secure the NFL Division 4 title for the Shannonsiders following a pulsating game of football with their Munster rivals.

Scanlon, who got his first start of the campaign in the last round against Leitrim took his chance on 69 minutes when the sides were level and after that came the insurance point from top scorer Ger Collins who finished with a goal and six points.

After leading by a single point at half-time thanks to a fortunate Ger Collins goal, Limerick fell behind to a resilient Waterford side, who had Man of the Match Shane Briggs leading them from the back and took the lead midway through the half with a brilliantly executed goal from Liam O Lionain.

However, Limerick had some reliable firepower up front in the likes of Ian Ryan and team captain Sean Buckley, who managed to pull them level heading towards the final stages, when Scanlon's gem and coolly fisted point from Ryan proved the difference come the long whistle

Credit must be aimed at Waterford too for their spirited performance. They levelled the game late on through a well executed goal from corner-forward Liam O’ Lionáin but crucially, they didn’t follow it up with the necessary points and paid the ultimate price.

The opening half was a wonderful free-flowing encounter with Waterford pressing early on but being guilty of a few wayward attempts that scuppered much dominance around the middle of the field.

Wayne Hennessy and the impressive Brian Wall had them 0-2 to 0-1 in front after seven minutes but they then suffered a blow when they conceded a freak goal when corner-forward Ger Collins lopped a speculative effort over the head of Tony Wall in the Waterford goal.

That score certainly affected the Deise men and for the next ten minutes they struggled against the pace of a Limerick attack where Collins and Ian Ryan shone.

Ryan had two points inside three minutes before Collins landed his second point of the game, this time a fabulous effort from the tightest of angles to put them into a comfortable 1-5 to 0-3 points lead after 21 minutes.