Last gasp Mark Rodgers penalty ensures Clare take Shannonside derby spoils

The only downside to such a worthy opening work-out was a head injury to Clare’s Jack Kirwan midway through the second half that saw proceedings halted for over ten minutes

Sun, 04 Jan, 2026 - 08:00

Eoin Brennan

Clare 3-20 Limerick 3-18

45 years after their last competitive match in Tulla, Clare’s flagship hurlers would this time leave it late to finally overcome neighbours Limerick in the opening Munster League tie of 2026 on Saturday afternoon.

The famed Dr Daly Park that once boasted a 15-match winning streak in the 1970’s once more came to the rescue, according to Clare manager Brian Lohan, after Mark Rodgers’ penalty at the death snatched a dramatic victory.

“Going back over the last couple of years, we’ve tended to lose out in these games especially to Limerick so it’s no harm to win. Particularly at home in Tulla where traditionally down through the years when Clare needed a result, Tulla’s a good place to come.

“We do tend to respond out here so we’re delighted with that and delighted for the effort that the club have put in to have the grounds in such good condition that we were able to put on a performance.”

It was the typical seesaw battle for supremacy that made this cobweb-blowing opener such compelling viewing for the capacity 2,000 attendance as the outcome was unclear right to the final whistle having been locked together ten times as late as the 66th minute.

A head injury to Jack Kirwan ensured that what was initially anticipated to be an hour-long match actually turned out to be a 42-minute second half that thrilled with four goals including the winner for Rodgers in the tenth minute of additional time.

With the lead changing hands nine times, goals regularly altered the narrative but with rarely more than a puck of the ball between these neighbours whichever way the pendulum swung, neither side of the divide could claim to be in control at any stage.

Indeed, have gone blow-for-blow six times in the opening quarter alone, Clare made the first break in the 13th minute when David Fitzgerald picked out the unmarked Shane Meehan for a back-post finish at 1-6 to 0-6.

That daylight would only last four minutes, though, as the visitors capitalised upon a defensive error for Donnacha Ó Dálaigh to race through and give debutante goalkeeper Mark Sheedy no chance from point-blank range.

Five unanswered home points including two from chief marksman Rodgers, would see Brian Lohan’s side take a 1-12 to 1-10 edge into the break but even that advantage would be matched as Donnacha Ó Dálaigh fired his second goal only twenty seconds into the new half.

Jack Kirwan would surpass that achievement in the 34th minute when fielding a Mark Sheedy delivery 60 metres from goal before embarking on a driving run that ended with a batted shot to the Limerick net at 2-13 to 2-10.

A poor home clearance would be exploited in the two-thirds mark when substitute Adam English passed across the square for Fintan Fitzgerald to slash the arrears to just the minimum by the 40th minute.

Kirwan would receive extensive treatment for a suspected concussion soon afterwards, a ten-minute recess that only ended with his premature withdrawal. While Aidan O’Connor regained full parity for the ninth time upon the resumption, Rodgers’ frees allied to a sublime converted sideline from Kirwan’s replacement Peter Duggan handed back the whip hand to the Banner entering injury-time at 2-19 to 3-14.

A relentless Limerick would produce a rousing response with successive points from Aidan O’Connor (2) and replacement duo Adam English and Peter Casey put their side into the ascendancy for the first time in over 35 minutes.

Mark Rodgers refused to yield, though, as first he pointed from an acute angle before initiating the move that saw David Fitzgerald offload to substitute Colm O’Meara, who would be held for a penalty that the 2024 Young Hurler of the Year cooly dispatched to seal the opening points.

John Kiely’s side now face a must-win repeat of last year’s Munster Final showdown with Cork back in the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Wednesday evening before Clare resume against the Rebels on Monday week.

“Once it starts, it’s nearly week-on-week from now on so it’s something to look forward to as we hope to work hard and get more lads back on the field as the weeks progress,” concluded Lohan.

Scorers for Clare: M Rodgers 1-11 (1-0 Pen, 7f); J Kirwan 1-2; S Meehan 1-1; J O’Neill 0-2; R Taylor, K Smyth, D Fitzgerald, P Duggan (sl) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Limerick: D Ó Dálaigh 2-2; A O’Connor 0-7 (6f); F Fitzgerald 1-0; D O’Shea, T Morrissey 0-2 each; D Langan, J English, M Fitzgerald, S O’Brien, P Casey 0-1 each.

CLARE: M Sheedy; S Woods, C Cleary, R Hayes; E McMahon, D Ryan, J Conneally; D Lohan, R Taylor; J Kirwan, J O’Neill, D Fitzgerald; S Meehan, K Smyth, M Rodgers.

Subs: C Malone for Conneally (19, inj), P Duggan for Kirwan (42, inj), D Stritch for McMahon (43), C O’Meara for Smyth (66).

LIMERICK: C Ryan; V Harrington, S Casey, E Stokes; D Langan, C O’Neill, D O’Shea; E Hurley, D O’Donovan: O O’Farrell, T Morrissey, J English (Garryspillane); F Fitzgerald, A O’Connor, D Ó Dálaigh.

Subs: A English for Hurley (HT), S O’Brien for O’Farrell (HT), M Fitzgerald for O’Shea (39), G Hegarty for Morrissey (60), J Fitzgerald for O’Donovan (60), C Thomas for Casey (65), P Casey for Ó Dálaigh (65), D Ferland for F. Fitzgerald (65).

Referee: C Doyle (Tipperary).