Limerick camogie side guarantee senior status with emphatic victory over Offaly

“WE came here fighting for our lives, we left with after our best best performance of the season,” was John Lillis's reaction as Limerick's senior camogie team banished the ghosts of a disappointing 2023 with an explosive second-half performance in which they ran up 4-9 without reply to record a convincing 5-15 to 0-5 victory over Offaly in Banagher on Saturday and as a result avoid the relegation play-off.

Coming as it did after a disappointing defeat in the previous encounter with Antrim killed off any hopes of making the play-offs, it left the Limerick manager wondering what might have been. “We went back to doing what we do best. It's a pity it didn't happen in Portglenone.”

Regrets aside, the result leaves the winners looking forward with hope as a young squad, most of whom who only joined in the last two seasons after an epidemic of injuries and defections, finally clicked into place, brushed aside the inhibitions and showed not only the touch and the intensity but also the confidence in their collective ability as they powered home.

And it wasn't quite as easy as the scoreline suggests. Failing to convert the opportunities and pressured whenever they gained possession, they struggled to get ahead of a sticky Offaly challenge that left little between the sides after the break.

Nor did the losers suddenly collapse after the break as it took Limerick eight minutes of patient but relentless power play to slowly add to their lead. But when the resistance finally cracked, Limerick poured through the gap like a damburst.

The start was delayed eight minutes because of a players' protest and it took as long again to develop a pattern as Sarah O'Brien's opener for Limerick was met by points from Becky Bryant and Claire Keating's free and by one from Siobhán Flannery.

However, after another Keating free put the visitors in front for the third time, matters changed when Caoimhe Costelllo's pinpoint crossfield pass found the inrushing O'Brien to grab on the run and drill the sliotar to the far corner of the net.

Limerick should have built on their four-point lead as they dominated around the middle and opened the spaces with their running game. However, a run of wides and shots dropping shorts left a ten-minute spell of dominance broken up by extended injury stoppages and Keating's penalty, for a foul on her by Leah Gallagher which was saved by the Offaly goalie.

The only scores being exchanged was a free between Bryant and Keating.

Continuing their use of dropping the long clearance into their inside forwards, the Faithful girls ate into the deficit with a pair of Bryant frees but, as the watch slipped into five minutes of added time, O'Brien and Ailbhe Larkin struck back for Limerick to leave the visitors leading 1-6 to 0-5 at the break.

Finding their focus over the interval, Limerick thundered straight into attack right from the restart as Costello's free and O'Brien stretched their lead.

After a few missed chances and Gallagher saving off Laura Fennelly, the Shannonsides raced up the gears in a blistering four-minute spell that saw Mairéad Ryan's point on the run followed by by another from Fennelly.

Áine Reynolds then collected on the run to jink across the square and whack the sliotar to the net on the turn and then, after another Costello free, Keating dispossessed Gallagher coming out to pounce for her side's third goal.

Suddenly looking into a fifteen point deficit, Offaly's shape collapsed as they were coming off second best in almost every one-on-one.

Even though the peak of Limerick's fury had passed, Costello's pointed free was followed by Fennelly's point from distance being stopped by Gallagher only for the sliotar to drop over her goal line.

Movement slowed down as the subs piled on but the tide never turned for the hosts as Limerick drove on through the tape with Reynolds and Orlaith Kelleher getting on the scoresheet, while Costello tapped over her final free.

Substitute Lizzie Boylan celebrated her introduction by soloing in from the left to drive home a spectacular fifth goal and seal an emphatic win for Limerick.

SCORERS: LIMERICK: Claire Keating (0-2 frees), Sarah O'Brien 1-3 each, Laura Fennelly 1-2, Áine Reynolds 1-1, Caoimhe Costello 0-4 (4 frees), Lizzie Boylan 1-0, Ailbhe Larkin, Mairéad Ryan 0-1 each; OFFALY: Becky Bryant 0-4 (3 frees), Siobhán Flannery 0-1.

LIMERICK: Laura O'Neill; Teresa Dore, Marian Quaid, Aoife Nelligan; Stephanie Woulfe, Mary O'Callaghan, Mairead Ryan; Ailbhe Larkin; Sophie O'Callaghan; Orlaith Kelleher, Caoimhe Costello, Áine Reynolds; Sarah O'Brien, Laura Fennelly, Claire Keating. SUBS: Cliodhna Ryan for Áine Reynolds (48 minutes), Lizzie Boylan for Claire Keating (48 minutes), Áine Ó Tighearnaigh for Stephanie Woulfe (52 minutes), Lorraine McCarthy for Orlaith Kelleher (55 minutes), Ciara O'Riordan for Sarah O'Brien (55 minutes).

OFFALY: Leah Gallagher; Louise Mannion, Alana Roddy, Orla Gorman; Sarah Walsh, Orlagh Phelan, Aoife Liffey; Clodagh Leahy, Gráinne Dolan; Sarah Harding, Rachel Brennan, Siobhán Flannery; Labhaoise Glynn, Becky Bryant, Lisa Gorman. SUBS: Ciara Maher for Sarah Harding (20 minutes), Niamh Kelleher for Labhaoise Glynn (half-time), Faye Mulrooney for Lisa Gorman (half-time), Siobhán Killeen for Alana Roddy (51 minutes), Sinéad Moore for Gráinne Dolan (55 minutes).

REFEREE: Justin Heffernan (Wexford).