Limerick SHC final: Kilmallock dethrone county kingpins Na Piarsaigh

Limerick SHC Final: Kilmallock 3-19 Na Piarsaigh 1-22

Kilmallock have dethroned Limerick kingpins and outgoing champions Na Piarsaigh as “The Balbec” tasted Limerick SHC title success at the TUS Gaelic Grounds to raise the John Daly Cup for a 13th time on Sunday evening.

Goals from Limerick star Shane O’Brien, Oisín O’Reilly and Graeme Mulcahy proved to be the difference as Kilmallock now face All-Ireland champions Ballygunner in the Munster Club semi-final in three weeks’ time.

After a slow start, James Hickey’s charges turned the game on its head, leading for the first time just before the half-time break, until William O’Donoghue’s goal seven minutes from time, before restoring their lead just 40 seconds later as Oisín O’Reilly found the net.

A repeat of the 2022 final, Na Piarsaigh were in search of their seventh Limerick senior title in 10 years, while Kilmallock hoped to lift the John Daly Cup for the first time since 2021.

It was all Na Piarsaigh in the opening 10 minutes as Conor Boylan (two), Keith Dempsey (free), Ronan Lynch (free) and Peter Casey had the Caherdavin men 0-5 to 0-0 ahead inside 10 minutes.

The margin could have been higher, however, had Keith Dempsey found the net after just six minutes, but Kilmallock goalkeeper Conor Hanley Clarke was equal to the former Limerick senior hurler.

Kilmallock started to get on top from midway through the opening half, and after Mike Foley pointed for Na Piarsaigh in the 11th minute, the winners scored seven of the next nine scores to draw level through a long-range Hanley Clarke free, seven minutes shy of half-time.

Kilmallock led for the first time just shy of the break after Pierce Connery scored his fourth free of the evening to push them into a 0-10 to 0-9 lead.

Further scores from Connery and Hanley Clarke, both frees, gave Kilmallock a three-point lead: 0-12 to 0-09.

The half-time whistle was met with a scuffle between players and management after Michael Houlihan caught James Finn with a late shoulder into the chest.

Kilmallock extended their lead just a minute after the restart, O’Brien superbly catching his own side’s puck out before bursting through the Na Piarsaigh defence, blasting into the far corner to raise the game’s first green flag.

Eleven minutes from time, Conor Boylan, set up superbly by Will O’Donoghue, should have found the net but again Hanley Clarke was on hand to deny the city side.

By the time Mike Foley pointed in the 51st minute, Na Piarsaigh had brought it back to a one-point game, before O’Donoghue turned supplier to goalscorer to give Shane O’Neill’s side the lead for the first time in over 20 minutes.

Kilmallock had other ideas, however, and less than a minute later, Oisín Reilly superbly found the net to give Kilmallock the lead once again.

Both sides exchanged points before a looped, high ball into the box was misread by the Na Piarsaigh defence as Kilmallock captain Graeme Mulcahy fittingly secured the hard-fought victory for the Balbec.

KILMALLOCK: Conor Hanley Clarke (0-2, 2f); Killian Hayes (0-1), Robbie Egan; Jackie Dwane; Robbie Hanley, Ciarán O’Connor, Mark O’Loughlin (0-1); Graeme Mulcahy (capt) (1-1), Michael Houlihan (0-1); Shane O’Brien (1-2), Oisin O’Reilly (1-0), Steven Quirke (0-1); Pierce Connery (0-8, 8f); Phelim O’Reilly (0-2), Gearóid Enright.

Subs: Conor Staunton for Quirke (46 minutes); Paudie O’Brien for Enright (55); Kevin O’Donnell for O’Loughlin (59).

NA PIARSAIGH: Shane Dowling; Jerome Boylan (capt), Vince Harrington, Emmet McEvoy; Ronan Lynch (0-5, 3f, 2 65s), Mike Casey, Mike Foley (0-2); William O’Donoghue (1-0), David Dempsey (0-1); Keith Dempsey (0-3, 3f), Peter Casey (0-5), James Finn; Kevin Downes, JJ Carey, Conor Boylan (0-3).

Subs: Will Henn (0-3, 3f) for Downes (40); John Fitzgerald for Keith Dempsey (46); Adrian Breen for Carey (52); Tommy Grimes for Finn (58)

Referee: John O’Halloran (Bruree).

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