All-Ireland MHC Semi-final/Limerick 0-15 Dublin 0-12: When it was done the partisans of both sides poured on to the field and stood in knots of blue and of green, just reading the entrails. Limerick faces shone. Dub just looked baffled. For them the game was gone. It had come back to them. It had gone again. Then the summer ended.
Dublin will look back on Saturday in the early noon sun at Nowlan Park and wonder just how they managed to lose the initiative in a game that they had twice clawed their way back into. A memorable summer ended with mysterious passivity.
Limerick, a big powerful side with plenty of hurling in them, sail on to their first All-Ireland minor final in 21 years. They will meet the grade's specialists Galway on September 11th and, if they have begun to have worries about that occasion, they will concern the difficulties their forwards had in scoring from play on a perfect day for hurling.
Limerick started well with Dublin looking a little lagged after their seven-week break since the Leinster final, wherein a recent challenge in Ballyhale was the only game practice the team got.
The pattern of Limerick's dominance was established early with three quick points, one coming from the stick of right wing back John Kelly, who had a fine game striking placed balls from long range.
When the Dublin half back line, and Tomás Brady in particular, got to grips with the situation things changed, however, and Dublin closed the gap before tiring again and going into the break five points adrift.
The city boys opened up and hurled in the third quarter though. The recalled Shane O'Rorke gave the Limerick defence plenty of worry and slowly John McCaffrey, aided by Joey Boland, began to dominate midfield. McCaffrey in particular got on to a series of loose balls to put Limerick under pressure.
Going into the last quarter of the match the scores got back to 11 points apiece and when Dublin substitute Ciarán Twomey put his side ahead it seemed likely that Dublin would coast home.
For a period thereafter, though, Dublin wasted a handful of good chances, one of which might have produced a goal and others of which should have yielded points.
Dublin's tendency to concede frees and Limerick's ability to convert them from long range began to hurt however. With just seven minutes left Kelly thumped another perfect score over from inside his own half to make it 12 points each.
Kelly's was one of those scores worth more than what it registers on the board. It hit Dublin like a sucker punch and set Limerick confidently back to their own business.
Brian O'Sullivan snapped a point to give Limerick the lead back and when Dublin most needed a response they conceded a couple more frees and the game was gone.
LIMERICK: G Flynn; R McCarthy, L Hurley, T Condon; J Kelly (0-5, four frees, one 65), D Moloney, G O'Mahony; S Hickey, D Moore; B O'Sullivan (0-1), J Ryan, D Hanley (0-1); M Ryan (0-2), E Ryan (0-6, 5 frees), D O'Sullivan. Subs: R Kennedy for Moore (half-time), S Browne for McCarthy (half-time), G Collins for D O'Sullivan (50 mins), A Allis for Kennedy (55 mins) D O'Connor for M Ryan (61 mins).
DUBLIN: C McCormack; R Drumgoole, P Callaghan, E Walsh; K Dunne, T Brady (0-1), C Connolly; J Boland, J McCaffrey (0-3, one free); S O'Rorke (0-3), S Casey, S Durkin; R O'Carroll (0-1), D O'Dwyer, K O'Reilly (0-3, frees). Subs: J Maher for McCormack (half-time), C Twomey (0-1) for Casey (half-time), S Murphy for O'Reilly (51 mins).
Referee: T McIntyre (Antrim).
Matty Forde crashed home a crucial goal just before half-time as Wexford footballers beat Longford by 3-19 to 2-13 in their Tommy Murphy Cup semi-final at Wexford Park on Saturday.
The home side dominated the game and were 3-17 to 0-11 ahead with five minutes remaining, when they took their foot off the pedal and introduced a number of substitutes.
Longford took full advantage of this and clocked up two goals and as many points to put some respectability on the scoreboard.
Willie Murray and Liam Keenan finished for the Longford goals while Paddy Colfer and John Hudson struck for the other two Wexford goals either side of Forde's successful effort.
SCORERS: Wexford: M Forde (1-6, three frees, one 45), J Hudson (1-4), P Colfer (1-2), D Foran (0-3), P Curtis (0-2), R Barry (0-1), PJ Banville (0-1). Longford: L Keenan (1-1), W Murray (1-0), J Martin (0-5), B Kavanagh (0-5), P Barden (0-1), K Mulligan (0-1).
