Newcastle West come good in extra-time to book Limerick senior football final return

“THEY probably shaded in normal time, but we had a great bench and the whole team showed it character in extra time”, was coach Stephen Kelly's take on Newcastle West's return to the Irish Wire Products county senior footbal final after a year's absence when they got the better of their West Limerick rivals Father Caseys 2-16 to 0-14 after extra-time in Saturday's semi-final in Rathkeale's Mick Neville Park.

Despite ending the game with an eight-point advantage, winners Newcstle West needed a last gasp equaliser to bring the game to extra time.

Then an explosive three-minute spell from Newcastle West during the first period yielded 1-5 without reply and turned a contest that had been a cagey battle of wills up to then into a procession to the final whistle.

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It was a bitterly disappointing outcome for Fr Casey's who had shown more adventure to dominate the first half only to be hauled back to parity by the Magpies only burst of scores before the break.

Then, despite conceding the only goal in normal time just after the restart, they refused to lie down, inched their way back in contention and grabbed the lead with an injury time two-pointer only to concede an equaliser just as referee John O'Halloran called for extra time.

Newcastle West were first to press forward, but missed a few chances to take the lead before Casey's drew a foul for Dylan Quirke to convert.

Despite playing into the the changeable breeze, the Abbeyfeale side pressed high into the opposing half to disrput the short kick-out and moved three points ahead from Eliah Riordan's point on the run and another Quirke free.

The Magpies' fortunes improved, however, when they started to go longer with their restarts and opened their account when Eoin Hurley shot over from out on the wing.

However, that score was immediately cancelled out when the Fealesiders attacked from the resulting kickout for Adrian Enright to split the posts.

They were caught again when another delivery insde the full-back line drew a foul for Thomas Quilligan to punish, but Caseys then lifted the tempo a notch and, attacking with greater focus off the turnovers won by their half-back line, extended the gap out to four points when Enright finished off a pass and return and Quirke followed up with another score from a free.

Coming up to the break, Newcastle West's attempts to respond were held off by the opposing defence, but they fared better when they kept possession tight in sight of the posts suckered the untidy challenge for Quilligan and Hurley to punish them with frees.

However, they were still trailing until deep into added time when a Caseys' attempt to play from defence was turned over. Iain Corbett pounced on the loose ball and his shot from just outside the arc went just over the unprotected crossbar for a two-pointer that levelled the scores at 0-6 apiece at half-time.

The Magpies restarted with greater urgency and, after a Mike McMahon fist on a high dropping ball was stopped on the line, they got their reward when when they turned over a quick free from defence to feed Corbett who made no mistake with his shot to the far corner of the ney.

But once again, they reverted to containment and choking Casey's off the possession to reply but, after a long scoreless period, they conceded a point on the run to Michael Kilbridge.

Going into the closing quarter, Fr Casey's greater share of the ball delivered a free which Quirke punished but they were immediately hit with a score through Bryan Nix.

However, they continued to press forward and, after a few hopeful chances drifting wide, the gap disappeared when Rory O'Brien collected off a turnover to strike first time for a two-pointer.

Efforts to snatch the lead were repelled and the Magpies looked like confirming the form book when Emmet Rigter's two pointer just after he had been introduced put them back ahead.

However, a tenacious Casey's side weren't giving up and, two minutes into added time, Riordan stepped up to send a two-pointer free over for the lead. But that wasn't the end of the action as a flurry of Magpie attacks led to Eoin Hurley finally seizing the chance to send the game to extra time.

Back playing with the advantage of the breeze, Newcastle West pushed forward with an intensity not seen during normal as the first period of extra-time opened.

After their early efforts were blocked, Newcastle West let fly when play restarted after a lengthy injury stoppage as Rigter whacked over a two-pointer. When that was immediatley followed by another two-pointer from Hurey from a kickout turnover and Rigter sent the next back over for just one, Caseys were suddenly looking into a chasm.

Their task was even greater when Rigter collected off Aaron Neville's to round the challenge and blast to the net which extended the Magpies' lead to 2-14 to 0-12 at the change of ends.

The second period of extra-time began with Hurley's pointed free and then dawdled to a conclusion as Newcastle West defended in numbers and broke when the turnover was forced to drain whatever energy was left in the Fealesiders.

Substitute Todd Donovan got his name on the scoresheet and Riordan replied with a two-pointer for Casey's their only score of extra time.

SCORERS: NEWCASTLE WEST: Emmet Rigter 1-4 (1 2x), Eoin Murphy 0-6 (2 frees, 1 2x), Iain Corbett 1-2 (1 2x), Thomas Quilligan 0-2 (2 frees), Bryan Nix, Todd Donovan 0-1 each; FR CASEYS: Eliah Riordan 0-5 ( 12x, 1 2x free), Dylan Quirke 0-4 (4 frees), Rory O'Brien (2p), Adrian Enright 0-2 each, Michael Kilbridge 0-1.

NEWCASTLE WEST: Michael Quilligan; Michael Cremin, Darren O'Doherty, Brian O'Sullivan; Ruadhán O'Connor, Séamus Hurley, Aaron Neville; Iain Corbett, Seán Murphy; Bryan Nix, Mike O'Keeffe; Brian Hurley; Thomas Quilligan, Mike McMahon, Eoin Hurley. SUBS: Lee Woulfe for Mike McMahon (40 minutes), Emmet Rigter for Thomas Quilligan (42 minutes), Todd Donovan for Mike O'Keeffe (55 minutes), Brian Foley for Bryan Nix (59 minutes), Mike McMahon for Seán Murphy (half-time, extra time) Evan Sheehan for Darren O'Doherty (75 minutes), Bryan Nix for Eoin Hurley (78 minutes).

FR CASEY'S: Shane O'Connell; John Riordan, Matthew O'Connor, Mark McCarthy; Michael Kilbridge, Seán Kilbridge, Cualann Quigley; Diarmuid Buckley, Sam Quigley; Rory O'Brien, Eliah Riordan, Daniel Daly; Adrian Enright, David Ward, Dylan Quirke. SUBS: Danny McCarthy for David Ward (55 minutes), Calum Boyle for John Riordan (57 minutes), Eoin Joy for Dylan Quirke (59 minutes), David Ward for Diarmuid Buckley (extra time), Evan O'Connor for Michael Kilbridge (63 minutes), Oisín Woulfe for Seán Kilbridge (injured, 73 minutes).

REFEREE: John O'Halloran (Bruree).