Early season defeats for Limerick’s hurlers and footballers

There was a disappointing start to the 2026 season for both Limerick sides, with the footballers and the hurlers both suffering defeats in the Munster GAA pre-season competitions. Both sides lined up with experimental looking outfits, and it took a late penalty to deny the hurlers on Saturday afternoon.


Clare 3-20
Limerick 3-18

By Tom Clancy at Tulla.

Limerick suffered a late, late defeat as the impressive Mark Rodgers buried a stoppage time penalty to flip the result at a sold out Tulla. The Banner were arguable the better side but Limerick hung in the contest and had forged ahead late on, only for Rodgers to bury the disputed penalty beyond Colin Ryan. Limerick gave  more game time to Ryan, Vince Harrington, John English and Dylan O’Shea, while Fintan Fitzgerald was a late inclusion in place of Paddy O’Donovan. Eddie Stokes lined up at corner-back once again. There was game time too for Shane O’Brien, Adam English and Gearoid Hegarty in the second half.

There was impressive showings from a number of players, as the season ramps up. John Kiely will have to contend with a quick turnaround and the Fitzgibbon Cup, as Limerick meet Cork at the TUS Gaelic Grounds this Wednesday evening – in round two of this three team group. Clare conclude the group against Cork on Monday week.

The hosts, however, started the brighter. Rodgers and Shane Meehan looked likely up front while Dylan O’Shea and O’Connor were among the early scorers. Limerick trailed 1-12 to 1-10 at the interval, with the goal arriving from Donnacha Ó Dálaigh, after being set free by Ballybrown’s O’Connor.

Limerick would finish the opening half much the stronger with points from O’Connor, John English and Ó Dálaigh putting them just a point in arrears, before a Mark Rodgers free brought his tally to five and ensured a two-point Banner lead.

That changed again, twenty seconds into the second half, as O Dalaigh buried his second goal, a low bullet from around 20 meters.

Clare continued to cause problems for Limerick, and Jack Kirwan buried a goal himself, batting to the net after finding the time to surge through the Treaty defence.

However, late scores from Peter Casey, O’Connor and Shane O’Brien put Limerick ahead – only for the penalty to come at the other end.

This was at the end of a long-stoppage time period, which came after Jack Kirwan sustained a serious looking head-injury.

Scorers for Clare: Mark Rodgers 1-11 (1-0 pen, 7f); Jack Kirwan 1-2; Shane Meehan 1-1; Jack O’Neill 0-2; Ryan Taylor, Keith Smyth, David Fitzgerald, Peter Duggan (sl) 0-1 each. 

Scorers for Limerick: Donnacha Ó Dálaigh 2-2; Aidan O’Connor 0-7 (6f); Fintan Fitzgerald 1-0; Dylan O’Shea, Tom Morrissey 0-2 each; Darragh Langan, John English, Matthew Fitzgerald, Shane O’Brien, Peter Casey 0-1 each. 

Clare: Mark Sheehy; Shane Woods, Conor Cleary, Rory Hayes; Eoin McMahon, Diarmuid Ryan, John Conneally; Darragh Lohan, Ryan Taylor; Jack Kirwan, Jack O’Neill, David Fitzgerald; Shane Meehan, Keith Smyth, Mark Rodgers.

Subs: Cathal Malone for Conneally (inj – 20) Peter Duggan for Kirwan (44, inj), Diarmuid Stritch for McMahon (44), Colm O’Meara for Smyth (66). 

Limerick: Colin Ryan; Vince Harrington, Seán Casey, Eddie Stokes; Darragh Langan, Cathal O’Neill, Dylan O’Shea; Ethan Hurley, Darragh O’Donovan; Oisin O’Farrell, Tom Morrissey, John English; Donnacha Ó Dálaigh, Aidan O’Connor, Fintan Fitzgerald.

Subs: Adam English for Hurley (ht), Shane O’Brien for O’Farrell (ht), Matthew Fitzgerald for O’Shea (39), Gearoid Hegarty for Morrissey (60), Joe Fitzgerald for O’Donovan (60), Chris Thomas for Casey (66), Peter Casey for Ó Dálaigh (66), Dara Ferland for Fintan Fitzgerald (66). 

Referee: C Doyle (Tipperary).

Tipperary 0-15
Limerick 0-4

Meanwhile, on Friday, a youthful Limerick football side fell 0-15 to 0-4 at Mick Neville Park, to Tipperary.

In this McGrath Cup group phase, Limerick are all but out – with a Cork trip still to come.

Shane Cross accounted for the sole Shannonside point in the first thirty – trailing 0-9 to 0-1 at half-time. In the second half, Cross (free), Askeaton-Ballysteen-Kilcornan’s Sam Colgan and  Athea’s Evan Curry accounted for the Limerick scores.

Sean O’Connor (4) top scored for Tipperary, who scored all fifteen white flags from play.

Scorers for Tipperary: Sean O’Connor, Paddy O’Keeffe 0-4 each; Charlie King 0-3; Cian Smith 0-2; Eoin Craddock, James Morris 0-1 each.

Scorers for Limerick: Shane Cross 0-2 (0-1 free); Sam Colgan, Evan Curry 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Shane Gartland; Jack Harney, Eoin O’Connell, Jack O’Neill; Charlie King, James Morris, Luke Boland; Joe Higgins, Kieran Costello; Eoin Craddock, Cathal Deeley, Killian Butler; Cian Smith, Seán O’Connor, Paddy O’Keeffe. 
Subs: Ben Comerford for Delley (37); Mark Russell for Butler, Daithi Hogan for O’Connor, Ben Carey for Smith (all 45); Niall Heffernan for Boland (47); Manus McFadden for Harney (52)

Limerick: Jamie Dolan; Aaron Neville, Ciaran Uwatse, Craig O’Connell; Tom Lloyd, Oisin Moss, Lee Woulfe; Sam Quigley, Seán Clancy (C); Evan Curry, Rory O’Brien, Barry Griffin; Fintáin McNamara, Shane Cross, Padraic Phelan.

Subs: Ronan McElligott for Dolan (half-time); Sam Colgan for Quigley (36); Cian O’Sullivan for Clancy (47).

Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry)