Limerick SHC final: Na Piarsaigh 2-25 Doon 2-18
Na Piarsaigh are the Limerick senior hurling champions for a ninth time after beating Doon by seven points at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday. The city side have now lifted the John Daly Cup six times in the last 10 years and will face Ballygunner in the Munster quarter-finals in Limerick in two weeks’ time.
In a repeat of last year’s final, which saw Doon crowned Limerick champions for the first time, both sides were level at half-time, 1-7 to 0-10, before Doon were left ruing missed chances when a late Conor Boylan goal brought the game to extra-time.
Na Piarsiagh outscored Doon by eight points to one in extra-time to secure their ninth title since first making the breakthrough at senior level in 2011.
Ten points from Limerick star forward Adam English, who was again in impressive form throughout the contest, wasn’t enough for Doon as Na Piarsaigh, boosted by a man-of-the-match performance from Limerick midfielder Will O’Donoghue, finished the game with 11 different scorers, nine of whom started the game.
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Adrian Breen and Kevin Downes opened the scoring for Na Piarsaigh inside three minutes and efforts from Will Henn, Mike Foley, and Downes again, either side of a Dean Coleman point and English’s first of the afternoon, eased Shane O’Neill’s side into an early three-point lead.
The sides were level on four separate occasions in an opening half that included Coleman’s bizarre goal. Coleman was first to react to a loose ball in front of goal after a Jack Ryan long-range effort hit the bar, much to the surprise of Shane Dowling in the Na Piarsaigh goal, with Coleman raising the game’s first green flag from close-range.
Doon took the lead for the first time two minutes later as English slotted over from distance. Both sides exchanged points in the second quarter as before going in level – 1-7 to 0-10 – at the break.
After the restart, it was advantage Na Piarsaigh after the Caherdavin side scored 1-2 without reply within two minutes, with Adrian Breen beating Darragh Stapleton for his side’s second goal of the game before JJ Carey made it a five-point game.
However, Derek McGrath’s charges had other ideas and four points without reply from English – two frees and a point from play – and a well-taken Eddie Stokes effort made it a one-point game – 1-12 to 1-11 in favour of Na Piarsaigh – two minutes shy of the 40th-minute mark.
A superb Darragh O’Donovan sideline puck put the sides level for a sixth time just shy of the 50th-minute mark.
The game really came into life in the final quarter and with English on fire in the middle of the park for the outgoing champions, Doon looked likely back-to-back champions when O’Donovan superbly finished to the net with three minutes remaining on the clock and Eddie Stoles slotted over a minute later to put the east Limerick men three points up.
Substitute Conor Boylan dramatically forced extra-time, however, as the Limerick forward superbly caught a long ball from Ronan Lynch, before turning his marker to score Na Piarsaigh’s second goal of the day.
Na Piarsaigh started extra-time in blistering form as Keith Dempsey (two), Conor Boylan, Adrian Breen, Ronan Lynch, and Peter Casey scored without response to ensure the John Daly Cup had only a short distance to travel to Páirc Uí Dromgúil.
NA PIARSAIGH: Shane Dowling; Jerome Boylan (capt), Vince Harrington, Ronan Lynch (0-3, 3f); Emmet McEvoy, Mike Casey, Mike Foley (0-2); William O’Donoghue (0-2), JJ Carey (0-1); Kevin Downes (0-6, 6f), Peter Casey (0-3), Daithi Dempsey (0-2); Will Henn (0-1), Adrian Breen (1-2), Dylan Lynch.
Subs: Keith Dempsey (0-2, 1f) for Dylan Lynch (h-t); Conor Boylan (1-1) for Henn (50 mins); Tommy Grimes for Foley (54); James Finn for Downes (e-t); Eoin Brosnan for Foley (64); Cathal King for Boylan (67); Henn for Lynch (72); Wayne Kearns for Carey (80).
DOON: Darragh Stapleton; Mikey O’Brien, Tommy Hayes, Cian O’Donovan; Chris Thomas, Barry Murphy, Richie English; Darragh O’Donovan (capt) (1-2, 1 sl), Jack Ryan; Dean Coleman (1-2), Adam English (0-10, 6f), Eddie Stokes (0-2); Donal Coughlan (0-1), Kevin Maher, Pat Ryan (0-1).
Subs: Aidan O’Connell for Richie English (40 mins); Gareth Thomas for Coughlan (55); Cormac Ryan for Coleman (58); Coughlan for Ryan (e-t); Eoin Fitzgibbon for O’Brien (68); Pat Ryan for Coleman (71).
Referee: Kieran Guina (Feohanagh/Castlemahon).
