Glenroe retain Limerick premier intermediate hurling status and relegate South Liberties with play-off win

“IT WAS looking ropey at half-time when we should have been further ahead only we kept kept missing chances. But then David McCarthy came up from his goals to drive home a penalty and then point three huge frees into the wind and we never looked back after that,” was how manager Danny Murphy saluted his Glenroe hurlers as they hung on to their premier intermediate status with an impressive 1-18 to 0-11 victory over South Liberties in Saturday's relegation final in Knocklong.

Although they failed to get the most out of the gale at their backs before the break, Glenroe's ability to raise and then maintain their intensity paid dividends during a blistering third quarter that left their opponents clutching to at straws to ward off dropping down a grade for a second successive season.

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Just three years ago, Liberties were contesting a county senior hurling semi-final and had established themselves as one of the most likely clubs to challenge the big four that have dominated the top tier of Limerick hurling for the last decade and a half.

However, after another year of disappointment, a line-up weakened by injuries, retirements and unavailability as well as struggling all season to pick off enough scores from open play Liberties just couldn't match the life-or-death focus of their opponents intent on preserving their status long enough for their first serious intake of underage talent to take over.

Pumped up to get the maximum advantage from the conditions, Glenroe were two points to the good inside a minute as Darren Frewen's free and goalie David McCarthy's monster score from inside his own penalty arc found the target.

After Brian Garry's pointed reply, the winners were three points to the good as another Frewen free and Shane O'Donoghue's strike on the run found the sweet spot.

Indeed, Glenroe could have further in front with another Frewen free answering John Hickey's reply when they were first to react to a long range clearance from their own half. However, Frewen's pull on the sliotar dropping behind the full-back line skimmed wide of the far post.

And with that, the game's tempo slid back a notch as a few spatters of rain and tthe drop in temerature started freezing the tips of the fingers and, with passes being dropped and players struggling to break free of the scrambles, Liberties pulled themselves back into contention.

While David O'Neill's point was initially followed by Glenroe scores courtesy of Liam Dennehy and Frewen's free which increased their advantage going into the second quarter, Glenroe also struck a number of wides as they were pressurised more by the Liberties' defence.

Breaks from defence led to Garry and Ken Byrnes's pointed free to bring the margin back to two points where it stayed as Frewen's point in reply was cancelled out by Byrnes's free before McCarthy came out from his goals to send over a free from inside his half for a half-time score of 0-9 to 0-6.

Darragh Godfrey pulled one back for South Liberties right off the restart to leave just two pojnts in it. Their follow-up efforts were repelled by tenacious defending and, after the siege was lifted, the game changed with Glenroe's first attack of the seond half.

Oisín Browne was fouled off a long delivery and McCarthy came up from his goals to bury the penalty. He followed up with three pointed frees from distance in as many minutes into the teeth of the elements. These scores were followed by further points from Brian O'Connell and a Frewen free. The lead had now telescoped out to 10 points as Glenroe crested a wave of inspiration to rip through Liberties' shape.

Their intensity dropped a few levels when Glenroe shot their first second-half wide going into the final quarter and gave Liberties a chance to respond. Byrnes's free broke the sequence only to be met by Ciarán Kelly's pointed reply as was Barry Nash's free by Dáithí Dennehy.

Nash then saw a 20-metre free blocked for a '65' which he converted and then follow up with a free from distance. However, by this stage, the clock was running down, Glenroe were containing the all-out assault on their goals.

The winners killed off any hope of a miraculous Liberties escape when breaks from the back led to Frewen pointing another free and Zach McCarthy picking off the game's final scores.

SCORERS: GLENROE: David McCarthy 1-6 (1-0 penalty, 0-4 frees), Darren Frewen 0-5 (4 frees), Shane O'Donoghue, Liam Dennehy, Brian O'Connell, Ciarán Kelly, Dáithí Dennehy, Zach McCarthy 0-1 each; SOUTH LIBERTIES: Ken Byrnes (3 frees), Barry Nash (2 frees, 1 '65') 0-3 each, Brian Garry 0-2, John Hickey, David O'Neill, Darragh Godfrey 0-1 each.

GLENROE: David McCarthy; Shane O'Donoghue, Patrick Holian, Darren Carroll; Seán O'Donnell, Stephen Walsh, Jordan Sheehy; Daniel Murphy, Brian O'Connell; Ciarán Kelly, Darren Frewen, Liam Dennehy; Oisín Browne, Mark O.Connell. Dáithí Dennehy. SUBS: Adam Frewen for Mark O'Connell (half-time), Jimmy Barry Murphy for Jordan Sheehy (half-time), Zach McCarthy for Ciarán Kelly (56 minutes), Eoghan Fitzgerald for Seán O'Donnell (57 minutes), Cillian O'Brien for Oisín Browne (64 minutes).

SOUTH LIBERTIES: Ben Garry; Paddy Tony Carroll, Eoin Quilty, Alex Keyes; Ben O'Donoghue, Eoghan Godfrey, Brendan Aherne; Barry Nash, John Hickey; Seán Holland, Darragh Godfrey, Shane Brosnahan; Brian Garry, David O'Neill, Ken Byrnes. SUBS: Paddy O'Donnell for Tony Carroll (45 minutes), Conor McSweeney for Seán Holland (50 minutes), David Garry for David O'Neill (56 minutes), Enda Meaney for Alex Keyes (62 minutes), Ryan Godfrey for Ken Byrnes (64 minutes).

REFEREE: Donnacha O'Callaghan (Feohanagh).