Clinical Limerick too good for Tipp in Munster minor football championship

“WE FLEW out off the blocks but I was even more impressed by the way the lads held Tipp out when they came back at us after the break”.

Manager Mike Lenihan was soaking in the satisfaction of a job well done as his Limerick minor footballers rebounded from the disappointment of their previous week's defeat to Clare by recording a stylish 2-14 to 1-12 victory over Tipperary in Mick Neville Park on Monday evening.

The win, their first in two years of championship participation, sets up a possible preliminary Munster final rematch with the Banner should they get the better of Waterford in their final group phase outing back in Rathkeale in two weeks' time.

If they do make it to the knockout stages, Limerick will be aiming to move on from this serious uptick in performance to rattle their conquerors in Quilty. Right from the start, they showed a belief in their own ability and, even though it took some frustrating minutes for their dominance to show on the scoreboard, they never lost their focus and powered themselves into a match-winning lead before Tipp could find their stride.

Two goals in the middle of the opening quarter was a fair reflection of their early superiority but, even though their entire tally came from play, this was a rounded display where they swarmed around their opponents in defence, overcame their kickout difficulties in their opening game to win a more than equal share of primary possession and moved quickly and effectively in attack.

Limerick monopolised the early possession but, between goal efforts from Oisín Healy and Eoin Williams not making it over the line and overplaying the final pass, it took six minutes before Monaleen's Ben Kiely got them off the mark.

However, once the ice was broken, they tacked on points from Shane Gill, Ryan Sheehan and Jamie Crowley to stretch their lead as Limerick's defence swallowed up Tipp's attempts on the break and they drove home their dominance on the quarter mark when Healy, despite dropping Jake Higgins's long pass, recovered immediately to ground strike the ball beyond James O'Brien's reach.

Up at the other end of the field, the Premier lads sent three relatively easy free attempts wide and their composure was rattled further when Jamie Crowley collected Healy's long pinpoint pass up the middle to rattle to the net.

Follow-up two-pointers from Crowley and Sheehan stretched the gap to 14 points before Tipp finally got a sustained passing movement together which ended with Seán Griffin's shot skimming just over the crossbar.

And with that, their confidence switched on. Sending the kickout back in rapid succession, sub Séan Cleary sent his first touch of the ball inches over the bar and was followd by Griffin and a Ned O'Meara pointed free as Limerick's touch deserted them on the break.

However, the hosts did get the last score of the half as Eoin Williams extended his side's lead to 2-9 to 0-4.

Tipp could have got an immediate boost on the restart but Seán Burke's shot was stopped on the line and the follow-up was scrambled clear to safety and, just to rub it in, Sheehan popped up at the end of a break from deep to point.

After an exchange of points between Darragh Bresnan and Kiely, the visitors finally made some impact on the gap with points from O'Meara and Dara Maher. but they were the relieved to see Darragh Moloney's goal shot blocked even though the sub then pointed off the rebound.

The Premier had chance of making a serious impression on the deficit when Cleary got past his marker just past the three-quarter mark only for his screamer to flash past the face of the goals.

However, keeping up the effort, James Murphy pointed and the prospects of an unlikely recovery suddenly blossomed when O'Meara collected a long delivery, rounded the challenge and drove to the net for a Tipp goal.

However, Tipperary weren't given the space to follow it up as the Limerick defence recovered its shape and and, after Jake Higgins and O'Meara swapped points, Aaron O'Kelly extended the home side's lead to eight points with four regulation minutes to go.

However, as another five minutes were added on for stoppages by referee Ciarán Murphy, Tipp wound themselves up for a final flourish.

O'Meara's effort at a two-pointer free yielded only one as it was deflected over. Goal attempts were repelled as passes became frantic rather than measured and, even though Bresnan and Murphy both found the target, Limerick's defence held firm to ensure victory.

SCORERS: LIMERICK: Jamie Crowley 1-3 (1 2x), Ryan Sheehan 0-4 (1 2x), Oisín Healy 1-0, Ben Kiely 0-2, Shane Gill, Eoin Williams, Darragh Moloney, Jake Higgins, Aaron O'Kelly 0-1 each; TIPPERARY: Ned O'Meara 1-4 (0-2 frees), Sean Cleary, Darragh Bresnan, James Murphy 0-2 each, Seán Griffin, Dara Maher 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: Jack Noonan (Dromcolliher-Broadford); Matthew Cox (Ballybricken-Bohermore), Ronan Butler (Ahane), Aaron Murphy (Father Caseys); Olin Ryan (Galtee Gaels), Markus Vang (Cappagh), Jake Higgins (Kildimo-Pallaskenry); Kealan Lonergan (Glin), Shane Gill (Ahane); Aaron O’Kelly (Father Caseys), Ryan Sheehan (Dromcolliher-Broadford), Oisín Healy (Saint Senans); Ben Kiely (Monaleen), Jamie Crowley (Monaleen), Eoin Williams (Monaleen). SUBS: Ryan Downey (Ballylanders) for Kealan Lonergan (39 minutes), Darragh Moloney (Castlemahon) for Eoin Williams (43 minutes), Paddy Ryan (Oola) for Jamie Crowley (52 minutes), Amhlaoibh Bohane (Mungret-Saint Paul's) for Matthew Cox (59 minutes).

TIPPERARY: James O'Brien (Moyle Rovers); Cormac McInerney (Cashel King Cormacs), Daniel Charles (Clonmel Commercials), Killian Fitzgerald (Lorrha-Dorrha); Darragh Bresnan (Arravale Rovers), Conor Hurley (Moyle Rovers), Jack Kearney (Ballyporeen); Seán Griffin (Upperchurch-Drombane), Aaron McAndrew (Moyle Rovers); Seán Burke (JK Brackens), Ned O'Meara (CJ Kickhams (Mullinahone), Luke McKeogh (Ballina); Killian Smith (Clonmel Commercials), Reuben Grace (Galtee Rovers-Saint Pecaun's), Dara Maher (Clonmel Commercials). SUBS: Seán Cleary (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams) for Luke McKeogh (24 minutes), James Murphy (Ardfinnan) for Reuben Grace (half-time), Charlie Kennedy (Kilruane McDonaghs) for Daniel Charles (50 minutes), Aaron Brazil (Lorrha-Dorrha) for Seán Burke (50 minutes), Cillian Morrissey (Moyle Rovers) for Dara Maher (53 minutes).

REFEREE: Ciarán Murphy (Cork).