Hey everyone, and welcome to live coverage of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final between Clare and Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.
Limerick chasing five in a row against a side who beat them earlier in Munster.
This should be fun.
This is how the teams will line out this afternoon.
Conor Cleary starts despite suffering a dislocated shoulder against Cork only last month.
Cian Lynch back on the bench for Limerick.
Clare: Eibhear Quilligan (Feakle); Adam Hogan (Feakle), Conor Cleary (St Joseph’s Miltown), Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones); Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe), John Conlon (Clonlara), David McInerney (Tulla); David Fitzgerald (Inagh/Kilnamona), Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge); Peter Duggan (Clooney/Quin),Tony Kelly (Ballyea), Aidan McCarthy (Inagh/Kilnamona); Ryan Taylor (Clooney/Quin), Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg), Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
Subs: Éamonn Foudy (Inagh/Kilnamona), Cian Nolan (Smith O’Briens), Ian Galvin (Clonlara), Shane Meehan (Banner), Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones), Aaron Fitzgerald (Éire Óg), Robin Mounsey (Ruan), Paul Flanagan (Ballyea), Cian Galvin (Clarecastle), Keith Smyth (Killanena), Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge)
Limerick: Nicky Quaid (Effin); Mike Casey (Na Piarsaigh), Dan Morrissey (Ahane), Barry Nash (South Liberties), Diarmaid Byrnes (Patrickswell), Declan Hannon (Adare), Kyle Hayes (Kildimo/Pallaskenry); Darragh O’Donovan (Doon), William O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh; Gearoid Hegarty (St. Patrick’s), Cathal O’Neill (Crecora/Manister), Tom Morrissey (Ahane); Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell), Seamus Flanagan (Feoghanagh/Castlemahon), Peter Casey (Na Piarsaigh)
Subs David McCarthy (Glenroe), Conor Boylan (Na Piarsaigh), Ronan Connolly (Adare), Aaron Costello (Kilmallock), Colin Coughlan (Ballybrown), Adam English (Doon), Richie English (Doon), Cian Lynch (Patrickswell), Graeme Mulcahy (Kilmallock), Oisin O’Reilly (Kilmallock), David Reidy (Dromin/Athlacca)
What do you reckon?
Poll Results:
Clare boss Brian Lohan has just confirmed to RTÉ that Conor Cleary is in fact UNVAVAILABLE for the game… Darragh Lohan comes in.
Cathal O’Neill and Peter Casey out for Limerick. Graeme Mulcahy and David Reidy come in.
Posting the teams initially was pointless, really, wasn’t it?
Here they come…
We’re five minutes from throw-in at the Gaelic Grounds.
1′ – Limerick 0-0 Clare 0-0: Limerick gain possession off throw-in but Aaron Gillane uncharacteristically fails to capitalise on an early chance.
He had a lot of space up in that Clare full-back line. We’ll see if that continues or if it’s just an anomaly as the sides settle into matters here.
3′ Limerick 0-1 Clare 0-0: Tom Morrissey opens the scoring for Limerick after a good ball into him by Diarmuid Byrnes.
Already a vicious battle, this. Lads tearing into each other.
5′ – Limerick 0-2 Clare 0-0: Gillane prods over a simple free and Limerick are two scores up.
6′ Limerick 0-2 Clare 0-1: Aidan McCarthy gets Clare off the mark with a free after a foul on Shane O’Donnell.
9′ Clare 0-2 Limerick 0-2: McCarthy with another free and the sides are level at the Gaelic Grounds.
9′ Clare 0-3 Limerick 0-2: Shane O’Donnell jinks on way, then the other, and then he pops over a lovely score.
12′ Clare 0-4 Limerick 0-3: Unreal solo score by Ryan Taylor of Clare. Aaron Gillane replies almost instantly.
13′ Clare 0-5 Limerick 0-3: Tony Kelly is up and running.
15′ – Clare 0-6 Limerick 0-3: Diarmuid Ryan from waaayyyy downtown. Super score. Clare lead by three.
18′ Clare 0-7 Limerick 0-5: Peter Duggan dragged down by Peter Casey and Clare lead by three through Kelly.
Both sides giving away soft frees and, just as I say it, Gillane converts another for Limerick.
21′ Clare 0-7 Limerick 0-5: Unreal score by Limerick’s Darragh O’Donovan who marauds down the right and flicks one over the bar from a tricky angle.
22′ Clare 0-8 Limerick 0-7: Gearóid Hegarty finds himself unmarked and slots a score. Cathal Malone responds instantly for Clare with a similar score.
25′ Clare 0-9 Limerick 0-7: Mark Rodgers steals a yard on Barry Nash and steers Clare into a two-point lead.
28′ Clare 0-10 Limerick 0-8: Beautiful stick-work by Gillane who dribbles infield and slots one. Tony Kelly responds for Clare.
29′ Clare 0-10 Limerick 0-9: Cian Nolan receives a yellow for a pull-back on Gillane, who converts his sixth point from the resulting free.
30′ Limerick 0-10 Clare 0-10: Kyle Hayes with a beauty of a score created by a wonderful hand-pass by Morrissey.
