Four talking points from Limerick's impressive Munster SHC win over Waterford

LIMERICK recorded a ten-point victory over Waterford on a final scoreline of 2-14 to 0-30 in round five of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship on Sunday afternnon at the TUS Gaelic Grounds. 

Limerick now face Clare in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final on Sunday June 9 at 4pm in Semple Stadium, Thurles. 

Limerick's second half performance 

On 55 minutes the game was in the melting pot when Waterford substitute Patrick Fitzgerald sent over a point to have Waterford trailing by two points 2-13 to 0-21. In the final quarter final Limerick outscored their opponents 0-09 to 0-01 with Aaron Gillane, Shane O'Brien, Diarmaid Byrnes, Conor Boylan, Gearoid Hegarty, Cian Lynch and Adam English all on target for John Kiely's side in a comprehensive victory in the end. 

The strength of Limerick's bench

Seamus Flanagan was forced off on 20 minutes with a hamstring injury. Limerick U20 star Shane O'Brien replaced the full forward where he made his championship debut chipping in with three points from play. Conor Boylan and Adam English have made significant impacts throughout the Munster Championship and both players were off the mark for the Shannonsiders in the final quarter. 

Limerick's shooting

The most remarkable statistic from Limerick's victory is that the reigning All-Ireland champions managed to get 49 shots off but the one concern for John Kiely is that his side registered 19 wides. In the opening period, Limerick were using the strong breeze to their advantage but 14 of their wides came in the first half and Limerick will be looking for an improvement on their accuracy in front of goal heading into the Munster decider. 

Limerick and Clare renew their rivalry 

Limerick and Clare will face off in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final for the third year in a row. There has been nothing between the sides in the last two years, in 2022 Limerick came out on top by three points on a final scoreline of 1-29 to 0-29 after extra time. Last year's final in the TUS Gaelic Grounds was similar where Limerick defeated the Banner county by the minimum. The clash between the counties on June 9 will be no different.