Official Aras Mumhan Website

  • This event has passed.

2025 Dalata Hotel Group GAA Under 20 Munster Football Championship – Clare 0-16 Limerick 0-11

March 22 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Clare defeated Limerick by 0-16 to 0-11 in Round 3 of the Dalata Hotel Group GAA Under 20 Munster Football Championship on Saturday March 22nd at Hennessy Memorial Park Miltown Malbay.

Match Highlights

Limerick suffer defeat to Clare in Munster U20 football championship

Report by John Redington at Miltown Malbay for the Limerick Leader newspaper

“WE JUST didn’t get going in the first half, but the lads really lifted themselves after the break. However, we’d left ourselves with a mountain to climb and a disallowed score broke our momentum at a crucial point.”

Manager John O’Grady was left once again rueing what might have been as his Limerick under-20 footballers exited the Munster U20 ‘A’ championship on a 0-16 to 0-11 scoreline on Saturday in Miltown Malbay as a stirring fightback failed to overcome an eleven-point half-time deficit against Clare.

Also needing Tipperary slipping up against Waterford to make it to the Munster U20 ‘A’ semi-finals, O’Grady’s Limerick charges got the worst possible start when Conor Fennell and Daire Culligan used the wind to pin them back in their own half and pick off four two-pointers to put themselves almost out of sight by the quarter mark.

But to Limerick’s credit, they never threw in the towel, just about kept themselves in touch up to the break and retained their focus despite a barren spell on the turnover to edge themselves back into contact.

However, in keeping with the topsy-turvy nature of their three-round Munster U20 phase one campaign, a disallowed score knocked the steam out of their fightback and, by the time they had recomposed themselves, the sands of time had run out, leaving them with a Munster B final meeting with the Decies for their next outing on April 1.

Play started in Limerick’s favour as they comfortably held off a sustained Banner attack and then took the lead through Brian O’Callaghan finishing off the breakaway attack.

However, their follow-up was laboured and, once Clare found their formation, Conor Fennell opted for taking an off-ball-free out to the 45 metre arc to put his side ahead.

And with that, the floodgates opened. In a five minute spell up to the quarter mark, Clare’s Daire Culligan found the mark for a single-pointer and a two-pointer before following op with another strike after one from Seán Fennell and, when Conor Fennell then coverted a two-pointer free, the margin had extended to eight points.

Even when Diarmuid Hynes’s reply broke the sequence off a patient Limerick attack, the Banner’s Seán Fennell replied immediately off the kickout and, after Tom Ryan and Culligan swapped the points, the hosts stepped on the gas again for Luke Pyne and Seán McMahon to add to the margin before a Luke Walsh free brought Limerick back to a deficit of 11 points, 0-15 to 0-4, at the break.

With the diagonal breeze at their backs, the visitors got the chance of applying sustained pressure that yielded nothing but missed opportunities.

However, when Clare’s first break from defence ended with Cian McGrath blocking Darragh Killeen’s fisted attempt on goal, Limerick found their range to draw a foul for Tom Ryan to send over a two-pointer free .

With a new spring in their step, the visitors used the rising wind to pin their opponents back into their own half and Pádraig Phelan’s point, Tom Lloyd pair and another Ryan free had hacked the deficit back to five points by the three-quarter mark.

By that stage, a rattled Clare were packing back to defend the and managed to slow the assault on their posts.

However, after five scoreless minutes, it looked as if Limerick had found their groove again when a flowing move ended with Ryan pointing on the run.

But just as the sides were lining up for the kickout, the linesman caught referee John Ryan’s attention, the score was disallowed for not having three defenders back and Fennell sent the free over at the other end to ease the pressure on on the hosts.

Faced with a a six-point deficit instead of four, Limerick’s composure wobbled as they tried to force the scores in the ten remaining minutes.

Despite almost a monopoly of possession, hurried shots missed the target and the second-half wides count moved into double figures as players went for the two-pointers and the cause was already lost when Ryan’s added time free yielded the final score of the game for the home side.

SCORERS:
CLARE: Conor Fennell 0-7 (3 2xfrees, 1 free), Daire Culligan 0-5 (1 2x), Seán Fennell 0-2, Luke Pyune, Seán McMahon 0-1 each; LIMERICK: Tommy Ryan 0-5 (2 frees, 1 2xfree), Tom Lloyd 0-2, Brian O’Callaghan, Diarmuid Hynes, Luke Walsh (free), Pádraig Phelan 0-1 each.

CLARE: Eoin Byrne (Saint Breckan’s); Conor Hill (Lissycasey), Daire Hill (Lissycasey), Ronan Fitzpatrick (Saint Breckan’s); Seán O’Connor (Ennistymin), Caoimhín O’Donovan (Corofin), Luke Pyne (Éire Óg); Evan Cahill (Kilmurry Ilbrickane), Seán McAllister (Clondegad); Cillian Kelly (Kildysart), Conor Fennell (Kilrush Shamrocks), Darragh Killeen (Lissycasey); Cathal Talty (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Darie Culligan (Lissycasey), Darragh Killeen (Lissycasey); Seán Fennell (Kilrush Shamrocks), Conor Fennell (Kilrush Shamrocks), Seán McMahon (Banner).
SUBS: Cillian Kelly for Conor Hill (half-time), Odhran O’Connell (Saint Joseph’s Doora-Barefield) for Daire Culligan (45 minutes), Colm Breen (Corofin) for Seán Conneally (48 minutes), Ewan Wragg Lissycasey) for Cathal Talty (51 minutes), Diarmuid McMahon (Lissycasey) for Seán Fennell (57 minutes).

LIMERICK: Cian McGrath (Oola); Cian O’Sullivan (Kildimo-Pallaskenry), Cathal Mangan (Croom), Calum Boyle (Fr Casey’s); Tom Lloyd (Mungret St Paul’s), Tommy Ryan (Dromcollogher-Broadford), Jack Butler (Ahane); Tadgh Hourigan (Pallasgreen), Brian O’Callaghan (Dromcollogher-Broadford); Pádraig Phelan (Pallasgreen), Tom Ryan (Oola), Evan Curry (Athea); Diarmuid Hynes (Mungret St Paul’s), Luke Walsh (Mungret St Paul’s), Shane O’Grady (Oola).
SUBS: Pádraig Murphy (Askeaton-Ballysteen-Kilcornan) for Luke Walsh (40 minutes), Aidan O’Shea (Cappagh) for Tommy Ryan (40 minutes), Micheál Fahy (Dromcollogher-Broadford) for Shane O’Grady (54 minutes), Bobby Smith (Ballybrown) for Calum Boyle (60 minutes).

REFEREE: John Ryan (Cork).

Team Sheet

Fixture Details

Saturday March 22nd
2025 Dalata Hotel Group GAA Under 20 Munster Football Championship Round 3
Clare v Limerick
Venue: Hennessy Memorial Park Miltown Malbay at 2pm
Referee: John Ryan (Cork)
Streamed Live on clubber.ie

Ticket Information

General Admission: €10
Students/OAPs: €5
Under 16’s: Free

Tickets are available from participating Centra and Supervalu outlets or online via the link below.

Click here to buy tickets

Team News

Details

Date:
March 22
Time:
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Venue

Miltown-Malbay

GAA Units

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