Adare reassume status as Limerick football kingpins
CHAMPIONS: Paul Maher, Adare, in possession of the ball against Daniel Daly, Fr Casey's. Pic: Brendan Gleeson
For Harry Gleeson and Adare, returning alone would not be enough. It was who Gleeson returned with.
Harry Gleeson was the man at the helm for Adare’s maiden Limerick football success back in 2017. He was there for the 2018 and 2020 wins too.
The curtain was drawn on a history-making six-year tenure following the 2021 final defeat to Newcastlewest.
Adare would lose two more county finals to the black and white while Gleeson was away managing the Ballybrown senior hurlers. He returned in 2024 and yesterday oversaw their reinstating as the market leaders on the local football scene.
Stood basking in their victory on the Rathkeale field, Gleeson spoke not of resilience or resolve or a refusal to accept their county final bridesmaid role.
He spoke in far more pragmatic terms.
“Good coaching,” he replied when asked what had lifted Adare from three years stuck on the second rung of the ladder to the highest step.
“Maurice Horan and Paudie Whelan are just two top-class coaches. They are coaches respected by the players. And then to have people like Fionan Kelliher as a selector, another Kerryman, he brought huge knowledge and was similarly respected.
“We had Brendan Kealy (former Kerry No.1) in there as goalkeeping coach, he gave huge confidence to our two goalkeepers. You have to pick out each individual grouping and make sure they are catered for because when you are managing 44 players, each one of them has their own individual issues and different ways they can be motivated.”
Once Gleeson agreed to return, he made contact with Horan. The latter was coaching Tomás Ó Sé's Kerry U20s, but still agreed to come on board.
“When Maurice said, yes, I just knew we were going to go a long way because I have huge belief in him. Paudie came in as a second coach. He is young and so passionate. Another Kerryman, you can't keep the football out of their veins. They worked so well together to the benefit of the group.”
Adare were never led in this Limerick football final. After a clinical start where they kicked the opening 1-3 without reply, Adare’s advantage was never less than two points thereafter.
And only twice - both times coming early in the fourth quarter - did their lead shrink to that two-point margin.
Adare answered Fr Casey’s each time the Abbeyfeale men gave the impression of gathering momentum and further narrowing the gap.
It was the outstanding Hugh Bourke who returned the winners three in front on the two occasions Fr Casey’s came closest.
It was sub Mikey Lyons who kicked a pair of insurance points to make certain that this county final Sunday had a very different feel to the last three.
The six-point interval gap was not a reflection of Adare’s superiority. The six-point interval gap was a reflection of Adare’s efficiency and Fr Casey’s complete lack of same.
Fr Casey’s took 18 minutes to raise their opening flag of the half. They added a second two minutes later. But nothing further was added in the remaining 12 minutes of the half.
What they left behind and did not take can be seen in their five first-half wides, two further point attempts that came back down off the post, an early Martin Scannell goal chance saved by Jeffrey Alfred, and a Dylan Quirke point effort blocked down. And that’s without mentioning two or three more that dropped short.
Adare corner-forward Bourke did everything Fr Casey’s could not. He converted frees, won and converted a mark, and drilled in a 10th minute goal. 1-5 to 0-2 his side led turning around.
Eliah Riordan, Rory O’Brien, twice, Martin Scannell (free), and Daniel Daly kicked five of the second-half’s opening six scores to bring Fr Casey’s within two. No closer. A 17th county final defeat.
“I have always said this Adare group has got incredible talent,” Gleeson continued. “You just need to manage that talent, get the right coaches around them and you'll get the best out of them.
"What they showed this evening was character that maybe might have been missing in the last two or three years to get over the line.
“You earn everything, you deserve nothing.”
Adare both earned this and deserved this.
Scorers for Adare: H Bourke (1-5, 0-3 frees, 0-1 mark); M Lyons (0-2); D Lyons, P Maher, S Costelloe (0-1 each).
E Riordan (0-2 frees), M Scannell (0-1 free), R O’Brien (0-2 each); D Buckley, D Daly (0-1 each).
J Alfred; S Doherty, D Connolly, D Lane; D Lyons, E Costelloe, O Collins; J Sweeney, R Gleeson; R Connolly, S Costelloe, P Maher; S O’Connor, R Bourke, H Bourke.
C Sparling for Lane (45); M Lyons for S Costelloe (48); M Keane for Gleeson (51); J Fitzgerald for Collins (58); M Southgate for O’Connor (60).
S O’Connell; M McCarthy, S Quigley, F Cotter; M Kilbridge, S Kilbridge, C Quigley; D Buckley, E Riordan; D Daly, M Scannell, D Quirke; R O’Brien, D Ward, A Enright.
C Roche for Quirke (38); C Boyle for Quigley, D Kelly for Ward (both 51); E O’Connell for Scannell (56); O Woulfe for Riordan (60).
D O’Callaghan.
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