Limerick Edge Cork By Two Points in High Scoring Leeside Battle

Limerick made it three league wins from three following a 0-29 to 2-21 win over Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh this afternoon. The game however was a stop start affair with 27 points from frees across both sides.

Cian Lynch opened the scoring inside 30 seconds with a clever finish from underneath the main sand. Gillane made it a two point gap from placed ball but two rather soft frees saw Patrick Horgan level the game.

Seamus Flanagan pointed from play to edge Limerick back in front before another Gillane free made it 0-4 to 0-2.

Shane Kingston reduced the arrears with a point from play before Patrick Horgan levelled in the next attack from placed ball.

A searing run from Cian Lynch then ended with a well taken point a point before Seamus Flanagan point from play. Gillane (free) and O’Donoghue followed up with two quick fire points to extend the lead to 4.

Cork were keeping in touch through Patrick Horgan with the Glen Rover player adding a mammoth long range free before following it up with a sideline cut to make it Cork 0-6 Limerick 0-8.

Limerick enjoyed a purple patch on the scoring front. Darragh O’Donovan capitalised on some ferocious defensive work to score off a turnover. Gillane then found Paddy O’Loughlin with an outrageous cross field ball. The Kilmallock man gathered clean possession and fired over the bar.

David Dempsey pounced on a Cork mistake to make it 11-6 before Darragh O’Donovan extended the lead to 0-12 to 0-6 as Limerick started to take control.

A Declan Dalton sideline cut registered Cork’s first score in almost 10 minutes. Horgan pointed a free to make it a 4 point game at 12-8.

Paddy O’Loughlin and Declan Dalton swapped points before four Aaron Gillane frees in a row made it 0-17 to 0-9 for John Kiely’s side. Cork did manager to reduce the arrears somewhat before the halftime whistle with two frees.

A 0-17 to 0-11 lead heading into the break was just reward for Limerick’s toil in the opening half while Cork never really started to flow. The home only manning 2 points from play.

Horgan picked up where he left off with a free in the opening minute of the second half before it was cancelled out by a Darragh O’Donovan sideline cut.

Horgan (free) and Bill Cooper made it a four point game before Aaron Gillane got Limerick’s second score of the half.

Horgan beat Finn in a footrace to create a bit of space and fire over a superb point from a tight angle. Cork were eating into Limerick’s lead and they managed to reduce it to the bare minimum when Shane Kingston picked up possession and raced through on the Limerick goal before finishing past Nickie Quaid.

Hegarty landed a settling score for for John Kiely’s side but two Patrick Horgan frees made it draw game at 1-17 to 0-20. Both sets of players were doing their best to offer up a some decent fare but were not helped by the man in the middle who seemed more intent on turning it into the Sean Cleere show!

Gillane and Horgan swapped frees before Cork managed their second goal of the game. It came via a long range Horgan free that was dropping short. Aidan Walsh rose highest to claim the high ball before turning and firing to the back of the net to make it Cork 2-18, Limerick 0-21.

Limerick didn’t panic with Gillane landing two frees to reduce the gap to just a point. A Horgan ’65 restored Cork’s two point cushion.

A Kyle Hayes run ended in a point before substitute Tom Morrissey got the levelling point from the tightest of angles.

Horgan and Gillane swapped frees as the stop-start nature of the game continued. Tom Morrissey was inexplicably pulled for a throw which Horgan punished to put Cork back into a 1-point lead.

Hayes was starting to get on top at centre forward and landed his 3rd point of the gamed with a casual finish to level. Diarmaid Byrnes then cracked over a ’65 to put Limerick back in the lead for the first time since the 44th minute.

As the clock entered the first of four added minutes Aaron Gillane put Limerick into a 0-29 to 2-21 lead. The final few minutes were absorbing as Cork tried to wrestle the lead back the lead but Limerick were not for moving and held on to make it three league wins from three.

27 points from frees though tells a story of a really stop start game that was never really allowed to flow.