Aaron Gillane leads Limerick to first league title in three years with win over Cork

The Rebels won’t be perturbed by their second defeat to their neighbours here in four weeks. The game lacked intensity at times and an atmosphere despite the 41,678 crowd.

LIMERICK'S LEADER: Aaron Gillane in action against Seán O'Donoghue during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A final. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

LIMERICK 1-27 CORK 1-21

A first Division 1 title for Limerick in three years and fourth under John Kiely was delivered in a free-strewn final in TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Losing their league crown, Cork won’t be perturbed by their second defeat to their neighbours here in four weeks. The game lacked intensity at times and an atmosphere despite the 41,678 crowd. The same is unlikely to be said of SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in three weeks.

Aaron Gillane helped himself to 1-7 as Limerick pushed away in the closing minutes of normal time having seen a six-point lead cut to two by the 66th minute.

After losing his way a little towards the end of the first half, Aidan O’Connor rediscovered his marksmanship skills with three converted frees in the opening 12 minutes, On a day when frees were conceded cheaply, the third of them sent Limerick five points clear and Gillane’s second point put them six up in the 48th minute.

Gillane’s third point eight minutes later restored Limerick’s six-point cushion before Cork sprang back with three in less than two minutes, Hugh O’Connor, Tim O’Mahony and William Buckley with his third the scorers.

Gillane forced another save from Patrick Collins in the 64th minute. Diarmaid Byrnes converted the resultant 65 only for Alan Connolly to restore the three-point difference.

The new 30-metre dissent rule was utilised by referee Shane Hynes when Mark Coleman contested a free awarded to Gearóid Hegarty and Gillane duly capitalised with the free. Hegarty then posted a point himself and Gillane weaved his way to a fifth point to seal the victory for Limerick.

Limerick’s attacks were bellowed by the breeze in the first half. It was so strong it was a question of not whether they would be ahead at half-time but by how much.

Brian Hayes in action against Mike Casey. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Three points, 1-13 to 1-10, was a disappointing margin when they had been nine between the teams in the 18th minute. Gillane’s goal in that minute sent them 1-11 to 1-2 ahead.

The first six scores in the opening seven minutes were Limerick’s, two of them directly from Cork puck-outs. Adam English picked off the first couple of points, the second after a Cork restart was preyed upon.

Diarmaid Byrnes rose above Darragh Fitzgibbon to claim another Collins puck-out in the seventh minute and sent it back over the Cork goalkeeper’s head.

Two minutes later, Byrnes was in the red when he inexplicably sent a pass intended for Nickie Quaid to Brian Hayes who couldn’t believe his luck as he found the net.

Limerick hit back rapidly with a Cathal O’Neill point. They twice led by six points prior to Gillane’s goal, a score so cleverly created by the Patrickswell man getting first to the ball ahead of Seán O’Donoghue and touching it into space to run onto.

At that stage, nobody would have predicted Limerick scoring just two further points in the half. Four consecutive Alan Connolly frees gave Cork a foothold in the game that they craved.

A couple of Aidan O’Connor wides from placed balls deflated Limerick and Fitzgibbon and Connolly (free) scored either side of a Gearóid Hegarty point.

Tommy O’Connell, one of Cork’s best, made a great hook on English as he attempt to unload towards the Cork net in the 34th minute.

Another Limerick goal opening came seconds later as Cian Lynch’s shot was parried by Collins. Hynes had played advantage and blew for it just before Lynch bungled the sliotar over the line.

A row ensued which saw English and O’Connell booked and the free was altered to a throw-in, which Cork won, O’Connell broke from and found Hayes to give the Munster champions a seismic boost before half-time.

Scorers for Limerick: A. Gillane (1-7, 3 frees); A. O’Connor (0-8, 7 frees, 1 65); A. English, D. Byrnes (1 free, 1 65) (0-3 each); C. O’Neill, G. Hegarty (0-2 each); S. O’Brien, D. Reidy (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: A. Connolly (0-7, frees); B. Hayes (1-3); W. Buckley (0-3); T. O’Mahony (1 free), D. Fitzgibbon (0-2 each); S. Harnedy, T. O’Connell, M. Coleman, H. O’Connor (0-1 each).

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

Subs: P. Casey for C. O’Neill (temp, 32-ht); P. Casey for S. O’Brien (54); D. O’Donovan for A. O’Connor (58); E. Hurley for C. Lynch (67); C. Coughlan for D. Byrnes (70+3).

CORK: P. Collins; N. O’Leary, C. Joyce, S. O’Donoghue; E. Downey, R. Downey, M. Mullins; T. O’Mahony, T. O’Connell; S. Harnedy, S. Barrett, D. Fitzgibbon (c); A. Connolly, B. Hayes, W. Buckley.

Subs: G. Millerick for S. O’Donoghue (inj 35+1); M. Coleman for M. Mullins (48); H. O’Connor for S. Harnedy (50); R. O’Flynn for T. O’Connell (62); D. Dalton for W. Buckley (69); D. Cahalane for R. Downey (70+2).

Referee: S. Hynes (Galway)