Adare secure third win in Limerick senior football championship with hard fought victory over Oola

REIGNING champions Adare secured a hard-fought 0-19 to 1-10 win over 14-man Oola in Round 3 of the Irish Wire Products County Senior Football Championship at Claughaun on Friday evening.

The titleholders were made to work for their Group 1 success, surviving a real scare from the East Limerick men who burst out of the blocks at the start of both halves.

Limerick goalkeeper Josh Ryan, deployed at half-forward, was at the centre of much of Oola’s best play.

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But Adare showed their pedigree in the closing stages, seizing control in the final third of the game. They rattled off the last seven scores while holding Oola scoreless from the 38th minute onwards, sealing a valuable two points in their drive for back-to-back titles. Adare have now won their opening three group fixtures.

Eamonn Landers and Josh Ryan got Oola off to the perfect start, with the East Limerick men racing into a three-point lead with the aid of a strong breeze.

Shane O’Connor opened the champions’ account in the ninth minute, but Oola stretched the gap to four soon after through clever combination play between Ryan and Jack Downey, the latter splitting the posts for a two-pointer score.

Adare responded with three on the bounce from Ollie Desmond, Davy Lyons and Hugh Bourke, before Shane O’Grady raised the game’s only green flag. The lively corner-forward pounced on a loose ball and drilled a low finish to the back of the net, putting Oola 1-5 to 0-4 ahead by the quarter-hour mark.

The champions replied through Hugh Bourke and Davy Lyons before Robbie Bourke levelled matters in the 22nd minute with a superb long-range effort.

Ryan nudged Oola back in front from a placed ball, but Hugh Bourke answered with a quickfire brace to send Adare into the interval with the narrowest of leads, 0-10 to 1-6.

Shane Costello stretched the gap to two within seconds of the restart, only for Oola to hit a purple patch. Ryan, Downey and Joe Sweeney all split the posts as the East Limerick men surged 1-10 to 0-11 ahead. But that proved to be their last score of the evening, as Adare shut up shop and locked them out for the remainder of the contest.

Adare then reeled off the next seven scores, with five different players getting on the board, including a sublime two-point effort from Robbie Bourke in the 42nd minute. With seven minutes remaining and Adare three to the good, Oola’s task became even tougher when Eamonn Landers was shown red for an off-the-ball incident.

From there, the champions closed it out in style. Late points from Mark Connolly, Hugh Bourke and Davy Lyons sealed a comfortable victory in the end, despite Oola’s spirited challenge, on a final scoreline of 0-19 to 1-10.

SCORERS: Adare: Hugh Bourke 0-5 (1f), Davy Lyons 0-4, Robbie Bourke 0-4 (2 2p), Shane Costello 0-1, Joe Sweeney 0-1, Mickey Lyons 0-1, Mark Connolly 0-1, Shane O’Connor 0-1, Ollie Desmond 0-1. Oola: Josh Ryan 0-6 (1 2PF, 1f), Jack Downey 0-3 (1 2p), Shane O’Grady 1-0, Eamonn Landers 0-1.

ADARE: Jeffrey Alfred, Ollie Desmond, David Connolly, Eoghan Costello, Oran Collins, Shane Doherty, Darragh Lane, Joe Sweeney, Paul Maher, Davy Lyons, Hugh Bourke, Shane Costello, Mickey Lyons, Shane O’Connor, Robbie Bourke. Substitutes: Cian Sparling for Shane Doherty (44 mins) Jack English for Shane O’Connor (48 mins) Darragh Toomey for Mickey Lyons (58 mins).

OOLA: Cian McGrath, Fiachra O’Grady, Niall McCormack, Liam Cummins, Eddie Stokes, Eoin Fitzgibbon, Colin O’Grady, John O’Callaghan, Aiden Macken, Eamonn Landers, Josh Ryan, Jack Downey, Shane O’Grady, Mickey O’Brien, Ciaran Bourke. Substitutes: Conor Hurley for John O’Callaghan (52 mins), John Stokes for Ciaran Bourke (52 mins).

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Ballylanders)