Munster SHC, Round 1: Limerick 1-18 Waterford 0-19
They looked at times to be labouring under the burden of being regarded as All-Ireland certainties but Limerick fought off the adversity of losing a man for the final quarter and the ferocious attentions of a reinvigorated Waterford to cling on to a two-point win in Thurles before 20,267 spectators.
In what was a smouldering opening match in the Munster championship – 10 players yellow carded, one sent off plus a few cards flashed at members of backroom teams – a few assumptions were challenged.
Having opened strongly, the champions looked to be streaking away with the match and by the 20th minute they led by eight, 1-8 to 0-3, the goal a smart bit of ground hurling by Séamus Flanagan, who eventually picked and flicked to the net.
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Worse for Waterford was the sight of Tadhg de Búrca being led off with what his manager said was an Achilles injury, which would likely end his season – to go with the two cruciates that have blighted other seasons.
“If you could see the work that he did to get himself right, I am absolutely just sick for him,” said Fitzgerald.
Waterford looked shell shocked in that opening spell, conceding scores to turnovers, such as points for Gearóid Hegarty and Peter Casey. Later, manager David Fitzgerald lamented this phase, which undermined his team’s comeback when they eventually hit their stride.
The challengers had some excellent performances, including from Stephen Bennett, reviving memories of how he carried the fight to Limerick in the 2020 All-Ireland. Nearly flawless from placed balls – he tried unavailingly to go for goal from one – his accuracy kept his team afloat and he suffered for his art, taking head shots from Barry Nash, who was yellow carded and Flanagan who caught him with a shoulder challenge that might prompt a CCCC review.
Calum Lyons did a fine job on keeping Cian Lynch quieter than usual – the twice HOTY did of course find the inspiration for a pass that magicked space for Nash to hit a 56th-minute point in the sequence that followed Hegarty’s second-yellow dismissal – a scalded four-point salvo that ultimately saved the game.
When challenged, Limerick stuttered a bit and did uncharacteristic things. Gillane missed a penalty, hitting it tamely straight at Billy Nolan after he had been wrestled in the square.
Kyle Hayes couldn’t get going and was penalised for over-carrying a couple of times when trying to build up a head of steam on the counter-attack with his trademark gallop and hopping the ball off the ground.
Just when you thought Limerick were setting sail, Waterford would produce a sequence that becalmed the champions. Either side of the break, they out-scored them 0-10 to 0-3 to shave the deficit all the way back to the minimum.
If a Gillane free stopped the rot for Limerick, his penalty miss triggered further unease and then Hegarty’s dismissal for a madcap charge at Conor Gleeson when contesting a ball on the sideline in the 47th minute, raised existential questions for the team that hadn’t lost a championship match for nearly four years.
They responded with the assurance of champions – points from Tom Morrissey, Nash and Gillane, who Darragh O’Donovan picked out for a third and then who added a free.
Replacements had an impact. Austin Gleeson came on and added some energy to Waterford’s challenge and his driving run nearly brought about a winning goal in the last minute – even the deflection was nearly doubled into the net by another sub, Patrick Fitzgerald.
Winning manager John Kiely was caught between his smoking discontent at the blind faith of pundits and the assurance that none of it had influenced his players.
“Listen, let’s be honest about it, there was some amount of bullshit spoken about our team and the season ahead this week and the week before. It’s a softening up exercise mentally from those outside of our camp.
“But we’re around a long time. We know that’s all folly and nonsense. Every day you go out you’re there to be beaten. We saw that again today.”
For Waterford, it’s on to Cork next week with that most intangible of benefits – the unexpectedly narrow defeat.
“We had the chances to get the result. It wouldn’t have been a sneaky result. It would have been a result we would have deserved if we would have got it,” said Fitzgerald ruefully.
LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, 3. Dan Morrisey, Barry Nash (0-1); Diarmaid Byrnes (0-3, 0-2f), Declan Hannon (capt), Kyle Hayes; Darragh O’Donovan, Will O’Donoghue; Gearóid Hegarty (0-2), Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey (0-2); Aaron Gillane (0-7, 0-5f), Séamus Flanagan (1-1), Peter Casey (0-2). Subs: Mike Casey for Hannon (15 mins), Cathal O’Neill for Flanagan (60 mins), David Reidy for O’Donoghues (68 mins), Conor Boylan for P Casey (74 mins).
WATERFORD: Billy Nolan; Conor Gleeson (0-1), Conor Prunty, Mark Fitzgerald; Calum Lyons, Tadhg de Búrca, Jack Fagan; Darragh Lyons, Jamie Barron (joint-captain; 0-1); Neil Montgomery, Dessie Hutchinson (0-3), Michael Kiely; Colin Dunford, Stephen Bennett (jc; 0-12, 0-10f), Jack Prendergast. Subs: Tom Barron for de Búrca (23 mins), Austin Gleeson (0-1) for Dunford (51 mins), Pádraig Fitzgerald for Prendergast (61 mins), Patrick Fitzgerald (0-1) for Montgomery (61 mins).
Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway).
