Round-up: Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Championship action
Liam Freaney, Tipperary, and Padraic Phelan, Limerick, pictured with referee James Regan. Photo by Tipperary GAA
Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship phase 1 round 2
Tipperary 3-13 Limerick 2-9
By Stephen Barry at New Inn
Tipperary staged a 13-point second-half turnaround against Limerick to reawaken their Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship ambitions at a sunny yet breezy New Inn.
Two goals from the Treaty’s appropriately named targetman, Aidan O’Shea, pushed them into a 2-6 to 1-3 half-time lead.
However, Liam Freaney finished with 2-4 and won a penalty, while Charlie Walsh struck 1-4 to swing the verdict in Tipp’s favour. In total, they won the second half by 2-10 to 0-3.
The hosts got off to a dream start when captain Freaney surged through the heart of the Limerick defence. His shot was saved by Cian Purcell, but Walsh was on alert to poke home the rebound inside 60 seconds. When Freaney won and converted a two-point free into the wind, they led 1-2 to 0-1.
Limerick overwhelmed them to the tune of 2-5 to 0-1 from there to the break. Moving midfielder O’Shea onto the edge of the square destabilised the Tipp defence. He snatched Liam Glynn’s long ball to steer home a low strike on the quarter-hour.
On either side, Andrew Lyons and Conor Ó Longaigh fizzed goal chances over the crossbar amid a 1-5 streak.
Lyons added Limerick’s sole orange flag from a free before O’Shea latched onto Pádraic Phelan’s ball in for a second goal and a six-point interval lead.
Tipp called upon Dylan Cotter at half-time. He would make a big impact at midfield, while Seán Griffin switched to full-back.
First, Walsh nailed a patiently worked two-pointer. Then, Freaney won a penalty, which Mark Neville scooped over the bar.
Limerick still led by four at the three-quarter mark, but all three of their second-half points came from Lyons frees, as he ended with 0-7.
Freaney turned the contest by drilling two goals in the space of three minutes. Cotter claimed the kick-outs for both and later added two points of his own.
Tipp extended that burst into 2-5 without reply, thanks to a pair of orange flags from a Walsh free and James Power.
The other round 2 game, between Waterford and Clare, was rescheduled for Saturday, March 28th, at 2pm in Lemybrien, as a mark of respect following the tragic passing of Clare strength and conditioning coach Jack Boddy.
Scorers for Tipperary: Liam Freaney 2-4 (1 2ptf, 0-1f); Charlie Walsh 1-4 (1 2pt, 1 2ptf); Dylan Cotter, James Power (2pt) 0-2 each; Mark Neville 0-1 (pen).
Scorers for Limerick: Andrew Lyons 0-7 (1 2ptf, 3f); Aidan O’Shea 2-0; Conor Ó Longaigh, Cian Costelloe 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Peter Boland; Jack McGonigle, Danny Morris, Jack Kearney; Gavin Neville, Emmet Bonner, Jamie O’Keeffe; Oran Gahan, Seán Griffin; Liam Kiely, Liam Freaney, John Cronin; Mark Neville, Shane Ryan, Charlie Walsh.
Subs: Dylan Cotter for Morris (h-t), Philip O’Dwyer for M Neville (42), Killian Smith for Kiely (42), James Power for Cronin (42), Ciarán Kelly for Ryan (56).
Limerick: Cian Purcell; Cian O’Sullivan, Owen Dee, Danny McCarthy; Samuel Colgan, Conor Mangan, Cillian Meade; Aidan O’Shea, Evan Curry; Conor Ó Longaigh, Liam Glynn, Cian Costelloe; Pádraic Phelan, Andrew Lyons, Shane O’Grady.
Subs: Fintan McNamara for O’Grady (5-7, blood), McNamara for O’Grady (h-t), Michael Mulcahy for Meade (42), Barry Griffin for Costelloe (52), Paudie Hennessy for Colgan (52), Seán Holland for Glynn (60).
Referee: James Regan (Cork).
