Limerick back in business

ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION TWO Limerick 2-9 Clare 0-6:AFTER A season in the wilderness, here at last was something to shout about for hurling in the Treaty County.

It was a modest beginning to the Donal O’Grady era but the smart and businesslike way that the team went about chalking up their first win of the season augurs well.

After last year’s extreme upheaval, there was a calm and low-key efficiency about this afternoon of hurling that must have reassured the Limerick supporters in the estimated crowd of over 5,000.

It was strange planning to schedule what most would see as the choice match of the Division Two league programme on the first afternoon; surely it would have made more sense to have the division building towards this clash. As it happened, Limerick responded to the challenge in a way Clare could not and Ger O’Loughlin looked despondent as he reassessed the immediate task ahead as he stood in the rain outside the Clare dressing room afterwards.

“We are likely down in Division Two with that kind of display and we deserve it,” he said. “We have to travel to Antrim now and try and get a result up there. Our backs are to the wall and we let a lot of people down today with our display. We have to take it for what it is and regroup but this is a bitter pill to swallow.

“We were playing second fiddle and that was not the design today. Limerick wanted it badly and we let the ball out too easily. We have no excuses because we had a lot of matches. Notwithstanding that Limerick played okay, but we were just diabolical.”

The home team managed just one point in the entire first half and Fergal Lynch’s 39th minute point was their only score from play in the match. They trailed by 2-4 to 0-1 at half time and even if they fell short of a fiery revival after the restart, they still had chances to play themselves into this game.

Five frees went a-begging and although Darach Honan was shadowed masterfully by David Moloney all afternoon, he did gallop free for what proved to be the pivotal moment of the match, turning sharply and firing low off his left. Nicky Quaid, in what was an assured return to life in Limerick colours, did well to smother the ball and the chance disappeared and the winners tacked on the closing scores of the match.

“The two points are handy but it is the start of a long campaign,” said O’Grady. “Really, it comes down to work rate. I was being honest last week when I said I didn’t know where we are at. Now, I don’t know where Clare are at either. When it is wet – and there were heavy showers there – it makes it easier for the defence.

“But it makes coming back to training, there is a bit of a buzz there. I don’t know where we are going to end up this year but we are going to take it one game at a time. How intent Clare were on this match I am not too sure.”

As a blueprint for the way forward for Limerick, this match was promising. Even allowing for the lethargy of the Claremen, Limerick’s defence excelled here. They extricated every single ball sent in to the Clare forwards over the first half, with Séamus Hickey at the centre of a terrific display.

But everyone chipped in. Wayne McNamara’s booking for a heavy challenge after 11 minutes was typical of Limerick’s mood.

When Honan took possession for Clare, it was midfielder Donal O’Grady who stretched for the block in the 16th minute. A minute later Paul Browne dropped deep to work with Moloney in closing Honan’s options down and came away with the ball. That set the tone and both midfielders were excellent all afternoon.

And Limerick weren’t content to merely hammer a clearance downfield. They played a controlled possession game that the Clare men could not live with.

Richie McCarthy’s first point highlighted the difference, with Stephen Lucey shepherding a hopeful Clare puck towards goalkeeper Nicky Quaid, who found Moloney and Kevin Downes, under pressure, played a cross ball that gave McCarthy time to find the target.

Clare will regard the Limerick goals as avoidable: their defence got caught by a smart James Ryan ball in the third minute and after Graeme Mulcahy was pulled down, McCarthy hit the net with his penalty. The Claremen were also caught bunching for the second goal, with Downes sending Mulcahy through with a cleverly flicked hand pass.

James McInerney had a strong second half for Clare and landed a long-range point during a brief period of control, when they converted three frees in succession.

But it was a heavy and laboured display. Limerick’s scoring rate slowed as well but their enthusiasm did not dip and afterwards, they left the field with a sense of deserved satisfaction.

“Everyone was under pressure to perform,” O’Grady remarked. “It worked for us today. Well, we didn’t have to make too many decisions today but when you are analysing, you are sitting in the stand looking at why a team is winning or losing. I felt our defenders worked well as a unit.

“That is their job. I don’t make comments on individual players but they are in there to do a job and there was pressure. Everyone was under pressure to perform. It worked for us today.”

LIMERICK: N Quaid: S Walsh, S Lucey, D Moloney; Wayne McNamara, S Hickey, D Breen; D O'Grady (0-1), P Browne; R McCarthy (1-5, 1-0 pen, 0-4 frees), J Ryan (0-1), N Moran; A O'Shaughnessy, K Downes (0-1), G Mulcahy (1-1). Subs: S Tobin for A O'Shaughnessy (64 mins), N Maher for N Moran (69 mins).

CLARE: D Tuohy: E Glynn, C Dillon, C Cooney; P O'Connor, J McInerney (0-1, free), P Donnellan; N O'Connell (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 65), D O'Donovan; C Ryan, J Conlon, D McMahon; D Honan, F Lynch (0-1), C McGrath (0-2, frees). Subs: C McInerney for D McMahon (32 mins), M Earley for C Ryan (half time), C Moray for F Lynch (56 mins), N O'Donovan for J Conlan (65 mins). S Collins for D Honan (69 mins).

Referee: J Ryan(Tipperary).