Six of the best: Limerick make history with Munster final win over Clare 

Watched by a 45,148 crowd in Semple Stadium, Gearóid Hegarty was again a thorn in Clare’s side and there were stunning return to form displays by Diarmaid Byrnes and Tom Morrissey

Limerick captain Declan Hannon lifts the Mick Mackey Cup. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Munster SHC final: Limerick 1-26 Clare 1-20 

Out on their own and exhibiting no signs of flagging, Limerick chiselled their names into Munster SHC history as the first-time six-in-a-row champions.

Clare were again second best in this trilogy but a distant inferior compared to the two previous provincial final appearances as Limerick subdued them into eventual submission.

Watched by a 45,148 crowd in FBD Semple Stadium, Gearóid Hegarty was again a thorn in Clare’s side and there were stunning return to form displays by Diarmaid Byrnes and Tom Morrissey, the pair scoring nine points between them.

Limerick had another belter of a third quarter here. Hegarty’s groundstroke goal in the 46th minute doubled the gap to six points. Like the championship opener in Ennis, the 6ft5in forward had ghosted himself into a free space in the right corner and benefitted from Eibhear Quilligan’s brief if crucial uncertainty in whether to close the angle.

Mark Rodgers twice went close to making it a one-point game. He rose superbly to retrieve a ball in the 56th minute but his strike was straight at Nickie Quaid. There was consolation in the form of a converted Aidan McCarthy free, though.

Kelly, who collected three second-half wides, teed Rodgers up for an opening close to goal but his effort bounced off the post and Limerick soon won a relieving free. McCarthy and substitute Ian Galvin twice made it a four-point game but wing backs Kyle Hayes and Diarmaid Byrnes provided the insurance scores.

Rodgers did send over two frees to slice the margin to four once more but there were the rejuvenated Morrissey and Byrnes sending over placed balls to cap an almighty win for Limerick.

It was a result that felt like it was on the cards in the first half. Like Kelly, Clare had played in pockets but they were productive cameos. The game was drawn level for a sixth time in the second minute of additional time in the opening half when Peter Duggan reacted quickest by a blindingly good save by Quaid from a long-range Kelly free.

The Limerick goalkeeper had also been called on in the 17th minute when he was able to get enough of his hurley on McCarthy’s shot and Byrnes cleared the ball away from danger.

Limerick didn’t threaten Clare’s goal half as much but they were the better team in general play over the half. Scoring three points, Byrnes was back in the form that had shortlisted him for hurler of the year in 2023 having won the award the season previous.

After a first quarter when the sides were tied five times, Limerick’s intensity began to tell. They went two up in the 21st minute and branched three ahead four minutes later when Aaron Gillane converted a point over his shoulder under the Ryan Stand.

Against the wind, they were far more efficient than Clare and restored a three-point advantage on the half-hour mark when Gillane caught brilliantly over Conor Cleary and supplied David Reidy.

Gillane was getting the better of Cleary, winning a free off him two minutes later that he put wide. Limerick’s cushion grew to four when Shane O’Brien registered his first point but Clare’s finish of 1-1, David Fitzgerald sending over his third score before Duggan’s major, reeled them in going into the break.

Scorers for Limerick: A. Gillane (4 frees), D. Byrnes (3 frees) (0-5 each); G. Hegarty (1-2); T. Morrissey (0-4, 1 free); D. Reidy, D. Hannon, S. O’Brien, K. Hayes (0-2 each); C. O’Neill, A. English (0-1 each).

Scorers for Clare: A. McCarthy (0-8, 6 frees); D. Fitzgerald (0-4); ); P. Duggan (1-1); T. Kelly (0-3); M. Rodgers (0-2, frees); S. O’Donnell, I. Galvin (0-1 each).

LIMERICK: N. Quaid; B. Nash, M. Casey, D. Morrissey; D. Byrnes, D. Hannon (c), K. Hayes; W. O’Donoghue, C. Lynch; G. Hegarty, C. O’Neill, T. Morrissey; D. Reidy, A. Gillane, S. O’Brien.

Subs for Limerick: C. Boylan for G. Hegarty (temp 23-23); A. English for C. Lynch (53); C. Boylan for C. O’Neill (63); D. Ó Dalaigh for A. Gillane (68); A. O’Connor for D. Reidy (69); G. Mulcahy for T. Morrissey (inj 70+3).

CLARE: E. Quilligan; A. Hogan, C. Cleary (c), C. Leen; J. Conlon, D. Ryan, D. McInerney; C. Malone, D. Lohan; D. Fitzgerald, M. Rodgers, P. Duggan; A. McCarthy, T. Kelly.

Subs for Clare: P. Donnellan for C. Malone (temp 29-30); D. Reidy for D. Lohan (62); I. Galvin for A. McCarthy (63); R. Hayes for C. Cleary (66).

Referee: C. Lyons (Cork).