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2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final – Limerick 1-25 Waterford 0-17

August 7, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Limerick defeated Waterford by 1-25 to 0-17 in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final on Saturday August 7th at Croke Park.

Match Highlights

All-Ireland SHC semi-final: Limerick overpower Waterford

LIMERICK 1-25 WATERFORD 0-17

Report By John Harrington for GAA.ie

There’s a reason this Limerick team is described as ‘a machine’ so often.

They’re powerful, efficient, and cut down opposition teams as relentlessly as a combine harvester does a field of wheat.

A Waterford team playing their fourth match in as many weekends fought bravely to the finish and gave it absolutely everything they have, but Limerick were just too strong, too clever, too good.

The awesome physicality that has been their hallmark for a while now was on show again in this match, but what makes them such a formidable force is that they also hurl with the top three inches.

Their movement all over the pitch is so clever both with and without the ball. They create space with intelligent lines of running and more often than not take the right option when in possession.

They can cut through you by running hard and popping off the shoulder passes, or they can go long into ball-winning monsters like Seamus Flanagan and Aaron Gillane.

Basically, they usually find a way to beat you, and they did so very efficiently yet again in this match.

They needed to be as good as they were too, because, until their sting was drawn in the second-quarter, Waterford had buzzed with real intent.

They absolutely thundered into every physical collision, and the unfamiliar sight of some of Limerick’s biggest men being knocked backwards or turned over was a relatively common-place one in the first quarter.

But even in this, Waterford’s best phase of the game, there were already signs that this wouldn’t be their day.

They had to expend a huge amount of energy to create scoring chances compared to Limerick, and they didn’t help themselves either with some poor shooting.

After a fast start by Limerick that saw them get the first two points of the match, it was Waterford who set the agenda.

A huge hit by Stephen Bennett on Diarmaid Byrnes resulted in the big wing-back hitting the sliotar over the sideline which was converted by Austin Gleeson to a great roar of approval by the Waterford supporters.

It felt like another big moment when Barry Nash was turned over with another meaty hit and Stephen Bennett pointed to leave the minimum between the teams, 0-4 to 0-3.

It was a day, though, when they needed to take every chance that came their way, and three missed frees by Bennett before the water-break even felt costly in real-time.

They drew level at the start of the second-quarter when more great pressure forced Sean Finn to cough up possession and Austin Gleeson pointed, but things quickly unravelled from there for Waterford as Limerick took complete control of the contest.

Their half-backs, midfielders, and half-forwards all really thundered into the game to ensure the men in green monopolised possession.

And now with a good supply of quality ball making it’s way into the inside forwards, men like Seamus Flanagan, Aaron Gillane, and Peter Casey became more and more influential.

Six Limerick points in a row between the 21st and 28th minute turned the game decisively in their favour, with the powerful Flanagan getting two of them.

Waterford hit back with a Dessie Hutchinson point, but it was a brief reprieve.

Cian Lynch was becoming one of the most influential personalities in the match as he continually wriggled free from Conor Gleeson who had been named at corner-forward for Waterford but given a man-marking role on the Limerick centre-forward.

Lynch would hit three first-half points, and conducted many more attacking moves with his vision and clever passing.

He brought the curtain down on the first half with another clinically taken score, to leave Limerick leading 0-15 to 0-7 and very much in command.

When Tom Morrissey scored another Limerick point straight after the restart, you figured things could turn very bleak, very quickly for Waterford.

But, to their credit, the gritted their teeth and battled their way back into the contest as the third quarter unfolded.

Four points in a row from Bennett (two frees), Calum Lyons, and Dessie Hutchinson gave their team some badly needed momentum, and it could have been even better as Nickie Quaid made a fine save from an Austin Gleeson shot.

But this Limerick team has a habit of landing some really heavy shots when they need to most, and they did it again just before the second-half water-break when they struck for the only goal of the match.

Peter Casey did well to cleanly catch Shane Bennett’s sideline cut and immediately popped a pass to the onrushing Gearoid Hegarty who headed straight for goal.

