For Limerick and Galway, the kids are alright...
STAR JUMPS: Limerick's Aaron Gillane challenges Galway's Cathal Mannion and Cillian Trayers in Saturday's Allianz HL Division 1A tie at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho
CONTINUED changing of the guard. Limerick’s new leaders assumed further responsibility, the Galway kids further announced themselves. And so, in the end, nobody went home unhappy Saturday night, even if only one was going on to the League final.
Arriving into this de facto League semi-final, the form of Aidan O’Connor, Shane O’Brien, and their taking ownership of Limerick’s attacking spine had been arguably the most positive development of John Kiely’s spring.
With O’Connor quieter than usual and O’Brien pulled at half-time because of a bang to the hand, it was another pairing from Limerick’s new fleet of bus drivers that maintained their push for spring silverware and reinstatement at the peak of hurling’s pecking order.
Cathal O’Neill and Adam English contributed 1-4 and 0-3 respectively to Limerick’s 10-point interval advantage. English’s interval tally would have been 1-2 but for a Darach Fahy save on the stroke of half-time.
Such a fine input into an opening 35 minutes of very fine Limerick health didn’t fall off a cliff when the colour subsequently went from green cheeks. English assisted Limerick’s second-half opener and provided their next white flag for the first two of four occasions where the home side’s lead was 11-strong.
Fast forward to their final quarter famine. Cathal O’Neill had the assist for a Donnacha Ó Dálaigh point on 53 minutes, their sole white flag amid a cluster of eight from the opposition.
On 61 minutes, with the gap reduced to a goal and Limerick scoreless since the aforementioned Ó Dálaigh minor, English and O’Neill combined to push back against maroon momentum. A sideline from the midfielder found the half-forward and Limerick’s account was back moving.
Two minutes on again, English won a turnover well inside his own half, picked out O’Neill, and Limerick were once more temporarily steadied. Gillane’s 68th minute goal to give them the five-point breathing space that proved just about sufficient in the end was an English point attempt that came down off the post.
We wouldn’t dare diminish the significant imprint of both Gillane and Gearóid Hegarty simply to suit a particular narrative, but in the best and worst of Limerick times on Saturday, it was the two yellow helmets in their early 20s who willingly carried the heaviest load.
“Cathal had a hamstring injury during winter but has come back strong now,” Kiely said of his in-form No.12.
“He's getting the best out of himself, he's playing to his strengths. His performance tonight was fantastic across the board, in terms of his work-rate, the ground he covers. He's in a great vein of form, and we've just got to look after him now and keep him going.”
What they’ll also be keen to sustain is a green-flag appetite - eight in six games - that is almost triple what they managed during the 2025 League round-robin.
“We are a very mobile attack now, and that's something that we've been working on and will continue to work on. It's a dimension of our game that wasn't maybe as well-tuned last year as it is this year,” the manager added.
“I think that second half will have been a very valuable experience for us in terms of our reflections. Do I regret what happened? From a learning perspective, after the game, having got two points, definitely not.” Over to the Galway rebuild. Their spring concluded with further positives for the young Tribes to take away. They came from 11 back to be denied the win in the seventh minute of injury-time by successive Kyle Hayes and William O’Donoghue blocks.
With Brian Concannon welcomed back on Saturday, and Daithí Burke and Gavin Lee still to be welcomed back from recent injuries, there is nothing but excitement ahead of Kilkenny’s visit on April 18, even if issues such as short restarts regularly breaking down need much work.
21-year-old half-forward Darragh Neary, introduced at the break, struck three points, was fouled for two converted frees, assisted a Jason Rabbitte score, and won the turnover for Concannon’s point.
19-year-old Rabbitte was equally central to the maroon revival. He’ll be central to a summer filled with promise. Also raising three second half white flags, he assisted two more, and won a converted free. The trend of him drifting out to the half-forward line to win possession when games are drifting from Galway, same as against Cork, reignited Micheál Donoghue’s side.
“They are going well,” Donoghue said of the new kids. “We never doubted the talent that is there. There is a lot to look forward to, hopefully.”
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).
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).
: 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.
: D Ó Dálaigh for O’Brien (HT): E Hurley for Lynch (40-43, temporary); H Flanagan for Hegarty (56); M Casey for Nash (62); P O’Donovan for O’Connor (64); C Coughlan for Byrnes (69).
: 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.
: 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).
: C Mooney (Dublin).
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