Limerick cut loose

Limerick 5-26 Dublin 0-10:NHL/Division One/Group One:  A very much below-strength Limerick hammered an equally patched-up Dublin in this dreadfully one-sided game at Kilmallock, yesterday. Dublin boss Marty Morris admitted before the throw-in that he half expected his side to come under the cosh, but hardly by such a wide margin.

With the Dublin championship due to start on Tuesday, he said, he had only four regulars - Ronan Fenton, Johnny McGuirk, Liam Ryan and Philip Brennan - available. Their plight was worsened with several enforced changes from their original selection.

Limerick, with only five of the team which had beaten Laois a week earlier, had their opponents on the ropes from the start and the visitors were all over the place. Limerick manager Dave Keane, pleased to have made it four wins in a row, said: "We completely recast our team and the youngsters who came in showed they are ready to challenge for championship places."

There was one setback, however, with dual player Stephen Lucey, in his first outing of the season, hobbling off injured midway through the first half.

Donnacha Sheehan declared their intentions with a point inside 50 seconds. Tomas McGrane raised hopes with an equaliser but thereafter Limerick were in control, going in 0-12 to 0-5 in front at the break. Once Olly Moran claimed the game's first goal, in 38 minutes, it was time to bring down the curtain.

LIMERICK: D Bulfin; S McDonogh, TJ Ryan, M Cahill; P O'Dwyer, S Lucey, Maurice O'Brien; J Meskell (0-3, two 65s), R Hayes (0-2); Michael O'Brien (1-4), O Moran (2-1), J O'Brien (0-2); P Kirby (0-5, four frees), N Moran (1-4), D Sheehan (0-3). Subs: C Carey for Lucey; P Lawlor for O'Dwyer, B Foley for Sheehan; A O'Shaughnessy (1-1) for Kirby, J Moran (0-1) for Ml O'Brien

DUBLIN: G Ryan; P Brennan, C Wilson, C O'Brien; D Sweeney, L O'Donoghue, T Holden; R Fallon, J McGuirk; T McGrain (0-6, frees), K Horgan (0-1), D O'Reilly; L Ryan (0-2), P McDonnell, F Armstrong (0-1). Subs: K Flynn for Fallon; S Daly for Holden, T Moore for O'Reilly, K O'Donoghue for McGuirk

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary).