Limerick 0-27 Galway 1-21: Holders battle past Tribesmen in classic All-Ireland Hurling semi-final
- Published
Kyle Hayes was among Limerick's first-half scorers as they led 0-16 to 0-12 at the break
Holders Limerick set up an All-Ireland Hurling Final with Kilkenny in two weeks by edging out Galway 0-27 to 1-21 in a semi-final thriller.
The three-in-a-row seekers dominated early on as they led 0-9 to 0-4.
But Galway cut the margin to one before Limerick hit three straight points to lead 0-16 to 0-12 at half time.
Brian Concannon's goal saw Galway level but their wides count of 19 ultimately hurt them as Limerick sub David Reidy's three late points proved crucial.
After Tom Monaghan's point on 36 seconds gave Galway an immediate lead, the Tribesmen did not move ahead again until the 44th minute and while they carved out two further one-point advantages in a frenetic second half, they could not pull away from the champions as Reidy's three scores in the closing 14 minutes of action swayed the verdict.
Aaron Gillane's eight points - which included six from play - were vital although Daithi Burke did curb Limerick's star forward in the second period after his outstanding opening to the contest.
Galway struggled early on before fighting right back
Galway intensity rattles Limerick
After Kilkenny's steamrollering of Clare in Saturday's opening semi-final, Limerick were overwhelming favourites to account for Henry Shefflin's side but while the game went to the script early on, it soon morphed into an epic battle as Galway unsettled John Kiely's men.
After Monaghan's point gave Galway an immediate lead, Limerick responded with some dazzling hurling to fire over six unanswered scores by the eighth minute.
Gillane and fellow full-forward Seamus Flanagan were proving unmarkable early on as they notched Limerick's opening five scores before an unchallenged William O'Donoghue stroked over their sixth point as Galway appeared in big trouble.
By that stage, David Burke had already hit three Galway wides with Concannon also off-target for the nervous Tribesmen.
And while free-taker Conor Cooney and Monaghan replied for Galway, Limerick still looked in total control as a point from back-in-form Kyle Hayes restored their five-point advantage (0-9 to 0-4) by the 19th minute.
But Galway suddenly upped their intensity with Cooney's move into the full-forward line also boosting their attack.
By the 25th minute, Limerick's lead had been trimmed to 0-10 to 0-8 as they were the team now making the majority of the mistakes, with their handling starting to let them down.
Hollywood actor Bill Murray was again supporting Limerick at Croke Park
Sensational scores from play from Barry Nash and Gillane seemed to have Limerick in relative control again at 0-13 to 0-9 up only for another Cooney free to be followed by two crackers from play by Cathal Mannion.
And while Limerick hit the concluding three points of the half - with their 14th point a gift after Darren Morrissey lost possession from a short puckout - the 52,213 spectators knew they were watching a genuine contest as referee Thomas Walsh blew the half-time whistle.
Within four minutes of the resumption, Galway were on terms as another Mannion point was followed by Concannon lashing to the roof of the net after fielding a long ball from Daithi Burke.
By now, Joseph Cooney was having an outstanding game at centre half-back and his magnificent 44th-minute score put Galway ahead for the first time since the opening minute.
For the next 15 minutes, Limerick needed four Diarmaid Byrnes frees to keep themselves in the game as Galway continued to produce the better hurling.
But the Tribesmen couldn't extend their advantage beyond a point during that crucial period as their wides continued to mount before Limerick's late reinforcements helped turn the tide in the champions' favour.
Last year's hurler of the year Cian Lynch and Peter Casey - after lengthy periods out because of injury - were both sprung from the bench in the 57th minute but it was another replacement Reidy who made the telling difference as his scores in the 62nd and 68th minute gave Limerick one-point leads before he added another three minutes into injury time.
Byrnes point - his sixth - proved the final score as Galway's final attack came to nothing which enabled Limerick to progress to a third straight All-Ireland Final for the first time since 1935.
Limerick: N Quaid; S Finn, M Casey, B Nash (0-1); D Byrnes (0-6), D Hannon, D Morrissey; W O'Donoghue (0-1), D O'Donovan; G Hegarty (0-2), K Hayes (0-3), T Morrissey (0-1); A Gillane (0-8, 2f), S Flanagan (0-2), G Mulcahy.
Subs: D Reidy (0-3) for O'Donovan 61 mins, C Boylan for Flanagan 67, P Casey for Mulcahy 55, C Lynch for Morrissey 57, C O'Neill for Hegarty 63, O O'Reilly
Not used: B Hennessy, A Costello, C Coughlan, R English, R Hanley, O'Reilly.
Galway: É Murphy; J Grealish, Daithí Burke, D Morrissey; P Mannion (0-2), J Flynn, F Burke (0-1); R Glennon (0-2), David Burke; T Monaghan (0-4), C Cooney (0-5, 4f), J Cooney (0-1); C Whelan (0-2), B Concannon (1-0), C Mannion (0-4).
Subs: C Fahy for Flynn 53, J Coen for Glennon 64, E Niland for David Burke 67, K Cooney for C Cooney 75
Not used: D Fahy, S Linnane, S Ryan, G McInerney, J Hastings, G Lee, R Murphy.
Referee: T Walsh (Waterford)