GOOOOOAALLLLL! Clare 1-10 Limerick 0-10: It’s Mark Rodgers! He lashes home after Tony Kelly’s long-range effort came back off the post.
The first green flag of the Munster final goes to Clare. Brilliant reaction by Rodgers.
And Aidan McCarthy lands his fourth soon afterwards to extend the lead to four.
34′ Clare 1-11 Limerick 0-10: Good save by Nicky Quaid who denies Mark Rodgers a second goal for Clare. Tight angle for Rodgers but a nice move by Clare.
36′ Clare 1-11 Limerick 0-11: Limerick earn a free and they’re unhappy that Hegarty wasn’t allowed to continue with advantage; it would have been a goal chance. Hegarty gets a yellow card for his protestations. Gillane does the business from the floor.
It’s been as pulsating as you’d expect. Strap in, folks, because the second half between these two is going to be sensational.
Clare lead by three at the break!
36′ Clare 1-11 Limerick 0-12: David Reidy opens the second-half scoring with a tap over from 30-odd yards.
Here we go!
39′ Clare 1-11 Limerick 0-12: Huge hits and high intensity, here: a period of play which has seen the scores dry up. But it’s seismic stuff.
40′ Clare 1-12 Limerick 0-13: Gillane and Kelly trade points, the latter a beauty as Tony fires over from 60-odd yards.
42′ Clare 1-12 Limerick 0-14: Gillane converts another free. One between them in the Munster final.
43′ Clare 1-13 Limerick 0-14: Insane point by Mark Rodgers! Score of the game so far as he flicks the sliotar into his grasp on the sideline, cuts infield and slots one over.
43′ Limerick 1-14 Clare 1-13: GOOOOAAAALLLLL! Aaron Gillane fashions a couple of yards’ space and rockets one into the bottom right-hand corner. Limerick take the lead!
46′ Clare 1-14 Limerick 1-14: Tony Kelly levels from a free.
46′ Limerick 1-15 Clare 1-14: Tom Morrissey with a wonderful score, hitting one over his head, high and over the bar from the right-hand sideline.
47′ Limerick 1-16 Clare 1-14: Unreal by Gillane, who shakes off Cian Nolan again and launches one over the bar. Clare need a change in that full-back line; Nolan is struggling.
48′ Limerick 1-17 Clare 1-14: Good save by Eibhear Quilligan! He denies Gillane — although the shot was at a good height for him.
David Reidy pops one over in the next phase.
51′ Limerick 1-17 Clare 1-14: An unbelievable piece of Limerick defending as they smother a half-chance for a goal for Clare. Perfect defending across the board.
53′ Limerick 1-18 Clare 1-14: Limerick were three down at the break but they’re starting to turn the screw here. Gillane converts another free to make it 1-11 for himself, and a four-point lead for the All-Ireland champions.
It’s hard to bate Munster final day.
56′ Limerick 1-19 Clare 1-15:Unbelievable block-down on Tony Kelly by Gearóid Hergarty!
Clare do eventually narrow the gap to four — but Limerick are getting on top, here.
59′ Limerick 1-19 Clare 1-15: Unreal work by Aaron Shanagher who blocks down a Kyle Hayes clearance and loses his hurley in the process.
Clare move back within three. What a finish we could have ahead of us at the Gaelic Grounds.
63′ Limerick 1-20 Clare 1-16: Sub Adam English scores from long-range, with his first touch. Limerick have scored 1-9 to Clare’s five points in this second half. They lead by four.
64′ Limerick 1-20 Clare 1-17: David Fitzgerald, with his second of the game, drags Clare back to within three.
65′ Limerick 1-20 Clare 1-18: Aaron Shanagher with a nice score, well fashioned. Clare beginning to motor again!
67′ Limkerick 1-20 Clare 1-19: Kelly with a free. Clare back to within one. As we said at half-time, strap in!
69′ Limerick 1-21 Clare 1-19: Cathal O’Neill with a huge score for Limerick!
71′ Limerick 1-22 Clare 1-20: Clare reply through Ian Galvin, but then David Reidy extends Limerick’s lead once more!
Four minutes of added time. Electric stuff in the dying moments of the Munster hurling final.
72′ Limerick 1-22 Clare 1-21: Ian Galvin again! The gap is one, with just over two minutes to go.
73′ Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-21: Loose puck-out by Quilligan is punished by Cathal O’Neill, whose point takes Limerick out to two in front. That’s massive for the Munster and All-Ireland champions.
74′ Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-22: Tony Kelly takes us back to a one-score game. Thirty seconds to go! What a finish this is!
75′ Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-22: Wowwwww. Limerick have done it again.
Clare are going mad because it looked like they should have had a free at the very end. There were two heavy challenges by Limerick players which went unpunished. And the full-time whistle goes!
Five in a row for Limerick in Munster.
Aaron Gillane deservedly named man of the match. What a player this man is.
That’s it for the liveblog. Keep an eye on The 42 for a full report from a belter of a game at the Gaelic Grounds.
Thanks for joining us!
