GAA
Limerick maintained their unbeaten start to the Ladies Football League as they remain in pole position for a knockout berth.
Facing defeat at half time in their third-round clash with Leitrim in Rathkeale, the Limerick Senior Ladies Footballers staged a remarkable comeback to actually take the lead with time running out.
The visitors had the final two scores of the game to split the spoils but it was a brilliant second half performance nonetheless from Graham Shine’s side as he praised the side in the wake of the result.
“You’d have to be delighted as a manager to be 10/11 points down at the half and then take the game to Leitrim in the second half. It shows the amount of character in this team. As we have been saying, we’re building and building, we’re undefeated in our games. We were unlucky not to get the win there.
“I said to the girls there about the character there is unbelievable, piles of new faces came in there. Very pleasing for the management the way we responded. For the girls to come out in the second half and produce what they produced, we can only be happy.”
In his second year as manager, Shine spoke of his delight at the result as his side battled back to snatch the draw. The comeback was down to the bond in the side he was quick to highlight.
“If you’re down by that much and you don’t have the bond in the team, you’re not going to come back. So there’s a massive bond in the team, great players, great young panel, very energetic.”
Yet, a place in the league semi-final isn’t secured yet as Limerick could miss out should they lose to Derry and Wicklow defeat Leitrim in the final round of games in a fortnight’s time.
And Shine is fully focused on the trip to Derry to complete the first objective of the year in reaching the knockout stages of the league.
“Everything is really positive for Limerick goinf forward but de do take it game to game and we have Derry next. All of this is no good if we don’t beat Derry and all our focus now will be on Derry. If we get the points there, we are into a national league semi-final.”
Limerick have a bye week before they round out the group stage of the league with an away tie against Derry where a draw will be enough to qualify.