Why Na Piarsaigh are far from finished despite final heartbreak
When William O’Donoghue powered through for an incredible goal it almost seemed inevitable that the champions would retain their crown
THIS one will sting Na Piarsaigh.
Given they were playing into a stiff winter breeze, trailing by three at the interval won’t have worried Shane O’Neill and Tomas Downes.
True, they raced into a five-point lead before Kilmallock got out of the blocks, but the Balbec were always going to land a few punches.
The route one goal Shane O’Brien scored just after the break exposed chinks in the defensive armour that Doon exposed in the semi-final. But again, there was never any indication that it was a fatal blow.
Keith Dempsey, Daithi Dempsey and the impressive Peter Casey landed points in the third quarter to ensure the city men stayed in touch.
When William O’Donoghue powered through for an incredible goal it almost seemed inevitable that the champions would retain their crown.
But, it was Kilmallock’s day. Within seconds of O’Donoghue’s strike, Oisin O’Reilly bundled the ball over the line at the other end.
Admittedly, it took a fortuitous Graeme Mulcahy goal to secure the win, giving the south Limerick men a four-point lead deep into injury time.
It emphasises how difficult it is to win this championship - or any championship for that matter - back-to-back. Undoubtedly the premier team in Limerick hurling for the last decade and a half, only two of their nine title defences have been successful.
The nature of this loss will hurt. But there is no need to call the obituary writers just yet. With the fallout from defeat it is easy to talk in extremes: Kilmallock were great, Na Piarsaigh were poor - but it is important to not forget that the city men led with seven minutes to play.
As well as that, Conor Boylan and Peter Casey combined for eight points from play. Had Robbie Egan and Jackie Dwane not had outstanding finals or Killian Hayes get into the game the way he did, either of the two Na Piarsaigh attackers could have turned in match-winning performances.
Neither James Finn nor Kevin Downes hit the heights they did in the semi-final, if they had done so, the Daly Cup would not have had far to travel from its perch on the Mackey Stand on Sunday night.
The half-back line of Ronan Lynch, Mike Casey and Mike Foley remain a wonderful anchor for the team. Perhaps not one of the biggest names on the Na Piarsaigh team, Foley has now played in 10 SHC finals - the kind of experience you can’t buy.
On perhaps a less optimistic note, the rest of the county are also still a ways behind. The statistic that Kilmallock, Doon and Na Piarsaigh have been three of the four semi-finalists in each of the last 10 years shows both the three club’s consistency - and that the rest of the county remains playing catch-up.
The drop-off from Patrickswell in the last few seasons has turned the ‘Big 4’ into a ‘Big 3’ but Monaleen and Mungret-St Pauls are making big strides.
Adare have produced flat quarter-final performances in each of the last two years but will be encouraged that they have good young players coming through the ranks.
Keeping Mark Foley at the helm may prove crucial if they are to make the step up and compete in semi-finals and finals ahead of schedule.
Ballybrown will be the other team in the ‘Super Six’ group for 2027. Without Aidan O’Connor for a lot of the campaign through injury, they struggled in part. However, supporters in Clarina will point to how close they were to getting out of the group - missing late chances against Monaleen and Na Piarsaigh proving crucial.
So while there are undoubtedly coming teams in the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship, as we head into the winter, Kilmallock, Na Piarsaigh and Doon - the last three champions - look a cut above the rest.