Positives for Limerick ladies despite semi-final loss

“WITHOUT a shadow of a doubt that loss was a disappointing end to our season,” was joint manager of the Limerick Ladies football team Sean Kiely's reaction to the side's All-Ireland championship semi-final defeat to Fermanagh.

The Treaty ladies bowed out of the TG4 Junior Football Championship after a 2-12 to 2-10 defeat to rivals Fermanagh in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, Longford on Sunday, a result which ended their inter-county run for 2024.

This was the third straight championship semi-final meeting between the two teams and on this occasion it was Fermanagh who emerged victorious after a tight contest.

The youthful Limerick team have enjoyed a relatively successful season reaching two separate finals over the course of the year.

Speaking after the game Sean Kiely said: “That was a hugely disappointing end to the season. There was definitely a game there to be won and I suppose a bit of luck wasn't on our side and a few stray shots were the difference in the end.

“As management, we are obviously hugely disappointed for the girls, the aim was to get back into another All-Ireland final, but Fermanagh really put it up to us and this semi-final was a serious battle from start to finish.”

The aim for joint managers Mike Quilligan and Sean Kiely was for this Limerick team to return to Croke Park to right the wrongs of last year's All-Ireland final defeat to Down. This year's final will now feature Fermanagh and Louth after their semi-final victory over Carlow. The junior ladies football final will take place at the GAA Headquarters on Sunday, August 4.

Despite the blow of losing the semi-final, the Limerick ladies can still hold their heads high after another fantastic season with the new management team only coming into the position this season. The Treaty ladies reached the Lidl National League Division Four final earlier in the year, narrowly losing out to Carlow, but in turn claiming promotion in the league for next season.

They also claimed the Munster Senior 'B' title after a thrilling battle and victory over Cork in April. Their All-Ireland championship run was also hugely successful with only one defeat to Louth in the group stages leaving the Shannonsiders second in the table and gaining them another All-Ireland semi-final appearance.

Inevitably at the end of every season the million dollar question for coaches is if whether core of the squad will return to play for Limerick next year?

When asked joint manager Kiely said: “You don't know from year to year they are all young girls, some of them are only starting college or thinking about working abroad but it's probably not the day for that.

“It's something we will have to go away and look at but we would like to think that the core of the panel will be back next year at the moment but it's something we haven't looked at yet.”

With the majority of the Limerick Junior team under the age of 25 it will be interesting to see who returns to the side in 2025 when they will play in a higher league division.