Ballygunner finish strong to progress in Munster hurling test against Na Piarsaigh
BALLYGUNNER’S MASTERY OF their Munster hurling trips to Limerick continues.
For the fourth successive year the Waterford kingpins journeyed to the Gaelic Grounds and emerged with the victory. This game followed the pattern of previous meetings, they needed to survive a ferocious test to claim a third success against Na Piarsaigh in that time frame, coupled with last year’s win over Doon.
With eight minutes left on the clock, it appeared Na Piarsaigh had wrestled back momentum at a critical stage. Ronan Lynch fired over a long-range free to put them ahead for the first time in the game, 0-14 to 0-13, and the home crowd were in full voice.
But Ballygunner’s experience never allows them to panic. They outscored Na Piarsaigh 0-5 to 0-1 for the remainder of the game, shutting the game down in a composed fashion.
The pre-match team news sparked reaction with big-name absentees for bioth camps. The Ballygunner attack was deprived of Pauric Mahony, the Na Piarsaigh midfield forced to operate without William O’Donoghue.The Limerick champions did parachute in their county final goalscoring hero Conor Boylan from the start.
Mahony’s absence was noted in the free-taking sector with Dessie Hutchinson missing three efforts in the opening half but he did nail two placed balls, while Ballygunner sourced scores from other sectors. Mark Hartley, the direct replacement for Mahony, chipped in with two first-half points, a tally matched by Harry Ruddle from his wing-back berth. Ballygunner’s interplay was more fluid in helping them establish their 0-8 to 0-5 interval advantage, but they did amass six wides.
Inaccuracy was a problem for Na Piarsaigh. They raised five first-half white flags but struck seven wides, dropped four shots short, and a couple of frantic scrambles involving Kevin Downes almost yielded a goal.
More to follow…
Ballygunner1. Stephen O’Keeffe
2. Aaron O’Neill, 3. Ian Kenny, 4. Tadhg Foley
5. Harry Ruddle, 6. Philip Mahony, 7. Ronan Power
8. Conor Sheahan, 9. Paddy Leavey
10. Dessie Hutchinson, 15. Mikey Mahony, 12. Peter Hogan
13. Patrick Fitzgerald, 14. Kevin Mahony, 19. Mark Hartley
Subs
- 22. Cormac Power for Sheahan (49)
- 21. Conor Tobin for Hartley (53)
1. Shane Dowling
2. Jerome Boylan (captain), 4. Vince Harrington, 6. Ronan Lynch,
7. Emmet McEvoy, 3. Mike Casey, 5. Mike Foley
17. Tommy Grimes, 10. JJ Carey
14. Will Henn, 11. Peter Casey, 12. Daithí Dempsey
13. Kevin Downes, 28. Conor Boylan, 15. Adrian Breen.
Subs
- 21. Keith Dempsey for Henn (41)
- 9. James Finn for Foley (42)
- 18. Dylan Lynch for Breen (46)
- 20. Eoin Brosnan for Grimes (54)
- 23. Wayne Kearns for Carey (59)
Referee: Niall Malone (Clare)
The 42
