All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers Phase 3 – Limerick v Laois

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers Phase 3

Limerick defeated Laois by 0-20 to 1-14 in Round 3 of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers on Saturday in Semple Stadium Thurles.

Match Report

Limerick 0-20 Laois 1-14

Limerick are through to the All Ireland quarter finals after coming from behind to beat unlucky Laois in Thurles on Saturday evening. Laois led for much of the game and Limerick only managed to overhaul them for the first time in the 65th minutes. Niall Rigney’s side paid dearly for their inability to maintain the momentum they built up in the first half. Laois led by 1-9 to 0-9 at the break and one of the biggest shocks of the Championship looked on the cards.

The O’Moore men stunned their opponents with 1-6 in the opening six minutes, Eoin Costelloe getting the only goal of the game. Limerick slowly came back into the game and their class came through after the break, when they really needed it. Andrew O’Shaughnessy levelled the game at 0-16 to 1-13 after 60 minutes before putting Justin McCarthy’s side ahead for the first time five minutes later. Donie Ryan and David Breen added points in injury time to give Limerick a three-point win.

Team News

Limerick (SH v Laois): B Murray; D Reale, S Lucey, T Condon, S Hickey, B Geary, M Foley; Gavin O’Mahony, D O’Grady; J Ryan, M O’Brien, P Browne; D Sheehan, P McNamara, A O’Shaughnessy.

Laois (SH v Limerick): T Doran; JA Delaney, D Maher, B Stapleton; M Whelan, B Campion (captain), M McEvoy; C Delaney, J Walsh; E Jackman, W Hyland, O Holohan; T Fitzgerald, J Brophy, E Costelloe

Admission Details

Tickets will be required to gain entry to both stands in Thurles, but cash will be accepted for the terraces.

Match Preview

They last met in the championship in 2005 when Limerick won a qualifier tie by 2-15 to 1-9 in Portlaoise. Laois were badly beaten by Galway in the Leinster quarter-finals this year but made a great recovery to edge out Antrim in the All- Ireland qualifiers. This will be Limerick’s fourth outing of the championship, having previously drawn with and lost to Waterford before getting their All- Ireland ambitions back on track with a qualifier win over Wexford last Saturday.

2009 Championship

Galway 5-29 Laois 0-17 (Leinster quarter-final) Laois 0-18 Antrim 1-12 (All-Ireland qualifiers)

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Limerick 1-13 Wexford 0-14 (All-Ireland qualifiers) Waterford 0-25 Limerick 0-17 (Munster semi-final) Replay Limerick 1-8 Waterford 0-11 (Munster semi-final) Draw

Last Championship Clash

Limerick 2-15 Laois 1-9 (2005 All- Ireland qualifiers, Portlaoise) TJ Ryan (0-8), Niall Moran (0-3), Ollie Moran and Patrick Kirby (1-0) each were Limerick’s top scorers as they beat a Laois team for whom James Young scored 1-5.