Adare cruise past Fr Casey's in Limerick senior football championship

ADARE cruised to a 1-15 to 0-9 victory over Fr Casey’s in the opening round of the Limerick Senior Football Championship on Saturday afternoon at Newcastle West GAA Grounds. 

The reigning county champions delivered a statement of intent, restricting Fr Casey’s scoring opportunities while showcasing impressive efficiency in front of goals. 

Adare and Fr Casey's met in a repeat of last year's county final. Both sides were down a number of players in the opening round of the Limerick senior football championship. 

Hugh Bourke, Paul Maher, Shane O'Connor and substitute Jack English all impressed scoring 0-13 between them for the victors. Daniel Daly and Rory O'Brien before he went off injured in the second half tried their best to get Michael O'Brien's charges back into the game. 

Fr Casey’s were without the services of Sean Kilbridge, Eliah Riordan, Martin Scannell, Adrian Enright, and Fiachra Cotter, while Adare also had notable absentees in Roy Gleeson, Shane Doherty, and Oran Collins.

Despite this, Adare manager Harry Gleeson was able to call upon Limerick seniors Paul Maher and Jeffrey Alfred, whereas Fr Casey’s had county representatives Mark McCarthy, Diarmuid Buckley, and Rory O’Brien in their ranks. 

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Blustery wind and persistent rain made conditions difficult during the opening half, but Adare’s composure and experience ultimately made the difference.

Limerick U20 star Michael Kilbridge opened the scoring for Fr Casey's after five minutes but Mikey Lyons quickly responded at the other end. Further points from Daniel Daly and Hugh Bourke left the sides level at 0-2 apiece on 12 minutes. 

In the next 20 minutes, Adare used all their experience to work the ball into the scoring zone. Three frees in-a-row from Adare sharpshooter Hugh Bourke pushed the county champions 0-4 to 0-2 in front. Corner forward Mikey Lyons cooly slotted the ball into the back of the net on 22 minutes to push the west Limerick side five points clear. 

Limerick senior footballer Paul Maher added another for Harry Gleeson’s men, and Bourke continued to impress with his fourth free of the day. A short free routine between Bourke and Shane O’Connor extended the lead further, with O’Connor pointing to make it 1-7 to 0-2.

Fr Casey’s forward Daniel Daly finally ended a 20-minute scoring drought with a point just before half-time, as the Abbeyfeale side went into the break trailing 1-7 to 0-3. 

Limerick senior football panelist Rory O'Brien reduced the gap the gap to six points at the start of the second half. Adare began to regain control of the contest with Shane O’Connor scoring three points and Shane Costello punishing a short kickout to push the lead to 1-11 to 0-5. 

Despite Daniel Daly’s efforts to rally last year’s county finalists, Adare’s bench added further impact. Substitute Jack English made a notable impact with three points, while Paul Maher added his second point of the day to seal a comprehensive ten-point victory for Adare.

It was a composed, assured performance from Adare, who demonstrated their depth and sharpness despite some notable absentees. For Fr Casey’s, it’s a case of regrouping ahead of their next outing

ADARE:Mikey Lyons 1-1, Hugh Bourke (0-4,0-4 frees), Shane O'Connor 0-4, Jack English 0-3, Paul Maher 0-2, Shane Costello 0-1 

FR Casey's: Daniel Daly (0-4, 0-1 45), Rory O'Brien 0-2, David Ward and Michael Kilbridge 0-1 each

ADARE: Jeffery Alfred; Jack Fitzgerald, David Connolly, Cian Sparling; James Gahan, Eoghan Costelloe, Darragh Lane; Joe Sweeney, Paul Maher; Davy Lyons, Hugh Bourke, Shane Costello; Mike Lyons, Shane O'Connor, Mark Connolly. 

SUBS: Robbie Bourke for Gahan (45 minutes), Darragh Toomey for Davy Lyons (45 minutes), Jack English for O'Connor (51 minutes), Davy Lyons for Maher (57 minutes), Ollie Desmond for Mikey Lyons (57 minutes). 

Fr Casey's: Shane O'Connell; John Riordan, Sam Quigley, Matthew O'Connor; Culann Quigley, Michael Kilbridge, Mark McCarthy; Diarmuid Buckley, Oisin Woulfe; Danny McCarthy, Daniel Daly, Rory O'Brien; Dylan Quirke, David Ward, Ronan O'Connell. 

SUBS: Adam Fitzgerald for O'Connell (34 minutes), Evan O'Connor for O'Brien (injury, 56 minutes)

REFEREE: Kieran Guina (Feohanagh-Castlemahon)