Limerick labour to finish off the job

Munster SFC First round/Limerick 0-16 Tipperary 3-5: After a day like this you have to start with talk of the weather, good enough to sense one of the better summers. Strange, then, how it wasn't the hottest of days for Limerick, but they have at least witnessed the start. Munster finals are only won by getting there first and it's better to mature along the way.

Still they'll want to get past Waterford in a month's time a lot more convincingly if Kerry or Cork are to be genuine targets. Here Limerick endured an unusual mix of uncertainly and inevitability. Beating Tipperary is never easy but Limerick sure made it hard on themselves. The smallest of things could have sent the contenders into qualifier land but they'll come away with some useful lessons.

Three Tipperary goals in the opening 25 minutes kept it interesting, and forced Limerick to live dangerously right up to the final whistle. It was almost surreal to watch the final few minutes where one more Tipperary goal would have sent Limerick crashing. Two points the better team? That hardly reflects their dominance.

In front of 7,500 faces they were rattled but never cracked. It took almost 60 minutes of grinding football before they got in a position to actually win. And Tipperary played the last 25 minutes with 14 men.

Afterwards the Limerick manager Liam Kearns seemed unusually calm about the whole thing. But that reflects the new solidity he's brought to football in the county. In other years this would probably have been a fair result. These days Limerick want to beat Tipperary and beat them well.

Just why they allowed Tipperary to steal three goals in the opening 25 minutes will be the topic of debate ahead of their date with Waterford on June 13th. Declan Browne played his part in two of them and normally that's enough excuse for any team but the fact is the Limerick defence bears much of the blame. Allow that against Kerry or Cork and it's good night.

The goals also all came at ideal moments for Tipperary. The first on five minutes was beautifully created and laid on by Browne for Aidan Fitzgerald, and he left Mike Jones - a late replacement for the injured Séamus O'Donnell - with no chance. That settled the Tipperary legs first and they took advantage. On eight minutes Browne sent in goal number two. Up 2-1 to 0-1 it was like Tipperary had false-started.

But like a seasoned athlete who doesn't go sprinting after the pacemakers Limerick simply gathered their senses. Stephen Kelly forced two huge saves from Brian Enright and already so much of the possession was going their way. Conor Fitzgerald, Muiris Gavin and Eoin Keating started chipping away with their points and soon Limerick were back to within two points.

Tipperary's third goal came against the run of play. Glen Burke's poor 45-metre effort fell well for Michael Webster, and a final pass from Kevin Mulryan cleared Paul Cahill for the shot at goal. Yet the Limerick defence played their part, with John Galvin among those to misread the situation.

Once the game was restored to its normal flow Limerick appeared increasingly impressive. Mike O'Brien was collecting a shower of ball yet Kelly just wasn't having any luck. Still four unanswered points, including a gem from wing back Conor Mullane, again reduced the margin to two - 3-2 to 0-9 - at the break.

It remained surprisingly stagnant for much of the second half but the writing was on the wall for Tipperary. Browne wasn't getting anything near the kind of ball he desired, and he'd have needed to come back to his own full back line to get it. Tipperary's midfielders had disappeared and you could count on two hands the number of times they got the ball out of their own half over the last half hour. Then on 47 minutes Burke went for an early shower after a second booking for a high tackle on Fitzgerald.

Down to 14 men and largely out of steam Tipperary's game was up. The only intriguing part from there on was the labour involved in Limerick's eventual lead. Another perfect free from Gavin drew them level on 48 minutes but it was 10 minutes later before Kelly got his first and only reward for so much tireless running, a fine point from play.

One more free from Gavin, and another from Fitzgerald, eased Limerick into their winning position. Conceding a fourth goal so late would have been harsh punishment.

LIMERICK: 16. M Jones; 2. M O'Riordan, 3. J McCarthy, 4. T Stack; 5. C Mullane (0-1), 6. S Lucey, 7. D Reidy; 8. J Galvin, 9. J Quane; 10. S Kelly (0-1), 11. M Gavin (0-7, five frees), 12. M O'Brien; 13. C Fitzgerald (0-2), 15. E Keating (0-4, one free, one 45), 14. J Murphy (0-1). Subs: 19. T Carroll for Quane (55 mins), 20. M Horan for Murphy (63 mins), 22. M Reidy for Kelly (68 mins).

TIPPERARY: 1. B Enright; 2. B Hahessy, 3. S Collum, 4. N Curran; 5. R Cositgan, 6. D Byrne, 7. G Burke (0-1); 8. F O'Gallaghan, 9. K Mulryan; 10. L England, 11. A Fitzgerald (1-0), 12. M Webster; 13. P Cahill (1-0); 14. D Browne (1-4, all frees), 15. D O'Brien. Subs: 23. JP Looby for Webster (30 mins), 21. P Halley for England (44 mins), 18. L Cronin for Curran (54 mins), 27. J Williams for Fitzgerald (63 mins), 17. D Byrne for Cahill (65 mins).

Referee: M Deegan (Laois).