Drom-Broadford defeat Caherline in U20 decider to win final Limerick hurling title of 2025

DROMCOLLOGHER-BROADFORD brought the curtain down on Limerick club hurling for 2025 by getting the better of Caherline in the County U20 C final on the artificial surface of UL's North Campus on Wednesday night.

The final, which started at 9pm this December 3, finished 4-14 to 1-15 in favour of Dromcollogher-Broadford.

Even though there was next to nothing to separate the sides for three-quarters of a highly competitive contest that started in the teeth of a winter's deluge, Drom's ability to snatch the goal when it was most needed allowed them to hang in before the break despite their defence being stretched by the east Limerick club's lively inside forwards before taking a lead they never subsequently lost after the teams changed ends.

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Although Pádraig McCarthy's strike after collecting the pass from the throw-in got Caherline off the mark, Drom had the more explosive start when the resulting puckout launched an attack down the right and Rory O'Dell ran on to flick the sliotar over the advancing challenge and past the goal line to the net. However, the west Limerick side weren't given the chance to build on it as the Caherconlish team tightened their grip on the primary possession and, using the speed over their front men to open the spaces, Evan Martin collected off the solo to drill into the far corner before extending the lead with a point.

Further strikes from Sam McElligot and Martin moved the gap out to four before Tommy Ryan broke the sequence from a free but Caherline pressure continued up to the quarter-hour as Kieran Godfrey and McCarthy both found the target. But just as Caheline were about to consolidate their dominance of primary possession, three missed chances halted their gallop, giving Drom the opportunity to eat into the gap through Ryan's '65' and Adam O'Kelly. Then a long pass down the right turned the game in its head as Ronan O'Sullivan onto it and flicked over the advancing challenge past the goal line to level the scores and then followed up with a strike that grabbed the lead.

Hugh Murnane levelled the scores from a free only for John Lenihan to collect the puckout and reply. Caherline were back in the lead when McElligott from play and Murnane from a free both found the target but, just before half-time was called, Ryan's free returned Drom to parity at 2-6 to 1-9.

Pressing a higher line to counter their opponents' hold on the middle third, Drom dominated the restart and, after failing to convert their first two chances, took the lead through Lenihan and bulked it up when O'Sullivan lifted, turned and struck a loose ball in the crowded goalmouth all the way to the net. When Ryan then tacked on a free and another after Murnane replied with one at the other end, the pendulum appeared to be swinging westwards but Caherline halted the momentum as Martin and McElligott both found the target.

Murnane's '65' and free had the gap back to a single point and the recovery could have been even more profound had two goal chances not stumbled at the critical moment before Lenihan settled Drom nerves by rising highest to point off the double on a long free dropping into the square and, even though Murnane replied with a free going into the final quarter, that turned out to be the hurrah of the Caherline challenge. 

Regaining control in the middle, the Broadford club cut off the opportunities for the opposing attack to run at the posts and used their size advantage at the back to soak up the long ball forward.

A Michael Fahey strike on the turn had their lead back to two which was doubled by a pair of Ryan frees. Going into added time, they drew a penalty for a foul on Lenihan and, even though that was flashed by Ryan just over rather than under the crossbar, the puckout came back to O'Sullivan who soloed past the challenges to end the game by driving home his third goal.

SCORERS, DROMCOLLOGHER-BROADFORD: Ronan O'Sullivan 3-2, Tommy Ryan 0-8 (6 frees, 1 '65'), Rory O'Dell 1-0, John Lenihan 0-3, Adam O'Kelly 0-1; CAHERLINE: Hugh Murnane 0-6 (5 frees, 1 '65'), Evan Martin 1-3, Sam McElligot 0-3, Pádraig McCarthy 0-2, Kieran Godfrey 0-1.

DROMCOLLOGHER-BROADFORD: Naoise O'Connor; Conor O'Brien, Gerard O'Callaghan, Brendan Geary; Cathal Boyce, Brian O'Callaghan, Diarmuid Reidy; Michael Fahy, Adam O'Kelly; Aaron Leahy, Tommy Ryan, Rory O'Dell; Robert Jeffries, Ronan O'Sullivan, John Lenihan. NO SUBS.

CAHERLINE: Tom Carroll; Seán Tiernan, Seán McGrath, Mark Boland; Niall Connaughton, Ben Madden, Conor Partridge; Alan Whelan, Sam McElligot; Jamie Boland' Hugh Murnane, Kieran Godfrey; Pádraig McCarthy, Robbie Hehir, Evan Martin. SUB: Andy Foley for Robbie Hehir (49 minutes).

REFEREE: Mike Sexton (Bruree).