Limerick 10-17 IT Trale 0-9
Limerick's mixture of experienced and new players proved far too strong for IT Tralee in Rathkeale on Friday night as the Munster champions set up a Waterford Crystal Cup semi-final meeting against All-Ireland champions Clare.
It was a landslide win for Limerick and the losers managed only four points from play over the 70 minutes.
Goal rush
The students managed to lead twice – by a single point – inside eight minutes but Graeme Mulcahy began the Limerick goal rush a minute later.
Captain Donal O’Grady after 13 minutes and John Fitzgibbon 60 seconds later had further Limerick goals and by half time it was over as a contest with Limerick in front by 5-10 to 0-6 thanks to further goals by Paul Browne and Mulcahy again.
John Egan had four first-half points for IT Tralee, three frees and one 65.
Limerick continued on their impressive goal-scoring burst in a lop-sided second half which saw the students manage a mere three points.
New Limerick managers Donal O’Grady and TJ Ryan will not have learned much from this futile exercise other than the experience given to the newcomers with John Fitzgibbon having a cracking outing when scoring 2-7, five from frees.
Mulcahy top scored for Limerick with 3-1 while John Egan had four of the IT points, one from play, three frees and one 65.
LIMERICK: B Hennessy; S Walshe, P O'Loughlin, R English (0-1); W McNamara, C McNamara, G O'Mahony; P Browne (2-2), P O'Brien; W Hickey (1-1), D O'Grady (2-2), J Ryan (0-2); G Mulcahy (3-1), M Ryan, J Fitzgibbon (2-7, 0-5 frees). Subs: D Kennedy for M Ryan (half-time), B Lynch for W McNamara (53 mins), N Quaid (0-1) for O'Brien (55 mins).
IT TRALEE: N Delaney; S Lynch, A Fealy, C Farrell; B Murphy, M Cleary, J Walsh; C McDonnell (0-1) , K Carmody; S Healy (0-1), G O'Grady (0-1), C Harty (0-2); G O'Doherty, D Wallace, Kerry, J Egan (0-4, three frees). Subs: N Lynch for S Lynch (41 mins), D Nolan for O'Doherty (45 mins), A Gavin, for McDonnell (56 mins).
Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary).