He was intercepted, but not before he passed to the supporting Aaron Gillane who thundered his shot to the net off the underside of the crossbar to put Limerick 1-21 to 0-13 ahead.

Aaron Gillane Goal for Limerick

There was never going to be a way back in the contest from there for Waterford, even when Limerick were reduced to 14 men following the dismissal of Peter Casey after 58 minutes for an off the ball incident.

To their credit, that didn’t stop them trying and they could count themselves unfortunate not to score at least one goal as they hurled right to the finish.

Jamie Barron had a shot brilliant saved by Nickie Quaid and then Austin Gleeson had two shots in the space of as many seconds cleared from danger too.

And right at the death Stephen Bennett nearly profited from a rare slip by Quaid but his ground stroke went wide.

By then, it was all immaterial anyway. Even with a man less Limerick were able to match Waterford score for score with Tom Morrissey especially impressive down the home stretch.

They’re now just one win away from becoming the first ever Limerick team to win back to back All-Irelands, and on the evidence of this showing they’ll be hard stopped from becoming history makers.

Scorers for Limerick: Aaron Gillane 1-5 (4f), Tom Morrissey 0-5, Seamus Flanagan 0-4, Cian Lynch 0-3, Diarmaid Byrnes 0-3 (2f), Peter Casey 0-2, William O’Donoghue 0-1, Darragh O’Donovan 0-1 (f), Gearoid Hegarty 0-1

Scorers for Waterford: Stephen Bennett 0-6 (5f), Austin Gleeson 0-4 (1f, 1sideline), Dessie Hutchinson 0-2 Jamie Barron 0-2, Calum Lyons 0-2, Kieran Bennett 0-1,

LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Sean Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes; William O’Donoghue, Darragh O’Donovan; Gearóid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Séamus Flanagan, Peter Casey
Subs: David Reidy for Gearoid Hegarty (66), Graeme Mulcahy for Seamus Flanagan (67), Richie English for Diarmaid Byrnes (68), Conor Boylan for Cian Lynch (70), Colin Coughlan for Barry Nash (73)

WATERFORD: Shaun O’Brien; Ian Kenny, Conor Prunty, Shane McNulty; Calum Lyons, Shane Bennett, Kieran Bennett; Jamie Barron, Peter Hogan; Jack Fagan, Jack Prendergast, Stephen Bennett; Dessie Hutchinson, Austin Gleeson, Conor Gleeson
Subs: Darragh Lyons for Peter Hogan, Michael Kiely for Jack Prendergast (both 43), Neil Montgomery for Jack Fagan (52), Shane Fives for Ian Kenny (54), Patrick Curran for Shane Bennett

Ref: John Keenan (Wicklow)

Fixture Details

07.08.2021 (Sat)
GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final
Páirc an Chrócaigh 17:00
Luimneach v Port Láirge
Referee: John Keenan (Cill Mhantáin)
(E.T. & Winner on the Day)

Team News

LIMERICK (SH v Waterford): N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, B Nash; D Byrnes, D Hannon, K Hayes; W O’Donoghue, D O’Donovan; G Hegarty, C Lynch, T Morrissey; A Gillane, S Flanagan, P Casey.

WATERFORD (v Tipperary): Shaun O’Brien (De La Salle); Ian Kenny (Ballygunner), Conor Prunty (Abbeyside), Shane McNulty (De La Salle); Calum Lyons (Ballyduff Lower), Shane Bennett (Ballysaggart), Kieran Bennett (Ballysaggart); Jamie Barron (Fourmilewater), Peter Hogan (Ballygunner); Jack Fagan (De La Salle), Jack Prendergast (Lismore), Stephen Bennett (Ballysaggart); Dessie Hutchinson (Ballygunner), Austin Gleeson (Mount Sion), Patrick Curran (Dungarvan).

Match Preview

Match Programme

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Details

Date:
August 7, 2021
Time:
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Venue

Croke Park

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA