Limerick SHC final: Na Piarsaigh defend title as they keep Patrickswell at bay

Limerick SHC final: Na Piarsaigh 1-20 Patrickswell 0-19

Twelve years since their first county senior title, Limerick kingpins Na Piarsaigh won their eighth John Daly Cup at the expense of Patrickswell in TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening.

Na Piarsaigh, who made the short one kilometre trip from Dromgoole Park to the Gaelic Grounds, led by four points – 1-8 to 0-7 – at half-time with a Peter Casey kicked goal in the 25th minute setting the defending champions on their way.

In the end Na Piarsaigh’s experience shone through with Shane O’Neill’s charges withholding a late Patrickswell comeback to hold out and maintain their four-point advantage to secure their sixth Limerick SHC title in 10 years.

Ronan Lynch top-scored for Na Piarsaigh with 0-8, seven of which were frees, while Limerick star Aaron Gillane scored 0-7 for Patrickswell.

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In what was a repeat of the 2019 decider, it was Patrickswell who got off to the brighter of starts with Gillane putting the Well two points up inside three minutes.

Both sides each began the game with three players that started in last July’s All-Ireland SHC final for Limerick – Gillane, Cian Lynch and Diarmaid Byrnes for Patrickswell, and Will O’Donoughue, Peter Casey and Mike Casey for Na Piarsaigh.

The teams were level four times in the opening half before Na Piarsaigh opened up a two-point gap when Ronan Lynch pointed two without response.

Ten minutes before half-time, Patrickswell goalkeeper Jason Gillane pulled off his first of two quality saves from an Adrian Breen close-range effort.

Two minutes later, it was the turn of Na Piarsaigh goalkeeper Shane Dowling to get in on the action when the former Limerick star dived to his right to pull off an unbelievable save to deny Kevin O’Brien.

Minutes later, Peter Casey got the game’s only goal when the Limerick star made his way through the Patrickswell defence before kicking the ball into the back of the net with his left foot as Patrickswell goalkeeper Jason Gillane was fast approaching. That goal five minutes before the break made it 1-7 to 0-5 in favour of Na Piarsaigh.

Patrickswell responded with Jack Kelleher and Diarmaid Byrnes narrowing the deficit to a goal, but Kevin Downes’s second point of the opening half saw Na Piarsaigh go in at the break 1-8 to 0-7 in front.

Soon after the restart, Mike Foley and Lynch stretched Na Piarsaigh’s advantage to six, but Kelleher, Byrnes and Gillane kept Patrickswell within touching distance.

Na Piarsaigh, however, showed their experience of winning county finals, and kept the scoreboard ticking over with Will Henn, and two from Conor Boylan seeing them 1-15 to 0-13 ahead midway through the second half.

Dowling’s inch-perfect puck-outs were continuing to cause problems for the Well, but it was Eamonn Kelly’s men who clawed the losing margin back to two with eight minutes to play after Aaron Gillane and O’Brien gave the Well faithful something to shout for.

When the impressive Downes landed his fourth of the game, Na Piarsaigh had breathing space yet again.

Two further Ronan Lynch frees, either side of a Calvin Carroll effort from play, had the score at 1-18 to 0-18 heading into stoppage-time.

It wasn’t for the lack of effort, but Patrickswell were unable to get the vital goal they needed to get back into the game before Ronan Lynch landed his seventh and eighth points of the game to seal it for Na Piarsaigh.

Na Piarsaigh will now face the winner of the game between Waterford champions Ballygunner and Cork’s Sarsfields in the Munster Club SHC semi-final in three weeks’ time.

NA PIARSAIGH: Shane Dowling; Emmet McEvoy, Mike Casey (capt), Cathal King; Mike Foley (0-1), Ronan Lynch (0-8, seven frees), Vince Harington; Will O’Donoghue, JJ Carey (0-1); Conor Boylan (0-2), David Dempsey (0-2), Kevin Downes (0-4); Adrian Breen, Will Henn (0-1), Peter Casey (1-1). Subs: Keith Dempsey for Adrian Breen (57 mins), John Fitzgearld for Henn (62).

PATRICKSWELL: Jason Gillane; Kelvin Lynch, Mark Carmody (0-1), John Flynn (0-1); Evan Fitzgearld (0-1), Diarmaid Byrnes (0-2, two frees) Cian Fitzgerald; Jack Kelleher (0-4, one sideline) Josh Considine; Kevin O’Brien (0-2), Cian Lynch, Jordan Higgins; Tom O’Brien, Aaron Gillane (capt.) (0-7, five frees), John Kirby. Subs: Patrick Kirby for Tom O’Brien (h-t), Tom Nolan for Fitzgerald (temp, 37- 40), Calvin Carroll (0-1) for Considine, Nigel Foley for John Kirby (both 49), Tom Nolan for Higgins (59).

Referee: Michael Sexton (Bruree).