Archer and Lynch lead Mungret St Paul's to more silverware

CHAMPIONS: Mungret St Paul's celebrate winning the County Premier U21 Hurling Final. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Mungret St. Paul’s 0-14 Monaleen 0-12

A pair of stoppage time points saw Mungret St. Paul’s claim Limerick’s Premier U21 Hurling title at a soaked and extremely windy Mick Neville Park.

Late scores, arrowed over by Cillian Archer and chief marksman Liam Lynch, helped the city club to another title in 2023.

As well as securing promotion to the ‘top six’ of the SHC, the club has also claimed the Junior A hurling, as well as the Intermediate and Junior A football titles. They face Monaleen again on Friday evening in the U21 football semi-final.

The winners trailed this game from the tenth minute all the way to the 51st, and even from then, it was a struggle to see of an extremely talented Monaleen side.

Mungret had been beaten in the final last year by Ballybrown, and Monaleen dethroned the champions a fortnight ago. Both had won their respective groups before winning the all-city divisional semi-final clashes.

The winners were able to call upon almost the entirety of the panel from 12 months ago and they used their experience to show great composure in the testing west Limerick elements. The wind, which blew from end to end, saw Monaleen establish a 0-9 to 0-5 interval lead.

Key to the charge for Monaleen were centre-forward Ronan Lyons, wing-back Darragh Langan and the impressive wing-forward, Eoghan O’Driscoll. The latter landed a brace from play in the opening half, with Liam Lynch keeping Mungret in touch.

Struggling against the wind, Brian Begley’s side saw several shots curl away from goal, which would normally have sailed over.

Liam Lynch, Mungret St Paul's, under pressure from Joseph Fitzgerald, Monaleen in the County Premier U21 Hurling Final in Rathkeale

Fintan Fitzgerald and Darragh O’Hagan both landed scores and despite conceding the final two points of the half, to Lorcan Lyons and sub-Dara Ferland, the sense was it was advantage Mungret at the change of ends.

That said, the Lorcan Lyons managed Monaleen opened with two points in the worsening conditions. They looked the slicker side for the first ten minutes of the second half but couldn’t pull more than six clear. Eventually, Mungret began to hit a higher gear.

A quartet of points in the space of just five minutes whittle the gap to just two. Cian Moloney and Fitzgerald were on target from range while Lynch landed a free and a 65.

Lynch thought he had found a goal only for Shane Twomey to spread himself and push the ball behind for another 65. This tied the game at 0-11 apiece, entering the final quarter.

Among the many Limerick underages stars on show was Donnacha Ó Dálaigh. The Limerick senior will rue a shot that flew over rather than six inches lower – but it did re-establish a Monaleen lead.

Lynch levelled it before Archer, beneath the new 700-seater stand in Mick Neville Park, firing over from all of 60 meters. Lynch’s tap over free was the final act as the club well and truly on the rise got yet more reward for their investment in youth.

Given that much of this championship took place on artificial surface, officials may look at its place in a congested calendar, though that won’t bother Mungret St. Paul’s a jot at this time. For now at least, with the change to the U20 age group next year, they claim the last title at the much-loved U21 grade on Shannonside.

Scorers for Mungret St. Paul’s: L Lynch 0-8 (0-6 frees, 0-2 ’65s); F Fitzgerald 0-2; D O’Hagan, C Moloney, M O’Brien, C Archer 0-1 each.

Scorers for Monaleen: R Lyons 0-4 (0-3 frees); M Fitzgerald, E O’Driscoll, D Ó Dálaigh 0-2 each; L McHale (65), D Ferland 0-1 each.

Mungret St. Paul’s: D Geary; E Flahive, J Hassett, C Archer; O O’Dwyer, Brian O’Meara, C Moloney; J McCarthy, B Duff; M O’Brien, D O’Hagan, F Fitzgerald; J Wright, L Lynch, C O’Halloran.

Subs: S Duff for Wright (ht); D Hynes for O’Brien (52); B Molyneaux for Flahive (55); JJ Harrington for O’Halloran (60).

Monaleen: S Twomey; C Carew, B Canny (C), D Clifford; N Clancy, J Fitzgerald, D Langan; C O’Duinn, L McHale; E O’Driscoll, R Lyons, D Ó Dálaigh; B Crowe, M Field, M Fitzgerald.

Subs: D Ferland for Field (29); B Hayes for Crowe (49); B Murnane for O’Duinn (58).

Referee: K Guina (Feohanagh Castlemahon)