Banner send out warning signals with win over Limerick

Munster MFC

[team1]Limerick[/team1][score1]0-10[/score1][team2]Clare[/team2][score2]3-15[/score2][/score]

Munster minor football finalists in the last two seasons, Clare began their 2019 campaign with a comfortable 14-point win over Limerick in Newcastle West.

The Banner were only four points ahead at half-time but raced clear of the home side in the second half against a Limerick side that failed to score in the final quarter.

While Limerick will attempt to get their championship back on track with a trip to Dungarvan next Wednesday, Clare will welcome fellow round one winners Tipperary to Ennis.

In this win over Limerick, Clare were 1-7 to 0-6 ahead at half time after trailing by three points after 12-minutes.

There were encouraging signs for the home side in the early minutes with two points each for captain Eliah Riordan and Michael Southgate.

At the other end of the field, Clare were forced to wait until the 14th minute to open their account from play but once they got a handle on Limerick’s extra man in defence they found their scoring touch.

Six successive scores for The Banner put them in the driving seat.

In the 17th minute came the Clare goal - exciting corner forward Jamie Stack powering through the centre before coolly crashing a low drive to the net to level up the contest.

That injection of confidence saw Clare pour forward and Dara Nagle, Stack and Shane Meehan all added points to move Clare 1-7 to 0-5 clear.

Limerick early scoring run dried up and in first half injury time they finally ended a 15-minute barren spell when Shane O’Donoghue kicked a pointed free.

The sides evenly shared six points early in the second half and 10-minutes into the new half it was 1-10 to 0-9 to Clare.

But the next score was to be a Clare goal and the Diarmuid Fahy strike had them well positioned for the home straight, where they found the final six scores without a response against a Limerick side who had lost defender Patrick Dolphin to a second yellow card.

The third goal came in injury time from Eoin Talty to embellish the scoreline.

Scorers for Limerick: S O’Donoghue (0-4, 1free), E Riordan (0-3, 2frees), M Southgate (0-2), S Hanrahan (0-1, free)

Scorers for Clare: S Meehan (0-6, 4frees), J Stack (1-3, 0-2frees), E Talty (1-2), D Fahy (1-0), T Lillis (0-2), D Nagle and C McGroary (0-1).

LIMERICK:

S O’Connell; D Geraghty, P Dolphin, F Corcoran; E McGrath, E Riordan, T Marsden; M Southgate, D O’Keeffe; M Donnellan, S O’Donoghue, P O’Dwyer; C Galvin, S Hanrahan, R O’Connor.

Subs: J Corkery for O’Connor (46), J Quinlivan for O’Dwyer (46), R McBrearty for Marsden (50), R O’Connor for Hanrahan (52), S Kilbridge for McGrath (57), J Killian for Donnellan (57m).

CLARE:

O O’Loughlin; T Lillis, M Garry, C McMahon; C McGroary, A Killeen, M Reidy; E Rouine, B Rouine; P Doherty, D Fahy, D Nagle; C Hassett, S Meehan, J Stack.

Subs: E Talty for Doherty (h-t), F Kelleher for Reidy (46), S Casey for E Rouine (55), T Meenahan for Hassett (58), E Walshe for Stack (62).

Referee: B Griffin (Kerry).