Na Piarsaigh bow out of Munster after sluggish second half against Ballygunner

Na Piarsaigh’s hopes of reaching the Munster Club SHC Final came to a crashing end following a 2-20 to 2-15 loss to All-Ireland champions Ballygunner at the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Things had looked so good for the Limerick champions in the first half when they led 2-11 to 1-9 at the break but they were limited to just four points in the second half.

They were also hit late on with a serious looking injury to star defender Mike Casey. The Limerick defender went down injured in the 54th minute and the nature of the injury will be a worry to John Kiely ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Na Piarsaigh were slick in the opening quarter and led 0-6 to 0-2 before a Dessie Hutchinson goal saw Ballygunner back into the contest.

Two Pauric Mahony points followed to put Ballygunner in front for the first time. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Keith Dempsey buried a shot into the net following excellent work from midfield colleague William O’Donoghue.

A second Na Piarsaigh goal from Conor Boylan helped them to a five point lead but Ballygunner were a different animal after the break.

Mahony led the charge for the 2021 All-Ireland winning side with seven from play and six frees overall. He had a couple of points before Patrick Fitzgerald put just one point between the teams with a well taken goal.

Boylan had a chance of his own a few minutes later but had to settle for a point from close range. From there, Ballygunner upped the pace with Mahony and Conor Sheahan finding space with ease and they eased through the remaining minutes to earn a five point win and a final date with Clare’s Ballyea.

Scorers for Na Piarsaigh: Kevin Downes 0-4 (3f), Keith Dempsey and Conor Boylan 1-1 each, Peter Casey and Will Henn 0-3 each, Daithi Dempsey, Mike Foley and Ronan Lynch (1f) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Ballygunner: Pauric Mahony 0-13 (6f), Conor Sheahan 0-4, Patrick Fitzgerald 1-1, Dessie Hutchinson 1-0, Peter Hogan and Ronan Power 0-1 each.

Na Piarsaigh: Evan Condon; Cathall King, Mike Casey, Emmet McEvoy; Mike Foley, Jerome Boylan, Ronan Lynch, William O’Donoghue, Keith Dempsey; Kevin Downes, Peter Casey, Conor Boylan; Will Henn, Daithi Dempsey, Adrian Breen.

Subs: Sean Long for Foley (29 mins, inj), Tommy Grimes for M Casey (54 mins, inj), David Breen for Downes (57 mins).

Ballygunner: Stephen O’Keeffe; Ian Kenny, Barry Coughlan, Tadhg Foley; Shane O’Sullivan, Phillip Mahony, Ronan Power; Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey; Pauric Mahony, Mikey Mahony, Peter Hogan; Patrick Fitzgerald, Kevin Mahony, Dessie Hutchinson.

Subs: Harry Ruddle for Fitzgerald (57 mins), Billy O’Keeffe for K Mahony (61 mins).