Limerick 3-13 Offaly 0-15:AN OUTSTANDING performance by their full forward line, in which Ian Ryan sparkled, paved the way for a shock Limerick win over a disappointing Offaly at the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday.
The pace of Ryan, Ger Collins and Séamus O’Carroll gave the Offaly defence a roasting and while three goals were scored a few others might also have been put past Alan Mulhall, who made a super save to deny Stephen Kelly.
Offaly relied far too much on Ciarán McManus from frees and he finished with eight points. Ken Casey, Bernard Allen and Ross Brady also did well for the losers, whose defence was given a roasting by the Limerick full-forward line.
Collins had Limerick in front with a point after four minutes but Ken Casey and Niall McNamee edged Offaly ahead after 12 minutes. Then followed a dramatic three minutes for Limerick, starting when Stephen Lavin created a superb goal by Ian Ryan who lofted his shot to the top right hand corner of Alan Mulhall’s net after he outpaced Seán Pender.
Three minutes later Limerick had a second goal. This time Collins and Ryan indulged in a clever bit of passing to create the space for handball star Séamus O’Caroll to beat Mulhall with a low shot.
Those goals had Limerick eight points clear (2-4 to 0-2) but Ciarán McManus had the first two of his eight points from frees. In the last 10 minutes of the half it was all Offaly, two more frees by McManus ensured the visitors kept in touch.
And they were reasonably happy to be only behind by three points at the interval, 2-5 to 0-8, though Offaly were already regretting shooting 10 wides.
Yet the visitors remained in contention, and the margin was only two points with six minutes remaining. Limerick polished them off with the outstanding Collins cracking in goal number three after 64 minutes when Kelly overturned possession. Ryan fittingly put over a marvellous late point to seal the win.
LIMERICK: B Scanlon; T Stack, S Gallagher, S Lavin; J Riordan, J McCarthy, P Ranahan; S Buckley, T Lee (0-1); S Kelly (0-2, frees), J Mullane, M Sheehan; G Collins (1-2), S O’Carroll (1-0), I Ryan (1-7). Subs: B Fitzpatrick for Mullane (48 mins), E OConnor for Gallagher (59 mins), E Hogan (0-1) for OCarroll (63 mins), N McCormack for Riordan (68 mins).
OFFALY: A Mulhall; B Darby, J Quinn, S Pender; S Lonergan, R Brady, K Slattery; R Dalton, N Smith; C McManus (0-8, frees), S Brady, N Daly (0-2); B Allen (0-1), K Casey (0-2), N McNamee (0-1). Subs: P Bracken (0-1) for Slattery (40 mins), N Dunne for Darby (54 mins), D Egan for Allen (60 mins), N Spain for Lonergan, S Ryan for R Brady (both 61 mins).
Referee: M Condon (Waterford).
