The portents weren’t good for Limerick coming into this game and at half-time their prospects were beyond grim.
Trailing by 2-12 to 0-5 as Dublin strutted around the TUS Gaelic Grounds at their ease and effectively put the game to bed within 15 minutes, there was more gloom before the second half restarted with the news that 2022 All Star nominee Cian Sheehan, easily their best player in the first half, was not fit to continue.
But having averaged a point every two minutes or so in the first half, Dublin didn’t register another until the second half was 17 minutes old. In the meantime, Limerick had hit them for 1-3 and were playing with far more grunt.
They might have been closer than seven points at that stage too having blown a few more openings, albeit there was never any realistic prospect that they would retrieve the situation.
Dublin eventually found their scoring range again, slotting four points in three minutes to open a greater gap again but Limerick still hit three of the last four scores to give themselves a little momentum ahead of a relegation four-pointer in Louth in two weeks.
“First half, we were happy,” reflected Dublin boss Dessie Farrell. “Pleased at half-time.
“Second half, just disappointing. We looked like a Division Two team in the second half.”
By the fourth minute, Dublin already had three points on the board and though Sheehan replied with one for Limerick, the Leinster champions tagged on another 1-6 without reply, Dean Rock slotting the penalty in the 19th minute after the impressive Con O’Callaghan was brought down.
O’Callaghan was central to the second goal in the 28th minute too, drawing a save from Donal O’Sullivan with Brian Fenton on hand for the rebound.
Ross McGarry was sharp for Dublin up front too and the inside line of himself, Rock and O’Callaghan had 1-9 on the board by half-time.
“They look up to them and they were probably a bit in awe really, deep down,” said Limerick manager Ray Dempsey of his players’ apparent stagefright in that first half.
“Dublin coming to town, playing one of the best teams of all time in the GAA and stuff like that so lookit, we addressed it at half-time and they really went at it and it’s great credit to the players the way they applied themselves.”
Four minutes after half-time Limerick sub Hugh Bourke got in for a goal after the ball fell nicely to him when James Naughton’s point effort was partially blocked. Naughton added a free and Bourke another point, followed by a third from Adrian Enright when another goal was on as the home support in the 3,670 crowd started to warm to their team’s efforts.
Dublin were wasteful, missing seven scoring chances and coughing up turnovers in the Limerick defence before Rock’s free finally got them going again in the 53rd minute. They briefly rediscovered their first half form to quickly tag on three more points but then petered out again.
“We spoke about it half-time in terms of complacency and keeping the tempo high and the intensity,” said Farrell.
“Some of what affected us last week came into our game in that second half in terms of execution, shot efficiency. That type of thing.
“It takes on a life of its own then. It took us a while to correct that then.”
He continued: “It’s annoying, that aspect of it. You’d look to see the consistency over the 70 minutes. That’s what we speak about.
“But we didn’t deliver on it today. That’s a work-on for us and we’ll just keep banging away at it.”
With a break now before going to Cork on February 19, Farrell will be welcoming back the Kilmacud Crokes contingent now that the All-Ireland club final saga has come to a close.
“We’ll be rolling them into the system next week. And getting them back out on the training park.”
LIMERICK: Donal O’Sullivan 6; David Connelly 7, Sean O’Dea 6, Barry Coleman 6; Brian Fanning 6, Cillian Fahy 6, Iain Corbett (0-1) 7; Michael Donovan 6, Colm McSweeney 6; Paul Maher 6, Gordon Browne 6, Cian Sheehan (0-2) 8; Adrian Enright (0-2) 7, James Naughton (0-5, 0-4f) 7, Davy Lyons 6.
Subs: Hugh Burke (1-1) for Lyons (22), Killian Ryan for Sheehan (HT), Peter Nash for Browne (57), Tony McCarthy for Donovan (60), Robbie Bourke for Enright (68).
DUBLIN: David O’Hanlon 7; Sean McMahon 7, Daire Newcombe (0-1) 7, Cian Murphy 7; Lee Gannon 6, Greg McEneaney (0-1) 7, Tom Lahiff 6; Brian Fenton (1-0) 7, Peader O Cofaigh-Byrne 6; Niall Scully 6, Lorcan O’Dell (0-1) 6, Ciaran Kilkenny 6; Ross McGarry (0-4) 8, Dean Rock (1-5, 1-0 pen, 0-3f) 7, Con O’Callaghan (0-4) 8.
Subs: Colm Basquel for O’Dell (45), Killian O’Gara (0-1) for McGarry (60), Adam Fearon for Gannon (64), Sean Lowry for O’Callaghan (65), Killian McGinnis for McEneaney (69).
REFEREE: James Molloy (Galway).
QUOTE ME ON THAT
“They were probably a bit in awe really, deep down. Dublin coming to town, playing one of the best teams of all time in the GAA. We addressed it at half-time and they really went at it.”
Limerick manager Ray Dempsey.
STAR MAN - Con O’Callaghan (Dublin)
Central to most of Dublin’s best play in the first half in which he scored 0-3 from play and was heavily involved in both goals. They badly need him to stay fit this year.
AN OTHER - Cian Sheehan (Limerick)
An All Star nominee last year, he really stood out on a team that was sinking fast in the first half, kicking 0-2, before injury forced his withdrawal at half-time.
UP NEXT
LIMERICK: Louth (a), February 19
DUBLIN: Cork (a), February 19
