Limerick strike late to deny Clare in a thriller

ByDavid Mohan

BBC Sport NI journalist at Croke Park

Limerick are back in the All-Ireland hurling final for the first time since 2023 as they edged out Clare 1-21 to 1-19 in a thriller at Croke Park.

John Kiely's side saw their five-in-a-row dream dashed at the same stage two years ago, and lost at the quarter-final stage last year, but there was no mistake this time around as they found the answers when Tony Kelly's goal from a 55th-minute penalty left them six back.

Perhaps Clare felt there could have been a greater punishment for Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid, whose last-man challenge on Peter Duggan may have earned black instead of yellow, but Clare failed to add to their tally for the rest of the game.

Faced with adversity, Limerick held their nerve as they have done so in the past, with Aidan O'Connor's 70th minute goal proving the key moment of an absorbing contest.

With league and Munster titles already banked in 2026, the Treaty treble remains on course as they put the Banner to the sword, turning the tables from the counties' last meeting at this stage in 2013 when Clare prevailed on their way to that year's title.

That year, Shane O'Donnell announced himself with a hat-trick of goals in the final replay, but there was to be no fairytale ending for the Eire Og clubman this year who declared it would be his last in the saffron and blue.

Instead, it's Limerick who go on to face Galway in a repeat of the 2018 final which was was to spark a period of dominance for the Munster county.

Clare gain the upper hand in the opening half

It was a rip-roaring affair from the off as both sides tore into the game which began with enormous intensity.

While O'Connor pointed Limerick ahead from a free, Kelly - operating close to goal despite named at midfield - mined the first of his four first half points.

The Clare captain was certainly up for the fight, but so too were all in saffrons and blue who tore into challenges and made Limerick work for everything.

Not that the Munster champions were short on desire of their own as they edged ahead by two with Peter Casey - like late replacement John Conlon at the other end - playing in a withdrawn role and found his range early.

But Clare were storming into the battle, landing some huge scores with Duggan firing over from his own half as Clare got in front for the first time and while Aaron Gillane levelled, the Banner were roaring as Kelly raised a fist in celebration at his third of the day.

That was a third Clare score on the spin but the lead was almost wiped out when Adam English - starting in place of Cian Lynch - looked set to blast home after slaloming around a number of challenges, yet back was Darragh Lohan to intercept at the crucial stage as Clare went upfield and Shane O'Donnell pointed.

That lifted the roof and was a measure of the Clare display as their work-rate was crucial, especially from the restarts as Limerick pushed up and refused to give Eibher Quilligan a short option.

It forced the Clare goalkeeper to go long and on top of the Limerick half-back line of skyscrapers, yet Clare were doing enough to force the breaks and had the sharpness to get on the ball, typified by Mark Rogers' first from play having been on target with frees

A three-point Clare lead was expanded to seven as the opening half ticked into added time, but Adam English and Cathal O'Neill trimmed it back as Clare took a 0-16 to 0-11 lead into the interval as Limerick sounded warning they were to respond to the challenge laid down.

Limerick turn it around with late O'Connor goal

Limerick upped the ante at the beginning of the second half as they whittled the gap to one with Diarmaid Byrnes twice landing from deep as they put the squeeze on Clare who passed up some chances of their own.

Gearoid Hegarty was exerting more of an influence, forcing Clare into fouls as his aerial ability was causing increasing problems, but Clare did manage to settle again and back to back scores left three in it with 20 to play.

That remained the gap five minutes later when came a huge moment.

A high ball downfield saw Limerick full-back Dan Morrissey beaten and Duggan in, only to be taken out by Quaid. Penalty was the award, Clare wanted more than a yellow for the Limerick goalkeeper, but protests turned to joy as Kelly buried to the net.

It prompted the introduction of Cian Lynch to help Limerick turn it around and recover they did with four pointed frees leaving it on a knife-edge when the Treaty struck in the 70th minute.

Momentum was with them and Lynch played a key role in popping out to English whose diagonal ball inside saw O'Connor out in front of Lohan to fetch and bury past Quilligan.

A free from O'Connor in added time, bringing his tally for the day to 1-9, left Clare chasing a goal of their own and a Duggan snapshot through a ruck of players almost caught Quaid out, but the goalkeeper, and Limerick survived.

It left Clare devastated, perhaps the end for some of their great servants including O'Donnell, but Limerick roll on and have one final hurdle to clear to compete the clean sweep of titles.

Teams and scorers

Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash (0-1); Diarmaid Byrnes (0-3, 2f), William O'Donoghue, Kyle Hayes (0-1); Adam English (0-1), Darragh O'Donovan; Gearóid Hegarty, Aidan O'Connor (1-9, 0-9f), Cathal O'Neill (0-2); Aaron Gillane (0-1), Shane O'Brien (0-1), Peter Casey (0-2).

Subs: David Reidy for D O'Donovan (48), Tom Morrissey for A Gillane (52), Cian Lynch for C O'Neill (57), Mike Casey for D Morrissey (62), Fintan Fitzgerald for P Casey (70+4).

Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Adam Hogan, Conor Cleary, Darragh Lohan; Diarmuid Ryan, David McInerney, Niall O'Farrell; Tony Kelly (1-5, 0-5f), Ryan Taylor (0-2); Cathal Malone (0-1), Mark Rodgers (0-7, 6f), Seán Rynne; John Conlon, Peter Duggan (0-3), Shane O'Donnell (0-1).

Subs: Cian Galvin for C Cleary (46), Diarmuid Stritch for J Conlon (48), Ian Galvin for M Rodgers (62), David Fitzgerald for S Rynne (63), David Reidy for D Stritch (69).

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford)