Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 1-13 Crusheen (Clare) 0-9: LIKE A confident boxer, Na Piarsaigh stayed upright during a gruelling first three-quarters of yesterday's AIB Munster Club hurling final replay in Thurles.
But, with Clare champions Crusheen looking increasingly likely winners, the Limerick city club at last found their rhythm and, with increasing flamboyance, confidently outscored their opponents to land a first provincial title and bridge a 17-year gap for the county.
They outscored their opponents 1-7 to zero in the last 15 minutes and finished in style a match that had appeared to be going off the rails just after half-time. Crusheen’s defence maintained their exceptional form until the weight of possession and the growing dominance of their Limerick counterparts put them under constant siege for the last 10 minutes.
Ultimately it was the winners’ ability to stay the pace and drive home their attacking advantage that decided an absorbing match played in soft conditions and biting cold. The weather didn’t do much to attract any more supporters than the drawn match and the attendance was slightly down at 2,486.
Na Piarsaigh manager Seán Stack, from Sixmilebridge and who has made a habit of slightly conflicted Munster club hurling finals, was delighted to lead a second club to the provincial title but acknowledged his county men.
“As a Clareman, there are mixed feelings. We worked extremely hard all year, we knew, we talked that if we got to the 45 -minute barrier in this match, we had a serious chance if we were still in the contest.
“The threshold for Crusheen was taking off David Forde and maybe they shouldn’t have because the lads spotted him going off and he is their main engine. We had our homework done but so did they.
“To beat Crusheen is the ultimate because they are a serious team and to come out of this has taken us on another huge step. I am in dreamland at the minute, but where this road will take us I
have no idea.
“Davy was the man. I felt that he had to be curtailed running through the middle because when he is running through the middle he is off-loading and he has been good at that all his life. . . Brian Hartnett did a super job, he sacrificed a lot of his own game until he (Forde) went off and you could see how good Brian was in the last 10 minutes when he was able to open his shoulders and did not have to worry about him.”
Limerick full forward prodigy Kevin Downes had been held scoreless in the drawn encounter and although Cronan Dillon had another good day, Downes got in for early scores, both hit confidently from the left wing to help Na Piarsaigh to a first-quarter lead.
But from the moment Jamie Fitzgibbon equalised at 0-3 each after a one-two with Fergus Kennedy in the 16th minute, Crusheen had the better of the middle quarters.
In that period, as acknowledged by Stack, Forde was a constant threat and Fitzgibbon ended up with four points from play.
On top of their game, Crusheen’s defence smothered, blocked and tackled like demons and made it very hard for their younger opponents to settle. Adrian Breen, brother of David and named to start but held back until the end of the first half, ended the day as Na Piarsaigh’s chief instrument of destruction with 1-3 to his name.
He had a good chance just after coming on before the break but hit it mortifyingly wide and the Clare side led 0-5 to 0-4 at half-time.
Shane Dowling’s marksmanship a week previously had been the key contribution in Na Piarsaigh hanging on but his laser was switched off yesterday. His miss from a free just after the break sounded an ominous note even though David Breen quickly made up the shortfall to equalise.
Shane O’Neill squandered a goal chance in the 35th minute and Fitzgibbon and Pat Vaughan capitalised to give the Clare champions a 0-8 to 0-5 lead by the 41st minute. Vaughan then restored the three-point margin after Dowling converted his first free.
Remorselessly Na Piarsaigh kept coming despite having for most of the match been guilty of squandermania (13 wides).
Crusheen fought hard – Alan Dempsey and Vaughan making tireless blocks – but the momentum had swung.
Kieran Kennedy and Brian Hartnett, breaking from wing back, put them 0-11 to 0-9 ahead before Downes sent Adrian Breen in for the 58th-minute goal that copper-fastened the result.
His brother made a point opportunity for him in the last minute and he added one of his own making at the very end.
“Especially after the chance I had at the end of the first half, right in front of goal and I put it wide, I was thinking it wasn’t my day,” said the scoring hero afterwards. “But my father (selector PJ Breen) keeps reminding me to keep going and you’ll eventually get there.”
Crusheen manager Michael Browne was magnanimous. “We met on the day, in the last couple of minutes, a slightly fitter, slightly faster, slightly sharper team and you have to take your beatings as well as your victories.”
NA PIARSAIGH: P Kennedy; D Lynch, K Breen, K Birmingham; A Dempsey, J O’Brien, B Hartnett (0-1); C King (0-1), P Gleeson; S Dowling (0-2, frees), D Breen (0-1), K Ryan (0-1); S O’Neill (0-1), K Downes (0-2), K Kennedy (0-1). Subs: A Breen (1-3) for Gleeson (28 mins), A Hennessy for Bermingham (40), J Madden for O’Neill (48).
CRUSHEEN: D Touhy; J Brigdale, Cronan Dillon, A Brigdale; C O’Doherty, Cian Dillon, Cathal Dillon; P Vaughan (0-3, 0-2 frees), T Meaney (0-1); G O’Donnell, J Fitzgibbon (0-4), D Forde (0-1); P Meaney, G O’Grady, F Kennedy. Subs: C O’Donnell for Forde (45 mins), J Meaney for T Meaney (51 mins).
Referee: C McAllister (Cork).
