Limerick slip to opening round defeat as Laois footballers prove too strong

It was not the start Billy Lee would have wanted for his side as Limerick fell to a 2-12 to 0-9 points defeat in O’Moore Park on Saturday evening.

However the Limerick manager can take some consolation from the fact that for the majority of this game, his young Limerick side were within touching distance of one of the favourites to bounce right back up from division four.

With twenty minutes remaining, Limerick trailed by only two points before a Gary Walsh goal put the enough breathing space between the two sides and settled the home side who would go on to further extend their advantage.

Relegated last year, Laois started well when a goal bound Danny O’Reilly effort was tipped over by goalkeeper and Limerick captain Donal O’Sullivan.

Walsh added another free to give the home side a 0-02 to no score lead before Jamie Lee opened Limerick’s account with a well taken point from play on the quarter hour mark.

In what was a tense opening period, Laois tacked on two more scores through Dowling and Walsh (free) before Jamie Lee responded with two more frees to keep Limerick in touch. It would end up 0-5 to 0-3 in favour of the home side heading into the break as Walsh added another free.

Limerick did cut the arrears to just  a single point early in the second half but could never manage to get their noses level or in front of their opponents and always seemed to be chasing the game.

A Danny O’Reilly point pushed the lead out to two points yet again before Walsh’s goal finally put significant daylight between the two sides.

Limerick battled gallantly and cut the lead back to just three points before Jamie Lee’s effort came back off the upright to the disappointment of the travelling support.

Limerick added points from Sean McSweeney, Jim Liston and Seamus O’Carroll before Kingston’s goal but a different and rather lopsided look to the final score.

In truth the 9-point margin of defeat was somewhat flattering on the home side as Limerick were in touch for the majority of the game and were it not for the intervention of the woodwork, there might have been a different outcome.

However, it was not to be for Billy Lee and his Limerick side as they endured an opening round defeat and mist use themselves down to face Carlow in Newcastlewest next Sunday at 2pm.

The Leinster side had a 2-14 to 2-09 win over London in McGovern Park over the weekend.

G Brody; D Holland, S Nerney, R C Fennell; T Collins, S Attride, F Crowley; J O’Loughlin, D O’Reilly; A Farrell, P Kingston, B Glynn; E Lowry, G Walsh , A Dowling. Subs: C Begley for Attride (inj – 5 mins), E O’Carroll for Dowling (46 mins), N Donoher for Farrell (58 mins), G Dillon for Glynn (58 mins), K Lillis for Collins (66 mins), J Farrell for O’Reilly (66 mins)

Laois Scorers: G Walsh 1-6 (0-4 frees), P Kingston 1-0, D O’Reilly 0-2, A Dowling 0-1, E Lowry 0-2.

D O’Sullivan; G Noonan, S O’Dea,B Fanning; T McCarthy, P White, J Liston; D Treacy, C Fahy; D Connolly, P Nash, D Neville; D Daly, P Scanlon, J Lee. Subs: S O’Carroll for Scanlan (half-time), S Doherty for Daly (41 mins), S McSweeney for McCarthy (50 mins), R Bourke for Nash (53 mins), K Daly for Lee (58 mins), C McSweeney for Liston (72 mins)

Limerick Scorers: J Lee 0-4 (one free), J Liston 0-1, S McSweeney 0-1 (free), S O’Carroll 0-1, K Daly 0-1, S O’Dea 0-1