GAA
For the second time in four years, Adare and Newcastle West will meet in the Limerick SFC Final.
Defending champions Adare reached a fourth Limerick Senior Football Championship final in five years as they overcame Galtee Gaels in the semi-final on Sunday afternoon.
They will be joined by Newcastle West who beat Monaleen by a solitary point later that day.
In the day’s first semi-final in Kilmallock, Robbie Childs got Galtee Gaels off to the perfect start in their first ever semi-final at the grade, kicking over the first point of the day. Roy Gleeson responded for Adare and approaching the first waterbreak the sides were level at 0-3 apiece.
But a Robbie Bourke score had Adare one up at the whistle. Childs replied with a free for Galtee after the restart but that was to be their final score of the half as six on the troy gave the champions daylight at the half.
Childs opened the second half scoring for the Gaels but Adare then kicked the next three.
A Sean Clancy goal gave Galtee some hope reducing the deficit to four but that was their final score of the hour as five unanswered either side of the final water break helped Adare to a 0-18 to 1-6 win and a place in the final.
Their opponents were confirmed in Mick Neville Park as Newcastle West had just enough to see off Monaleen 0-11 to 0-10 in the semis.
The West side were dominant in the first quarter with points from Diarmuid Kelly, Iain Corbett and Mike McMahon giving them a 0-3 to 0-0 lead at the break.
Monaleen got off the mark with a brace from Brian Donovan that had the gap back to just a single point at the break, 0-5 to 0-4 in favour of the Magpies.
In the third quarter, Newcastle West moved two clear on three different occasions but were pegged back each time with the game finely poised at 0-8 to 0-7 at the final watrebreak.
But eventually Newcastle West took a hold of the game and Cian Sheehan’s third of the day helped them move 0-11 to 0-8 clear with five minutes to play.
Monaleen had the final two scores of the day but it wasn’t enough as Newcastle booked their place in the final to set up a rematch of the 2017 final where they were beaten by Adare.