Champions Adare edge past Rathkeale in the Limerick Senior Football Championship

THE Adare senior footballers made it two wins out of two when their experience as county champions was enough to withstand a fierce Rathkeale fightback in sun-drenched Askeaton on Friday evening. 

The round two tie in the Irish Wire Products Limerick Senior Football Championship finished Adare 2-13 to 0-17.

In one of the best big ball clashes seen in the county for years, their two goals, one in each half, left their opponents chasing the game for almost the entire hour and drained them of that last ounce of energy needed to get over the line.

READ MORE: Iain Corbett hat-trick of goals powers Newcastle West past Kildimo-Pallaskenry in Limerick SFC

When they were at their best, the winners were fast, organised and highly reactive to the immediate situation but, somehow, they never quite put the result away. A lead of seven going into the final quarter should have been the signal to close off any chance of a comeback but the instinct to keep attacking switched off a few minutes too early and almost caught up with them in the end.

That said, it probably wouldn't have been a problem against any opposition other than Rathkeale. From start to finish, the reigning intermediate champions never lost sight of what was required and, powered on by the extraordinary leadership of Barry Coleman in midfield, they attacked from every angle, showed the awareness to bag all three two-pointers of the game and, only when limbs were aching and lungs were bursting in the frantic finale, did their decision-making finally break down.

Although Shane Costelloe got Adare off the mark inside a minute, Rathkeale dominated the early possession but struggled to break the defensive screen until Andrew Meade opened their account and they looked to finally have gained some reward for their dominance when Paul White boomed over a two-pointer.

The Maiguesiders' response, however, was instant as a quickfire brace from Hugh Bourke and Eoghan Costelloe either side of Shane O'Connor's goal shot being stopped drew the sides level and they then closed off Rathkeale attempts to reply until Barry Coleman shot over a two-pointer free. Costelloe's reply was then met by Patrick Wilmot after Meade had been dispossessed bearing down on goal but that was the signal for Adare to step on the gas as a snap sortie up the field ended with O'Connor racing onto Costelloe's lateral feed and drill beyond the reach of Darren Jones.

However, the Deelsiders weren't deterred and, while their initial responses were repelled, they were back level when Andrew White caught, turned and pointed a shot that had dropped short and Mikey Morrissey put them back ahead off a jinking solo. But in the countdown to half-time, Adare picked it up again and a trio from O'Connor, Bourke and O'Connor again left them leading 1-8 to 0-9.

Costelloe stretched the gap to three within seconds of the restart before White's free re-ignited Rathkeale and they were back level when Morrissey boomed over a two-pointer. But again, an immediate Adare response stopped them in their tracks as O'Connor and Costelloe found the target and, suddenly, there was serious daylight between the sides when half-time sub Ollie Desmond streaked past the challenges on a turbocharged 40 metre solo and then, without breaking his stride, unleashed a rocket to the low far corner of Jones's net.

Two follow-up strikes from Mark Connolly looked to have the outcome settled by the three-quarter mark and, then settling for containment, Adare closed off the channels to their posts. Undeterred, Rathkeale kept plugging away, rediscovered their groove when Ryan Stapleton split the uprights and, with Coleman chasing everything and everybody in midfield, inched closer with another point from White.

Now down to a duel with the clock, Adare held their line for five scoreless minutes until Cian Sorten and White's free suddenly brought the margin down to a goal and, entering what turned out to be five added minutes, it was shaved further by Fintan McNamara's strike. But legs were tiring, passes were dropping, the space to shoot was reducing, three efforts in a row drifted wide of the posts and, with Rathkeale now going for the equalising two-pointer, the Maiguesiders held their nerve long enough to stumble into the winners' enclosure.

SCORERS: ADARE: Shane O'Connor 1-3, Shane Costelloe 0-5, Ollie Desmond 1-0, Hugh Bourke, Mark Connolly 0-2 each, Eoghan Costelloe 0-1. RATHKEALE: Andrew White 0-4 (1 free), Paul White (2x), Mikey Morrissey (1 2x) 0-3 each, Barry Coleman (2xfree) 0-2 each, Andrew Meade, Patrick Wilmot, Ryan Stapleton, Cian Shorten, Fintan McNamara 0-1 each.

ADARE: Jeffrey Alfred; Jack Fitzgerald; Dave Connolly, Eoghan Costelloe; Oran Collins, Shane Doherty, Darragh Lane; Joe Sweeney, Paul Maher; James Gahan, Hugh Bourke, Shane Costelloe; Davey Lyons, Shane O'Connor, Mark Connolly. SUBS: Ollie Desmond for Jack Fitzgerald, inj (half-time), Darragh Toomey for Davey Lyons, inj (48mins), Robbie Bourke for Darragh Lane (55mins), Mikey Lyons for James Gahan (65mins).

RATHKEALE: Darren Jones; Michael Sheahan, Bryan Meade, Paudie Mulcaire; Jack Hennessy, Dean Maune, Niall Sheahan; Tommy Dillane, Barry Coleman; Paul White, Andrew Meade, Mikey Morrissey; Patrick Wilmot, Andrew White, David Clancy. SUBS: Ryan Stapleton for Paul White, inj (17mins), Cian Shorten for Niall Sheahan (54mins), Fintan McNamara for Andrew White (59mins).

REFEREE: Alan Kehoe (Ballysteen).