NEWCASTLE WEST…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3- 5
ADARE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………0-13
“Absolutely delighted,” was manager Jimmy Lee’s reaction as Newcastle West made it three Limerick senior football titles in a row on Sunday as they inflicted a third successive defeat on rivals Adare to emerge from the TUS Gaelic Grounds with a single point victory. However, unlike the year before when they were caught by a late Maigueside equaliser to send the decider into extra time, this latest success came courtesy of three soft goals, each coming at moments when their opponents looked like moving into a position of dominance.
“Yeah, we got the breaks and we took them,” admitted the incoming boss of the Limerick senior county team. It was a different story for John Brouder, Lee’s coach for the coming inter-county season, who was wearing the Bainisteoir bib in the Adare dugout. “They just punished our mistakes and we gifted them the game. But I’m very proud of the lads as they kept plugging away right to the final whistle.”
The heavy rain both before and at periods during the game was always going to make it a test of endurance but, for most of the first half, the Maiguesiders looked to have found the pitch of what was needed as their tight relentless pressure put them ahead by five. But instead of carrying the advantage to the break, two defensive errors coming up undid all their work and sent them into the dressing-room trailing by a point.
Nor did their troubles end there. Right after they equalised on the restart, they were facing the uphill journey all over again as they gifted their opponent a third needless goal and it wasn’t until the final quarter that they began to eat into the margin which by that time had stretched to four. But they just never could make that final push as the Magpies drew on all their experience of winning to keep Adare’s final efforts at bay.
This mightn’t have been the most emphatic of Newcastle’s seven county championships but it may well have been one of the most satisfying as they never lost their heads the pressure they were under almost from the throw-in. With some of their leading players from last season unavailable this time around and with inspirational Iain Corbett forced to go off with a muscle strain going into the final quarter, they were missing the dart of pace from the middle third that has underpinned their recent success. However, they never lost sight of the opportunities and, when they came the way of the ruthless Eoin Hurley, they showed the conviction that transforms contenders into winners.
A cagey start saw both sides wait for the other to commit themselves before pressure from the Newcastle midfield drew a foul for Hurley to convert. However, Adare set about responding, equalised through Bourke and took the lead with his free which was then extended by a sustained spell of pressure which yielded points from Ronan Connolly, Robbie Bourke and Dave Connolly.
When the Magpies finally broke from their own half, they failed to break Adare’s shape at the back and only got some reward after Hurley completed a swap of frees with Hugh Bourke but they were suddenly back in the game when a Mike McMahon shot was deflected by Hurley into the advancing Jeffrey Alfred’s net. The park opened up as the Maiguesiders piled forward again in search of a response which yielded a Jack English point but, with them back again in control, a sloppy move while they were under no pressure inside their own half saw Corbett pounce on a misdirected pass and whip the ball right into the path of Hurley who slotted past the backpedalling Alfred for his second goal and a half-time lead of 2-2 to 0-7.
The second half started with more bite, yielding Bourke’s equalising free, but the curse of the misdirected pass befell Adare once again as Bryan Nix raced onto the chasm it opened in the middle of the Maigueside defence to stroke to the corner of the net. Undaunted, they set out again with Bourke punishing a foul but the Magpies could see their opponents’ supply of salvation arrows running thin and pressed on the pedal for Michael O’Leary and Hurley’s free to put them four in front.
As the rain began to bucket down, Adare tried to regroup and their persistence drew its reward when frees from Alfred and Bourke brought them back to within two points. But legs were beginning to tire on the sodden surface and moves broke down within sight of both goals before Hurley’s free ended eleven scoreless minutes right on the end of regulation time. Adare gave it one last lash but, despite drawing frees for Bourke and Alfred to convert, a late long free from Alfred didn’t quite reach the target for a last gasp equaliser.
Scorers: Eoin Hurley 2-4 (0-4 frees); Bryan Nix 1-0; Michael O’Leary 0-1;
Adare: Hugh Bourke 0-7 (6 frees); Jeffrey Alfred 0-2 (2 frees; ,Ronan Connolly, Robbie Bourke, Dave Connolly, Jack English 0-1 each.
Newcastle West: Michael Quilligan; Michael O’Keeffe, Darren O’Doh-erty, Michael O’Leary; Ruadhán O’Connor, James Kelly, Brian O’Sullivan; Iain Corbett, Seán Murphy; Aaron Neville, Emmet Rigter, Bryan Nix; Eoin Hurley, Mike McMahon, Thomas Quilligan.
Subs: Séamus Hurley for Iain Corbett (45), Steven Brosnan for James Kelly (48), Lee Woulfe for Thomas Quilligan (54), Brian Foley for Aaron Neville (60), Iain Corbett for Emmet Rigter (61).
Adare: Jeffrey Alfred; Cian Sparling, Dave Connolly, Jack Fitzgerald; Ronan Connolly, Shane Doherty, Paul Maher; Jack English, Joe Sweeney; Shane Costello, Robbie Bourke, Davy Lyons; Shane O’Connor, Hugh Bourke, Adam Canny.
Subs:: Josh Twomey for Jack English (44), Willie Griffin for Adam Canny (45).
Referee: John O’Halloran, Bruree