Na Piarsaigh's comeback bid falls short against Killenaule in Munster
The Limerick IFC champions were downed by their Tipperary counterparts in Clonmel
GAA Coverage in association with Lyons of Limerick Ford
NA PIARSAIGH bowed out of the Munster Intermediate Football Championship following a 1-11 to 1-9 defeat to Tipperary’s Killenaule in Clonmel.
The Caherdavin side were seven points down late on after Charlie Barrett’s goal for Killenaule but they fought back in added time.
Christy O’Hagan’s goal gave them hope and it looked like they had drawn level when Odhran Gilroy found the net only for referee Sean Joy to bring play back for a free. Kieran Daly pointed but they ran out of time in their bid to force extra time at least.
Na Piarsaigh got off to a flying start with a Jack McCarthy point with just 48 seconds of the game played.
Kieran Daly then added a free for Con Daly’s side that were in full control of the opening exchanges.
A Michael Doyle free got Killenaule on the scoreboard after eight minutes and another placed ball levelled things up against the run of play.
Na Piarsaigh continued to have most of the possession in the opening quarter but three wides on the trot seemed to give Killenaule a bit of momentum.
A second Doyle free saw the Tipperary side hit the front for the first time but Na Piarsaigh had a glorious chance to take the lead on 19 minutes.
Some excellent movement on and off the ball saw Evan Egan deliver a defence-splitting pass into James Daly but he shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Egan fired over a free to put Na Piarsiagh ahead on 28 minutes but they missed the chance to drive home their advantage with two more wides from their next two shots. That brought their first half total to six.
Killenaule took full advantage of Na Piarsaigh’s poor shooting in the lead up to half time with Doyle delivering a brace of cracking efforts from play either side of a Charlie Barrett point that saw the score at 0-6 to 0-4 in at the break in favour of the Tipperary side.
Barrett and Doyle gave Killenaule the perfect start to the second half with Sean Long finally getting Na Piarsaigh on the board in the 44th minute.
Barrett and Kieran Daly traded blows and Na Piarsaigh brought the deficit back to two points heading down the stretch through Fionn Ó Tiarnaigh’s fisted effort.
However, the game changed moments later when Oisin Shelly put Barrett through and he slotted the ball beyond the onrushing Eoghan Sherlock for Killenaule’s goal.
Points from Darragh Doyle and Shelly followed for Killenaule as Na Piarsaigh’s race looked to be over.
But back they came through a Kieran Daly free and O’Hagan’s goal but it proved to be too little too late as they bowed out of Munster at the quarter-final stage.
SCORERS - KILLENAULE: Charlie Barrett 1-3, Michael Doyle 0-4 (2f), Tony Ryan, Luke Ryan (1f), Darragh Doyle and Oisin Shelly 0-1 each; NA PIARSAIGH: Kieran Daly 0-4 (3f), Christy O’Hagan 1-0, Jack McCarthy, James Daly, Evan Egan, Sean Long and Fionn Ó Tiarnaigh 0-1 each.
KILLENAULE: John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer; Jack Hassett, Jimmy Feehan, Tony Ryan; Padraig O’Dwyer, Ciaran O’Dwyer, Darragh Doyle; Owen O’Dwyer, Paudie Feehan; Tom Stakelum, Luke Ryan, Oisin Shelly; Charlie Barrett, Michael Doyle, Fionn Fitzgerald; Subs: Cian Johnson Croke for J Hassett (19 mins), Eoin Shaw for Stakelum (28 mins), Tom Keaveney for O O’Dwyer (51 mins), Mark Stakelum for Fitzgerald (56 mins), Jimmy Ryan for C O’Dwyer (59 mins).
NA PIARSIAGH: Eoghan Sherlock; Ferdia Minihane, Cian Counihan, Cathal McMullen; Christy O’Hagan, Sean Long, Adam Jordan; Tommy Grimes, Jack McCarthy; Daniel Collins, Kieran Daly, Tommy Glynn; James Daly, Evan Egan, Mark Hogan; Subs: Evan Gilvarry for Collins (8 mins, inj), Conor McLaughlin for Gilvarry (34 mins), Fionn Ó Tiarnaigh for Jordan (34 mins), Odhran Gilroy for Egan (45 mins), Kevin Daly for Glynn (47 mins).
Referee: Sean Joy (Kerry).