Limerick withstand Galway fightback to seal Division 1A final showdown with Cork

An 11-point second-half lead for Limerick almost disappeared in the sixth minute of second-half injury-time.

ONTO THE FINAL: Limerick’s Cathal O'Neill celebrates scoring his sides first goal. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie.

Limerick 2-27 Galway 0-31

The spring continues for the Treaty, the spring concludes with further positives for the young Tribes to take away.

Limerick eventually landed into the League final on Saturday night. An 11-point second-half lead almost disappeared in the sixth minute of second-half injury-time.

In front by 11 on four separate occasions in the second period, Limerick managed only four scores in the closing 25 minutes.

The visitors, revived by half-time sub Darragh Neary and a powerful upturn in influence from possession-magnet Jason Rabbitte, both of whom clipped three second-half points, were back within two on 67 minutes.

A stroke of fine fortune then appeared to settle the matter. Adam English's point attempt struck the post. Aaron Gillane reacted quickest to pull the sliotar to the net. Limerick’s lead out to five. Breathing space amid the maroon march.

Aaron Niland, Neary, and another sub of effectiveness, Colm Molloy, cancelled out the major by the third minute of five injury-time minutes allotted.

A second half that had been ticking along at a most mundane pace had thankfully snapped out of its stupor. Nothing was happening, then everything was happening.

Gillane and Molloy traded points. Galway required green to sink green. The sandglass neared empty.

Niland lasered a pass down the open stand side to Conor Whelan. The red helmet gathered possession and had his attempted path to goal illegally stopped.

The resulting Cathal Mannion free, from an acute angle, was blocked back out into the mayhem. Sub Brian Concannon let fly for the headline, his shot deflected out for a ‘65.

Once more Galway went in search, but no sensational comeback was found.

Cathal O’Neill completed and capped a superb individual first half of hurling from the Mackey Stand sideline. The outrageously good score brought his first half total to 1-4. It brought Limerick’s first-half lead to nine.

There were 20 seconds of allotted injury-time remaining. There was still time for further maroon pain. Yet another Galway restart was not retained. Cian Lynch popped a handpass to Adam English. Open country greeted the Doon midfielder. His goal shot was deflected over by Fahy.

The half-time scoreline read 1-16 to 0-9. The goal, as alluded to by his 1-4 tally, belonged to O’Neill. The green flag stemmed from a Galway mistake - pretty much your story of the first-half.

A Cianan Fahy sideline was sent straight out to the middle where O’Neill was standing idle. He didn’t even hesitate as to what flag he was going after. With the western gates unmanned, he powered through and pistoled his shot past Fahy.

O’Neill’s half-forward colleague Gearóid Hegarty was another at the top of the Limerick teamsheet for impressiveness and influence. He provided their third point and the assist for their fourth. His second white flag was a microcosm for the overall difference in power, physicality, and experience.

Just past the half-hour mark, he fetched a Nickie Quaid restart, flinged Ronan Glennon from his hip, and fired over.

Having opened so positively and confidently to lead 0-5 to 0-1 after five minutes, Micheál Donoghue's new-look side were outgunned 1-15 to 0-4 across the remainder of the half. Limerick struck eight of the next nine scores following their opponents’ establishment of that four-point lead.

The problems were myriad for the young maroon men. Puckouts short were breaking down, puckouts long weren’t sticking. Passes were being stifled and suffocated. Galway’s nervous first touch didn’t help in this department either, leading to a series of avoidable turnovers that fed the local energy reserves.

Galway’s midfield pairing of TJ Brennan and Cian Daniels got on plenty of possession but succeeded in doing so little with it. Adam English, by contrast, delivered a first-half 0-3 return when under the spotlight.

There’s been plenty of commentary the past few months regarding the Galway kids and the pace of their emergence. The changing of the guard that is currently afoot has taken an entire county by pleasant surprise.

Limerick’s own changing of the guard was further evident here. Having been taken for five unanswered points approaching the hour mark, it was Adam English’s assist and Cathal O’Neill’s point that temporarily steadied them. Two minutes later, it was the same pair successfully partnering to once more return the Limerick lead to three. It was English’s point attempt that ended with Gillane’s goal.

Add in Aidan O'Connor's 0-5 contribution, and while Shane O'Brien had a quiet night before his half-time withdrawal, the identity of the attacking leaders has shifted.

English, O’Neill, and the rest of the green cast will return to the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, April 5, for the League decider against Cork.

Scorers for Limerick: C O’Neill (1-6); A Gillane (1-4); A O’Connor (0-5, 0-3 frees); A English (0-4); G Hegarty (0-3); D Reidy, D Ó Dálaigh (0-2 each); E Hurley (0-1 each).

Scorers for Galway: A Niland (0-10, 0-8 frees); C Mannion, J Rabbitte (0-4 each); D Neary (0-3); T Monaghan, C Whelan C Molloy (0-2 each); R Glennon, P Mannion, T Killeen, B Concannon (0-1 each).

LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Langan, B Nash; D Byrnes, W O’Donoghue, K Hayes; A English, C Lynch; G Hegarty, A O’Connor, C O’Neill; A Gillane, S O’Brien, D Reidy.

SUBS: D Ó Dálaigh for O’Brien (HT): E Hurley for Lynch (40-43, temporary); H Flanagan for Hegarty (56); M Casey for B Nash (62); P O’Donovan for O’Connor (64); C Coughlan for Byrnes (69).

GALWAY: D Fahy; J Ryan, C Trayers, D Morrissey; R Glennon, P Mannion, C Fahy; TJ Brennan, C Daniels; T Killeen, C Mannion, A Niland; T Monaghan, J Rabbitte, C Whelan.

SUBS: S Morgan for Morrissey, D Neary for Fahy, C Molloy for Brennan (all HT); B Concannon for Monaghan (47, inj); S Linnane for Glennon (65).

REFEREE: C Mooney (Dublin).