2024 Allianz Hurling League Division 1B – Limerick 1-36 Antrim 1-9

Limerick defeated Antrim by 1-36 to 1-9 in Round 1 of the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B on Sunday February 4th at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles.

Limerick off the mark as they storm past Antrimhttps://t.co/36Ne6K8AeG

— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) February 4, 2024

Limerick off the mark as they storm past Antrim

Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group B

Limerick 1-36 Antrim 1-9

Report by Eoghan Cormican for the Irish Examiner newspaper

On the field, at least, Limerick could not have asked for a more low-key opening to this very not low-key year.

Their Munster SHL campaign was curtailed to a single outing because of fog, freezing temperatures, and a waterlogged field.

Resurfacing of their own Gaelic Grounds field meant Sunday’s League opener was not played out in front of any bustling and boisterous home crowd. Put on ice was their New Year homecoming.

Staging it up the road in Thurles took the sting out of the inevitable February fanaticism.

Moreover, that the opposition were not Clare, or Cork, or Kilkenny, or any such heavyweight crowd, meant there was no microscope pulled out of the cupboard to see where Limerick and their drive for five are at on the first week of February.

All such ingredients enabled John Kiely to field an experimental line-up that contained only four starters from last year’s All-Ireland final win.

One of those four, David Reidy, opened their account on four minutes. And in a humdrum opening half, it was the sporadic brilliance of this experienced quartet that drew loudest noise from the decent Limerick support.

Dan Morrissey rising highest on the edge of the square to fetch an incoming Antrim delivery – a roar. Dairmuid Byrnes doing likewise under the opposition restart – a roar. Gearoid Hegarty flicking possession up into his hand close to his own 20-metre line 10 minutes in – a roar.

Antrim had the wind in their sails in the opening half. Little use they made of it. No.15 Fred McCurry was withdrawn to the middle third, freeing up centre-back Ryan McGarry to sweep.

Their stickwork and passing up to halfway was at the prerequisite level, but it was the final product – be it an aimless delivery or an off-target effort – that was so lacking and so let them down.

The aforementioned McCurry, put through by Rian McMullan and Aodhan O’Brien, struck for goal on 18 minutes. And when midfielder Niall O’Connor horsed Barry Murphy out of his way enroute to a huge point three minutes later, Antrim had a 1-6 to 0-7 lead to work with and add to.

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They’d not score again, though, for another quarter of an hour. In the meantime, Limerick’s youthful inside line of Donnacha Ó Dálaigh, Shane O’Brien, and Adam English put on a fine audition for John Kiely. Ó Dálaigh turning over goalkeeper Tieran Smyth before throwing over the sliotar on 29 minutes was the outstanding example of such.

Ó Dálaigh finished the half with three from play, one more than O’Brien, while English clipped four from play and five from the placed-ball.

The trio’s strong contribution to a nine-in-a-row burst took Limerick back under the tunnel 0-16 to 1-7 in front.

The second half was even more humdrum. A Paddy Burke mistake inside two minutes of the restart allowed Shane O’Brien raise a green flag. What came after was another patch of nine unanswered Limerick points.

The clock read 50 minutes when Rian McMullan opened Antrim’s second half account. It was one of only two second-half Antrim scores.

Limerick subs Micheál Houlihan and Graeme Mulcahy were among the Treaty’s second-half contributors. Mulcahy coming on and Mulcahy firing over received two more roars to rival what his first-team colleagues had been treated to early on.

Limerick are away to Westmeath next weekend. Another low-key outing. Limerick won’t mind at all. They know when the spotlight does eventually come on there’ll be no escaping it.

Scorers for Limerick: A English (0-10, 0-5 frees); S O’Brien (1-6); D Ó Dálaigh (0-7); G Hegarty (0-3); D Reidy (0-1 free), C O’Neill, G Mulcahy, M Houlihan (0-2 each); P O’Donovan (0-1 free), M Quinlan (0-1).

Scorers for Antrim: C Cunning (0-4, 0-4 frees); F McCurry (1-0); N O’Connor (0-2); S Walsh, R McMullan (free), A Bradley (0-1 each).

LIMERICK: J Power; F O’Connor, D Morrissey, A Costello; D Byrnes, D Reidy, M Quinlan; B Murphy, C Coughlan; G Hegarty, C O’Neill, C Boyle; A English, S O’Brien, D Ó Dálaigh.
Subs: M Houlihan for Boylan (HT); E Hurley for Byrnes, J Fitzgerald for Murphy (both 44); G Mulcahy for A English (50); P O’Donovan for Hegarty (temporary, 60); E McEvoy for O’Connor (63).

ANTRIM: T Smyth; P Duffin, R McCloskey, P Burke; S Walsh, R McGarry, C Boyd; S Rooney, N O’Connor; R McMullan, A O’Brien, C McCann; C Cunning, A Bradley, F McCurry.
Subs: E Trainor for Rooney (48); C McGarry for McCann,J McLaughlin for Bradley (both 52); R McAteer for O’Brien (64); N McGarel for McMullan (68).

Referee: T Walsh (Waterford).

Team News

John Kiely and his management team has announced his Limerick Senior hurling team and match panel for their opening Allianz Hurling League game of 2024
The Limerick Hurling team to face Antrim this Sunday has just been announced, Limerick face Antrim in FBD Semple Stadium at 2pm pic.twitter.com/cYpBzBIyNK

— Limerick GAA (@LimerickCLG) February 2, 2024

LIMERIC K: (AHL v Antrim): J Power, F O’Connor, D Morrissey, A Costelloe, D Byrnes, D Reidy, M Quinlan, B Murphy, C Coughlan, G Hegarty (c), C O’Neill, C Boylan, D Ò’Dàlaigh, S O’Brien, A English
Subs: N Quaid, J Fitzgerald, M Houlihan, E Hurley, M Keane, D Langan, E McEvoy, G Mulcahy, A O’Connor, D O’Donovan, P O’Donovan