Allianz HL D1A: Limerick overcome spirited Offaly

Allianz Hurling League Division 1A

Limerick 2-19 Offaly 0-17

It wasn’t the ruthless demolition that they inflicted on Tipperary at Semple Stadium last weekend, but Limerick still never looked like losing to a resolute Offaly side at Glenisk O’Connor Park, a result that confirms the Faithful County’s relegation and leaves Limerick in control of their own destiny in the hunt for a league final slot.

With the breeze blowing across rather than down the ground in Tullamore, Offaly held their own in the early exchanges against the more physically powerful Munster county, and four early Treaty wides helped to boost the home side’s confidence as well.

Two Adam Screeney frees settled them into the game and while Limerick hit back with four in succession, Ben Conneely, Ter Guinan and Daniel Bourke were all on target to tie the game up midway through the first half.

A shoulder injury to Darragh O’Donovan saw him withdrawn from the action with a little over 20 minutes played, but Limerick overcame that to find a little bit of form in the run up to half-time, scoring five of the last six points of the 35, including two in a minute from Cathal O’Neill and Adam English to make it 0-12 to 0-7 at the interval.

Any notion that Offaly might be demoralised was blown away when the Faithful County started the second half with points from Screeney, Ter Guinan and Killian Sampson, and the despite Limerick responding in kind, the tie was still within reach for the midlanders midway through the second half.

Two goals in five minutes extinguished that faint, flickering hope. Shane O’Brien was one of several players who didn’t quite recapture the electricity of Semple Stadium eight days previously, but he showed his threat with a goal on 54 minutes, and shortly afterwards Cathal O’Neill powered down the centre of the attack and found the net from right on the 13m line.

The remaining 15 minutes was somewhat academic as Limerick tagged on one more point while Offaly added three Adam Screeney frees to keep the margin to single figures, making it yet another creditable performance in what has been a difficult league campaign for Johnny Kelly’s young group.

Scorers for Limerick: Aidan O’Connor 0-10 (7fs), Shane O’Brien 1-1, Cathal O’Neill 1-1, Adam English 0-2, Diarmaid Byrnes 0-2 (1f), Colin Coughlan 0-1, Cian Lynch 0-1, David Reidy 0-1.

Scorers for Offaly: Adam Screeney 0-9 (8fs), Ter Guinan 0-2, Ben Conneely 0-1, Killian Sampson 0-1, Donal Shirley 0-1, Brian Duignan 0-1, Luke Nolan 0-1, Daniel Bourke 0-1.

Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Mike Casey, Dan Morrissey, Seán Finn; Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes, Colin Coughlan; Cathal O’Neill, Darragh O’Donovan; Aidan O’Connor, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Shane O’Brien, Adam English.

Subs: David Reidy for O’Donovan (22), Gearóid Hegarty for T Morrissey (55); Matthew Fitzgerald for Coughlan (56), Fintan Fitzgerald for English (60), Ethan Hurley for O’Connor (60).

Offaly: Liam Hoare; Pat Taaffe, Ben Conneely, Sam Bourke; Jack Clancy, Killian Sampson, Donal Shirley; Colin Spain, Ross Ravenhill; Daniel Bourke, Oisín Kelly, Ter Guinan; Luke Nolan, Brian Duignan, Adam Screeney.

Subs: Luke Watkins for Clancy (59), Eimhin Kelly for Spain, Cian Burke for Nolan (63), Brecon Kavanagh for Taaffe (67), Conor Doyle for Bourke (71).

Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway).