Limerick boost promotion hopes with big Allianz Football League win over Tipperary

“LOST two players to injury during the week, another before the throw-in and two more during the game, but we still produced a performance like this,” was the satisfaction expressed by Limerick senior football manager Jimmy Lee after his side thumped Tipperary 2-21 to 3-8 under the floodlights at Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale to record a third successive Allianz Football League Division Four victory on Saturday night.

“It shows the depth we've now got in the panel after all the disruption of the last few seasons.”

Those wins have left Lee's Limerick charges with a strong chance of securing an immediate return to Division Three despite dropping three of the four points on offer in their first two outings of the season.

Saturday night's big win over Tipp sets them up for a crucial showdown away to Wicklow in their next outing. And on this display, they'll be setting out on the long road to Aughrim with a level of confidence not seen for almost three years when they ran up a winless streak that stretched to 17 games league.

The ten-point winning margin may look impressive, but it only reflects part of the story. Zapped by two Tipp goals in the opening five minutes, one of them of the very soft variety, it looked as if it was going to be one of those nights for Limerick.

However. where a lesser team might have dropped their heads, Limerick brushed off adversity immediately and were already on their way as they led by four points at the break.

And even when another defensive mistake reduced the gap to the minimum margin early in the second half, the response from Limerick was lethal, immediate and direct as they snuffed out any chance of being overhauled long before the game had run its course.

Granted, they were helped by two of Tipp's main men, top scorer Seán O'Connor and defensive lynchpin Luke Boland, going off injured, but Limerick were already imposing their dominance by the time they had departed.

A haul of 2-21, Limerick's biggest in years, might suggest that this was a victory put together up front but the real difference between the sides was in defence. Whenever they were being shaded for possession, the home side's structure at the back frustrated the visitor's efforts to strike back in a way the Premier team never matched during those periods when Limerick were on top.

Despite Limerick's attack from the throw-in ending with Bob Childs opening the scoring with a point, Tipp got the dart of rocket fuel when,  after his goal chance was blocked by Josh Ryan, Seán O'Connor was fouled going for the rebound and then drove home the penalty.

The hosts replied immediately with Iain Corbett lofting over a two-pointer, but then blew it again off the next movement as a quick free from defence went astray and Michael Freaney floated the ball into the empty net.

Undeterred, Corbett struck back immediately and, pressuring the Tipp kickout, a flashing move ended with Emmett Rigter collecting possession from Cormac Woulfe to drill the ball beyond Seán Ryan's reach for a tonic goal.

After an exchange of frees between O'Connor and Naughton on the quarter mark and a Michael Barlow point being cancelled out by another Naughton free, the hosts maintained their one-point lead as O'Connor answered a Darragh Ó Siochrú point and his free Rigter's lengthy effort off a quick break.

The course of play could have had a serious adjustment had Tipp 'keeper Sean Ryan not blocked Ó Siochrú's shot on goal. However, the momentum was still with Limerick as Naughton pointed twice and Ó Siochrú once to put them ahead 1-13 to 2-6 as they trooped into the dressing-room for half-time.

Limerick kept up the pressure on for the restart but wasted their efforts on a trio of wides.

Tipp hit back with a Luke Boland point but when the visitors then steadied their ball-winning capacity, they were held at bay by the opposing defence before Tommie Childs hit them off a break to end a scoreless spell.

However, fortune then favoured Tipperary once more as a high delivery was dropped in the Limerick goalmouth for Freaney to strike home his second goal over the unguarded line.

However, Limerick responded superbly straight from the kickout as Paul Maher's sizzling solo sliced through the challenges before he offloaded to Peter Nash who slotted the ball into the corner of the net. And in effect that was that, even with 22 minutes plus add-ons still left on the clock.

Spraying the ball about, finding the wide pass, the long pass and the tight moves, a Childs point as well as Killian Ryan's fisted effort and Naughton with two, from a free and from play, stretched Limerick's lead to eight.

Tipp were left chasing shadows before the visitors thought they'd found a response but Mark Russell's goal off a quick free was pulled back. To make matters worse, the tap-over free from the 13-metre line went horribly wide.

Coming up to added time, another Naughton pointed free was followed by Tadhg Ó Siochrú getting on the scoresheet before Cian Smith broke Limerick's run of seven unanswered scores with a Tipp point. However, that score was cancelled out by Danny Neville picking off the final point of the night.

SCORERS: LIMERICK: James Naughton 0-7 (4 frees), Emmett Rigter 1-1, Iain Corbett 0-3 (1 2x), Peter Nash 1-0, Bob Childs, Darragh Ó Siochrú, Tommie Childs 0-2 each, Seán Clancy, Killian Ryan, Tadhg Ó Siochrú, Danny Neville 0-1 each. TIPPERARY: Seán O'Connor 1-5 (1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees, 1 2xfree), Michael Freaney 2-0, Michael Barlow, Luke Boland, Cian Smith 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: Josh Ryan; Cormac Woulfe, Fiachra Cotter, Colm McSweeney; Mark McCarthy, Iain Corbett, Tony McCarthy; Darragh O'Hagan, Paul Maher; Bob Childs, James Naughton, Seán Clancy; Darragh Ó Siochrú, Emmett Rigter; Killian Ryan. SUBS: Tommie Childs for Seán Clancy (injured, 26 mins), Peter Nash for Darragh Ó Siochrú (45 mins), Danny Neville for Bob Childs (47 mins), Tadhg Ó Siochrú for Darragh O'Hagan (58 mins), Diarmuid Buckley for Iain Corbett (61 mins).

TIPPERARY: Seán Ryan; Manus McFadden, Jimmy Feehan, Emmet Moloney; Kieran Costello, Luke Boland, Mark Stokes; Cathal Deeley, Mark Russell; Conor Fahey, Mike O'Shea, Michael Freaney; Cian Smith, Michael Barlow, Seán O'Connor. SUBS: Paudie Feehan for Seán O'Connor (injured, 33 mins), Tadhg Condon for Conor Fahy (half-time), Ben Comerford for Luke Boland (injured, 48 mins), Jack Neville for Cathal Deeley (53 mins), Mikey Lyons for Micheál O'Shea (61 mins).

REFEREE: Andrew Smith (Meath).