Limerick footballers exit Munster Championship after semi final defeat to Clare

LIMERICK are out of the Munster Football Championship at the semi final stage after a 1-16 to 0-16 loss to Clare at the TUS Gaelic Grounds this Saturday evening.

It took a spectacular point-blank save by Clare goalkeeper Stephen Ryan minutes from time to Limerick's interest in the Munster senior football championship and, more importantly, in the race for the 2023 Sam Maguire Cup.

Yet their performance in the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening showed that a season that has already seen two managerial changes and relegation back to Division Three of the National League has shown far more progress than appears on paper.

Despite being hit by a 2nd minute goal and struggling to break through their opponents' defensive wall to trail by four after the break, a gutsy effort in a hugely entertaining second half that had the crowd of 3,636 on their feet saw them edge ahead with the finishing line in sight only to run out of gas after the match-winning chance was blocked

Buoyed by their unexpected win over Cork in the previous round and their easy win in the League clash between the sides, the Banner were hot favourites to advance to a provincial final meeting with Kerry and looked to have enough extra penetration up front to withstand whatever their hosts could throw at them. However, as the game wore on, they were slowly ground down by the Limerick midfield where debutant Cathal Downes and Cillian Fahy dominated the possession and, even despite losing inspirational skipper Iain Corbett to injury at half-time, the pressure eventually told as the the game entered the final straight.

But just as in Limerick's win on penalties at the same stage a year ago in Ennis, the outcome was decided on converting the goal chances. The home side had two, one early and one late, and both were stopped on the line. Clare made the most of the single one that came their way which put them into a lead they held for most of the game.

So it's now down to a Tailteann Cup campaign for manager Mark Fitzgerald and his men. It may not hold the glamour of the Sam Maguire but it does give them the chance to show how much they benefited from playing in the top half of League competition for only the second time in county's football history. On this performance, they've shown they've learned much and that they've the appetite to take it further.

After Limerick's early moves failed to open up the spaces, Clare hit them on their first move forward as Dermot Coughlan fed club colleagues Keelan Sexton to swivel past three challenges and shot to the net. Jamie Malone then sent the kickout back over the crossbar but Limerick steadied themselves for Downes to reply, and were denied a the equaliser when Peter Nash's shot was smothered in the square before a James Naughton's free narrowed the gap to two.

Eoin Cleary and Coughlan replied by the quarter mark but the hosts were dominating possession and had better success with shooting from distance as Downes, Fahy and Seán O'Dea all found the target. The pace picked up coming up to the break as Cillian Brennan was met by goalie Donal O'Sullivan's long free and Cleary's free by Nash before added time scores from Pearse Lillis and Sexton sent the Banner into the dressing-room with a lead of 1-7 to 0-7.

Clare stepped on the gas at the restart but, as Limerick reacted, Cleary's point was matched by Naughton's free and Sexton's by Hugh Bourke before Naughton punished another free. Seizing the advantage, Naughton's free, Barry Coleman and Bourke from play and from a mark put the home team ahead for the first time and they regained their lead as Fahy met Sexton's breakaway strike.

Sexton and Emmet McMahon put the Banner ahead again and, Coleman equalised and, after Cleary replied from a free, it took Stephen Ryan's spectacular save off Donovan to derail Limerick's momentum. Clare made the most of their escape to hit their drained opponents with Cleary's free, and strikes from Daniel Walsh, McMahon and Cillian Rouine before Donovan's point deep into injury time left them chasing the goal that would not come.

SCORERS: CLARE: Keelan Sexton 1-4, Eoin Cleary 0-4 (2frees), Emmet McMahon 0-2, Jamie Malone, Dermot Coughlan, Cillian Brennan, Pearse Lillis, Daniel Walsh, Cillian Rouine 0-1 each. LIMERICK: James Naughton (2frees), Hugh Bourke (1mark) 0-3 each, Cathal Downes, Cillian Fahy, Barry Coleman 0-2 each, Seán O'Dea, Donal O Sullivan (free), Peter Nash, Brian Donovan 0-1 each.

CLARE: Stephen Ryan; Manus Doherty, Cillian Brennan, Cillian Rouine; Ciar,n Russell, Jamie Malone, Daniel Walsh; Darragh Bohannon, Cathal O'Connor; Pearse Lillis, Emmet McMahon, Dermot Coughlan; Eoin Cleary, Keelan Sexton, Podge Collins. SUBS: Ronan Lanigan for Cillian Brennan, inj (half-time), Darren O'Neill for Darragh Bohannon (40mins), Gavin Cooney for Dermot Coughlan (44mins), Ikem Ugweru for Manus Doherty (56mins), Mark McInerney for Podge Collins (59mins).

LIMERICK: Donal O'Sullivan; Mike Donovan, Seán O'Dea, Brian Fanning; Barry Coleman, Iain Corbett, Jim Liston; Cillian Fahy, Cathal Downes; Cian Sheehan, Colm McSweeney, Paul Maher; James Naughton, Brian Donovan,.Peter Nash SUBS: Hugh Bourke for Iain Corbett, inj (half-time), Gordon Brown for Jim Liston (50mins), Davey Lyons for Peter Nash (68mins), Tony McCarthy for Paul Maher (69mins).

REFEREE: Liam Devenney (Mayo).