2022 Allianz Football League Division 3 – Louth 1-14 Limerick 1-12

Louth defeated Limerick by 1-14 to 1-12 in Round 3 of the Allianz Football League Division 3 on Sunday February 20th at the UL 3G pitch.

Match Highlights

Ciaran Downey and Sam Mulroy struck vital late points as Louth defeated Limerick at UL on Sunday in the Allianz Football League Division Three. GAANOW has the highlights.#GAANOW #AllianzLeagues pic.twitter.com/SunOSHBcMr

— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 22, 2022

Harte thrilled after late Louth rally ends Limerick’s 100% start

Report by Tom Clancy for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Allianz League Division 3: Limerick 1-12 Louth 1-14

A powerful final quarter from Mickey Harte’s Louth turned this Division 3 contest their way. Trailing by five points in the 55th minute, the men in red ignored the worsening conditions to notch the last seven points to secure their first victory of the campaign.

Harte insists that his side are building. “Winning doesn’t happen in straight lines, you’ve to hit a few potholes on the way to doing that. It is a great credit to them (the players)”.

Billy Lee’s Limerick will be gutted to lose their 100% record, with this contest moved from the TUS Gaelic Grounds to the all-weather facility in the University of Limerick around 90 minutes before throw-in.

Those who braved the stormy conditions were treated to an exciting game, which saw Limerick squeeze ahead by the interval. Josh Ryan was impressive from placed balls and ended the opening half with a second 45, having also taken two fine marks earlier in the contest.

Before that, Louth had opened the scoring through Liam Jackson, who buried high beyond Donal O’Sullivan inside two minutes. The wind did spoil this game, but there were moments of quality. James Naughton and Ryan brought Limerick back into the contest, but Sam Mulroy and Conor Grimes showed their quality to maintain the goal advantage by the 29th minute.

The hosts closed the half strongly, four points in the final seven minutes of action meant they led at half-time. Iain Corbett, Hugh Bourke and Ryan all on target as they played their best football of the afternoon.

Bourke found the net on 47, racing clear before blasting beyond James Califf — Harte will have wondered where his full-back line had gone. It pushed Limerick three clear and when Robert Childs and Ryan added frees, it was 1-12 to 1-8.

Few would have foreseen the turnaround. Three frees and a 45 from Mulroy hauled the Leinster side to within one, before Ciaran Byrne and Ciaran Downey scored. By the time Mulroy kicked his eighth point, Limerick were shellshocked and were left to rue a number of missed opportunities in the closing stages.

Harte said: “I think this has been coming. This is a landmark day for these players where they had to fight so hard, for so long and still manage to come out on the right side of it.

“In the last two games I saw lots of real good, hard graft and no small amount of skill. So it took it all today to get that. To come from five down with the conditions and Limerick on the front foot it is really wonderful victory, but it is just one victory.

“If you get momentum, and you are able to finish that momentum with a score, that is the all-important thing.”

Scorers for Limerick: J Ryan (0-5, 3 frees, 0-2 ’45); H Bourke (1-2); J Naughton, I Corbett (0-2 each); R Childs (0-1 free).

Scorers for Louth: S Mulroy (0-8, 4 frees, 2 ’45); C Grimes (0-3); L Jackson (1-0); T Durnin, C Byrne, C Downey (0-1 each).

LIMERICK: D O’Sullivan ©; J Liston, S O’Dea, M Donovan; T McCarthy, I Corbett, C McSweeney; D Treacy, T Griffin; A Enright, B Donovan, J Naughton; P Nash, J Ryan, H Bourke.
Subs: C Fahy for Griffin (46), P De Brún for Enright (51), R Childs for McSweeney (51), G Brown for McCarthy (58).

LOUTH: J Califf; D Corcoran, B Duffy, D McKenny; C Lennon, N Sharkey, E Callaghan; T Durnin, C Early; C McKeever, S Mulroy, C Downey; L Jackson, C Grimes, R Burns.
Subs: C Byrne for Lennon (47), D McConnon for Durnin (53).

Referee: D Murnane (Cork)

Team News

Limerick Senior Football team to play Louth will be announced on Saturday morning at 9am. https://t.co/8h3aCovXrz

— Limerick GAA (@LimerickCLG) February 17, 2022

LIMERICK: Donal Ó Sullivan (Monaleen); Jim Liston (Gerald Griffins), Sean O’Dea (Kilteely-Dromkeen), Michael Donovan (Galbally); Tony McCarthy (Kildimo-Pallaskenry), Iain Corbett (Newcastle West), Colm McSweeney (Gerald Griffins); Darragh Treacy (St Kierans), Tommy Griffin (Gerald Griffins); Adrian Enright (Fr Caseys), Brian Donovan (Monaleen), James Naughton (St Senans); Peter Nash (Kildimo-Pallaskenry), Josh Ryan (Oola), Hugh Bourke (Adare)
Subs: Aaron O’Sullivan (Pallasgreen), Luke Murphy (Monaleen), Eoin Cregan (Croom), Bob Childs (Galtee Gaels), Gordon Brown (Na Piarsaigh), Killian Ryan (Mungret) Cillian Fahy (Dromcollcolleger-Broadford), Pádraig De Brún (Firies, Kerry), Diarmaid Kelly (Newcastle West), Dara Noonan (Gerald Griffins), Darragh Ranahan (Ballysteen).