Limerick SFC final: Easy for Newcastle West
Newcastle West impressed when landing their fourth Limerick SFC title in this straight forward final victory over Oola.
Next up for the west Limerick side is a November 10 trip Leeside to face Cork champions Nemo Rangers in the provincial quarter final.
Appearing in a first senior football final since 1980, Oola appeared star struck and managed just one point from play.
Newcastle West were most efficient and never allowed the surprise packets to settle.
Winners in 2015, Newcastle West used all their experience to build a 0-9 to 0-2 half time lead.
It was the 19th minute before Oola opened their account with a Josh Ryan free.
Newcastle West had built a six point advantage by this point. Man of the Match Iain Corbett set the tone with two of their opening three points.
Despite four wides, Newcastle West had four points on the scoreboard by the 10th minute with Mike McMahon influential.
When Oola did score, the Newcastle West response was swift with AJ O’Connor and Eoin Hurley points easing them seven points clear with half time approaching.
In first half injury time the eventual champions almost had a goal but O’Connor did see out the scoring with his second point.
The scores dried up in the second half with the new champions scoring just three times.
But their first score of the half left the east Limerick men with a real mountain to climb — Corbett finishing a penalty to the net after Sean Murphy was upended.
That game’s only goal had the lead out the nine points and just under 10-minutes lapsed in the new half.
Finally in the 48th minute Ian Bourke had what was to be the only Oola score from play.
Credit Oola they battled gamely and scored five of the last seven scores but relied heavily on seven pointed free from Josh Ryan.
A delightful Eoin Hurley score from distance in the 19th minute of the half was just the second point for Newcastle West since the break but with substitute Bryan Nix adding another point they never looked in danger.
I Corbett 1-2 (1pen), AJ O’Connor 0-2, E Hurley 0-4 (2f), M McMahon, T Quilligan (f), B Nix 0-1.
J Ryan 0-7 (7f), I Bourke 0-1.
M Quilligan; M O’Keeffe, D O’Doherty, M O’Leary; W Hurley, S Hurley, S Brosnan; S Murphy, I Corbett; B Hurley, M McMahon, T Quilligan; E Hurley, AJ O’Connor, J Lee. Subs: D Kelly for B Hurley (49), L Woulfe for S Brosnan (55), B Nix for AJ O’Connor (57), S Kelly for T Quilligan (62).
K Nolan; E Fitzgibbon, T Hayes, F O’Grady; J Bourke, S Ryan, D O’Grady; C Ryan, D O’Donovan; E Landers, J Ryan, M O’Brien; R English, P Ryan, I Bourke. Subs: J Power for J Bourke (43), J Downey for C Ryan (43), K Bourke for R English (60).
J Murphy (Ballylanders)
