Garryspillane signal intent with clinical Limerick premier intermediate hurling win over 'Liberties'

“A GOOD start to the campaign after getting beaten in last year's final and great to see the competition for places being reflected in a win like this.”

Manager Aaron Considine could hardly have been more pleased after Garryspillane opened their Lyons of Limerick premier intermediate hurling championship campaign with a 1-21 to 0-12 victory over South Liberties in Bruff on Saturday evening, sounding a warning to all opposition as a result.

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Leading for all but the opening minutes, Garryspillane never looked in any danger once they took control of the middle third to open up a decisive lead coming up to the break before relentlessly hammering home their superiority in the second half.

Some of their success may have down to the finishing of Hugh Flanagan and Bryan Heavey who chalked up a total of 1-12 between then but, more than anything, this was a team result where every line played its part in smothering all attempts at a sustained response and then pouncing whenever the scoring opportunity arose.

Once the machine sprang into motion, 'Liberties' were left clutching at straws as the magnitude of their quest to regain the senior status lost with last year's relegation unfolded before their eyes.

The crossfield breeze was mostly favouring 'Liberties' early on, helping them to open the scoring through Ken Byrnes and Seán Holland while Garryspillanne failed to find the target from frees and from play.

That all changed when a Flanagan pointed free got them off the mark and while they had to wait another five minutes for a  Heavey follow-up from halfway, they then took the lead through Calum Sheehan's point from a tight angle.

A long Barry Nash pointed free tied the scores up again but, by this stage, the 'Bouncers' were already winning most of the one-on-ones as Dylan O'Shea's pointed free and Flanagan had them leading by two by the quarter mark.

Piling on the pressure in the middle third, another Flanagan score from a free, Heavey and Sheehan dialled their advantage up to five points.

Despite Byrnes's pointed free breaking the sequence of five uninterrupted points, the lead widened further as O'Shea, Shane Ryan and Declan Heavey all found the target from distance with scores. Soon after, Garryspillane did have to be rescued by Adam Sheehan saving from Shane Neill after his goal line clearance had been intercepted.

However, as the stopwatch moved into added time, Liberties drew a pair of fouls for Byrnes to convert that reduced the gap facing them at the break to five points, 0-11 to 0-6.

Trying to build on the response at the restart, they wasted dearly-won possession on three wides as their opponents drew a free from their first attack which Flanagan converted.

However, the Knockea club inched further back into contention when Nash and Byrnes added points. But that was as close as their response was allowed to come as the Bouncers ratcheted up the pressure and Flanagan's pointed free, Bryan Heavey from inside his own half, another Flanagan pointed free and Heavey again had the outcome all but decided going into the final quarter.

Even when Liberties found an answer in John Hickey's exquisite point from a sideline cut, it was quickly overtaken by Heavey collecting Flanagan's handpass to hammer to the net.

South Liberties' only hope of redemption lay in going for the goal, but frantic attacks were repelled by massed ranks of black-and-amber jerseys and, after a Nash rasper flashed past across the face of the goals without finding the final touch, Garryspillane broke the siege with a quickfire volley of points from O'Shea, Colin Ryan and Flanagan.

Going into the six added minutes, a Byrnes point was replied to by one from Bouncer substitute John English and his next point from a free by Heavey's drive from way out on the right siedline.

Liberties ended the scoring with Seán Fitzpatrick's point right on the final whistle.

SCORERS: GARRYSPILLANE: Bryan Heavey 1-5, Hugh Flanagan 0-7 (5 frees), Dylan O'Shea 0-3 (1 free), Calum Sheehan 0-2, Declan Heavey, Shan Ryan, Colin Ryan, John English 0-1 each; SOUTH LIBERTIES: Ken Byrnes 0-7 (4 frees), Barry Nash 0-2 (1 free), Seán Holland, John Hickey (sideline cut), Seán Fitzpatrick 0-1 each.

GARRYSPILLANE: Adam Sheehan; James O'Sullivan, Roibeard O'Donovan, Ciarán Sheehan; Declan Heavey, Dylan O'Shea, Eoin O'Mahony; Jamie Morrissey, Josh Dineen; Hugh Flanagan, Bryan Heavey, Cian Ryan; Shane Ryan, Colin Ryan, Calum Sheehan. SUBS: John English for Calum Sheehan (injured, 45 minutes), Mike Donovan for Shane Ryan (51 minutes), Ross Stapleton for Josh Dineen (54 minutes).

SOUTH LIBERTIES: Ben Garry; Ben O'Donoghue, Eoin Quilty, Alex Keyes; Shane Kilcoyne, Eoghan Godfrey, Mike O'Brien; Barry Nash, John Hickey; Seán Holland, Shane O'Neill, Barry Cooney; Ben Compton, Brendan McSweeney, Ken Byrnes. SUBS: David Garry for Shane O'Neill (37 minutes), Tony Carroll for Eoghan Godfrey (45 minutes), Seán Fitzpaterick for Seán Holland (54 minutes), Enda Meaney for Mike O'Brien (injured, 59 minutes), Barry Walsh for Barry Nash (injured, 60 minutes).

REFEREE: Dave Deady (Bruree).