Heartbreak for senior footballers after extra time defeat in Munster semi final

Limerick are out of the Munster SFC following a devastating defeat to Tipperary at the LIT Gaelic Grounds.

Tipperary came away with an extra time victory with Brian Fox landing the vital score at the end of a game that looked destined for penalties.

Billy Lee’s charges had looked good going into the break 2-6 to 0-5 ahead but Tipperary’s 1-6 without reply stunned them.

Limerick regrouped to force extra time and had the chance to send the game to penalties through Seamus O’Carroll but his mark went wide and Tipperary go to the Munster Final.

It was a tight opening quarter but goals from Sean McSweeney and Cillian Fahy put Limerick in superb shape heading into half time.

Tipperary rallied with Conor Sweeney leading the charge in the second half and had brought Limerick’s lead back to a single point on 51 minutes.

Then came a lucky goal from Liam Casey that put Tipperary in front. Darragh Treacy and Hugh Bourke then levelled for Limerick.

Cian Sheehan looked to have sent over a dramatic winner for Limerick, only for a simply sublime Sweeney free from the touchline that forced extra time.

Both sides had their chances in extra time and Limerick were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty but ultimately it is Tipperary that booked their place in the Munster Final.

Limerick: Scorers: Sean McSweeney 1-2, Cillian Fahy 1-1 each, Hugh Bourke (2f) and Donal O’Sullivan (1f, ’45) 0-2 each, Tommy Griffin Killian Ryan, Darragh Treacy and Cian Sheehan 0-1 each.

Limerick: Donal O’Sullivan; Sean O’Dea, Brian Fanning, Paul Maher; Tony McCarthy, Killian Ryan, Gordon Brown; Darragh Treacy, Tommie Childs; Cillian Fahy, Iain Corbett, Adrian Enright; Hugh Bourke, Tommy Griffin, Sean McSweeney. 

Subs: Padraig De Brun for Enright (h-t), Cian Sheehan for Griffin (52), Danny Neville for McSweeney (52), Robbie Childs for Brown (56), Seamus O’Carroll for Ryan (68), Michael Donovan for McCarthy (77), Davy Lyons for Fahy (81), McSweeney for Maher (h-t, e-t).