GAA
This Sunday will be the fifth meeting of the sides in the Munster senior hurling championship since 2011.
Old foes Ballygunner and Na Piarsaigh meet this Sunday in the TUS Gaelic Grounds with a final spot in the Club Munster Senior Hurling Championship on the line in a highly anticipated clash.
Na Piarsigh are seeking revenge after the 2018 final loss while Ballygunner are looking for their third title since 2001 and first back-to-back.
Their last meeting in the final came in 2018, in the midst of a period of Na Piarsaigh dominance but Ballygunner claimed victory to win a first title in seventeen years and inflict a first ever provincial defeat on the Limerick side.
Ahead of Sunday’s game we look back on the past four championship meetings which have been dominated by the men in blue as they have suffered just one loss in that time.
Na Piarsaigh 3-9 : 0-12 Ballygunner (2011 Munster SHC Semi-Final)
13 November 2011 in Walsh Park Waterford.
Late goals for Na Piarsaigh saw off Ballygunner with a six point victory to see the Limerick side advance to the Munster SHC final.
Early scores from JJ Hutchinson and Shane O’Sullivan saw the champions take an early two point lead before two Kevin Ryan scores levelled the teams again.
Five unanswered points from the Waterford men followed including three from Pauric Mahony but Adrian Breen relieved some pressure with a point for the men in blue.
David O’Sullivan and another Mahony free gave Ballygunner a six point lead before a Shane Dowling free reduced the deficit to five for the visitors. Mahony followed up with his own free from his own 65 leaving it 0-10 to 0-4 at the break.
Mahony scored the first point after the break but three Shane Dowling scores reduced the gap to just four points. When Stephen O’Keefes attempted clearance was blocked down it fell to Dowling who gladly tucked it away leaving just a point between the sides.
Another Shane Dowling goal after an intercepted pass gave Na Piarsaigh a two point advantage before Mahony and Pat Gleeson traded scores. With two minutes left David Breen intercepted a handpass and netted the Shannon siders third goal sealing the game and a spot in the final.
Na Piarsaigh 2-18 : Ballygunner 2-11 (2015 Munster SHC Club Final)
22 November 2015 in Semple Stadium, Thurles.
Limerick champions Na Piarsaigh claimed the AIB Munster club hurling championship title for the third time in five seasons.
Alan Dempsey scored the first point as the Limerick outfit got off the mark before Brian O’Sullivan hit back with a free for Ballygunner which sparked the game into life.
Frees from goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe, two points from O’Sullivan and one from Stephen Power put the Waterford side three up by the 15 minute mark.
A free from Ronan Lynch kept Na Piarsaigh in touch but, then on 19 minutes David Dempsey found space and was picked out alone near the Ballygunner goal, and as expected of him he found the net which made it 1-3 to 0-5, though injury sub JJ Hutchinson equalised just after coming on.
Just a few minutes later, Tim O’Sullivan hit the net from a tight angle. Brian O’Sullivan then hit a ‘65 to make it a three-point game at the interval.
Na Piarsaigh caught fire in the second half with five points without response, Mike Foley giving them the advantage. Shane Dowling scored once more before an O’Sullivan free on 40 made it 1-9 to 1-8 to the City side.
Another free from Dowling and a point from Dempsey and Kevin Ryan extended Na Piarsaigh’s advantage to 1-12 to 1-8 entering the final quarter.
Brian O’Sullivan scored a ‘65 and Shane O’Sullivan added another straight after to reduce the margin. But, David and Alan Dempsey scores gave the Limerick outfit a five point lead with only seven minutes left.
However, a Conor Power shot from the 20-metre line was deflected past Podge Kennedy by O’Sullivan and into the Na Piarsaigh net. With only two points the difference, Na Piarsaigh hit three points to take away the game before Dowling broke through to finish with a late goal.
Na Piarsaigh 3-15 : 2-10 Ballygunner (2017 Munster SHC Club Final)
19 November 2017 in Semple Stadium, Thurles.
For an incredible fourth time in seven years Na Piarsaigh were crowned provincial senior hurling champions in Thurles, coming from behind to beat rivals Ballygunner in the second half.
The Gunners started the game on the front foot when Conor Power took advantage of a slip by Jerome Boylan in the 10th minute for the game’s first goal.
Na Piarsaigh showed perseverance however and cut the deficit to just one point approaching half-time helped by poor showing from frees by Pauric Mahony who scored just one from seven in the first half.
A half time scoreline of 1-4 to 0-6 left it all to play for going into the second half.
A Kevin Downes offload to centre forward David Breen gave him a simple opportunity which he gladly took and found the net. Na Piarsaigh began to build a lead before a goal by Peter Hogan for Ballyguner sparked the game into life in the 58th minute again putting only a point in it entering the crunch part of a then even clash.
But Ballyguynner’s hopes were very quickly diminished after starman Adrian Breen got the final flick for a second Na Piarsaigh goal before David Breen added a third after Barry Coughlan picked up a second yellow card for an off-the-ball incident with David Breen.
In the end Na Piarsaigh ran out eight point winners giving them a fourth title in seven years.
Ballygunner 2-14 : 2-08 Na Piarsaigh (2018 Munster SHC Club Final)
18 November 2018 in Semple Stadium, Thurles.
Ballygunner were crowned Munster champions for the first time in seventeen years after a deserved six point victory over old foes Na Piarsaigh.
Na Piarsaigh started the game fast with a goal coming after just two minutes from full-forward Kevin Downes who managed to slip his marker and tuck the ball home.
The Caherdavin side were dominating the midfield, building a five point lead after just ten minutes. But the Waterford side fought back excellently with Brian O’Sullivan forcing a save over the bar by Padraic Kennedy.
Then after 27 minutes O’Sullivan was fouled in the penalty area and the resulting penalty was expertly finished after goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe sent his opposite number one the wrong way. This coupled with a Mahony free gave them a one point lead at the break.
Na Piarsaigh were unable to garner the momentum back as the Gunners scored the first four points of the half as well as a goal in the 47th minute from a miscued Mahony free which gave the champions an eight point deficit to overturn.
A Shane Dowling goal reduced the deficit but an excellent Shane O’Sullivan score sealed the victory and the championship after a 17 year wait.
Na Piarsaigh take on Ballygunner in the Munster Senior Club Hurling Semi-Final on Sunday November 20 in the TUS Gaelic Grounds.
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