Afternoon all and welcome to today’s coverage of the All-Ireland senior hurling final.
Here’s how the teams are named to start:
Limerick
1. Nickie Quaid (Effin)
2. Sean Finn (Bruff), 3. Mike Casey (Na Piarsaigh), 4. Barry Nash (South Liberties),
5. Diarmaid Byrnes (Patrickswell), 6. Declan Hannon (Adare – captain), 7. Dan Morrissey (Ahane)
8. William O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh), 9. Darragh O’Donovan (Doon)
10. Gearoid Hegarty (St Patricks), 11. Kyle Hayes (Kildimo-Pallaskenry), 12. Tom Morrissey (Ahane)
13. Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell), 14. Seamus Flanagan (Feohanagh-Castlemahon), 15. Graeme Mulcahy (Kilmallock).
Kilkenny
1. Eoin Murphy (Glenmore)
2. Mikey Butler (O’Loughlin Gaels), 3. Huw Lawlor (O’Loughlin Gaels), 4. Tommy Walsh (Tullaroan)
5. Michael Carey (Young Irelands), 6. Richie Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks – captain), 7. Paddy Deegan (O’Loughlin Gaels),
8. Cian Kenny (James Stephens), 9. Conor Browne (James Stephens),
10. TJ Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks), 11. Padraig Walsh (Tullaroan), 12. Billy Ryan (Graigue-Ballycallan)
13. Adrian Mullen (Ballyhale Shamrocks), 14. Martin Keoghan (Tullaroan), 15. Eoin Cody (Ballyhale Shamrocks).
It’s prediction time. Who do you fancy to prevail?
Poll Results:
Cian Lynch arriving in Croke Park with his team-mates earlier. His absence due to an ankle injury is a massive loss for Limerick.
The atmosphere is electric in Croke Park. Can Limerick do the three-in-a-row or will Kilkenny stop them? We’re about to find out. Strap in.
We’re underway!
Limerick 0-1 Kilkenny 0-0
1 min – Diarmaid Byrnes wins a free and puts it over himself from distance.
GOAL! Gearoid Hegarty slams in a stunning effort for Limerick.
Limerick 1-1 Kilkenny 0-0
4 mins – A long Nickie Quaid puck-out dropped to Hegarty, he picked it up and stuck it in the top corner from a narrow angle. Incredible finish.
Limerick 1-2 Kilkenny 0-0
6 mins – Aaron Gillane kicks over after winning a high ball. Kilkenny are in bother here early on.
Limerick 1-2 Kilkenny 0-1
7 mins – TJ Reid opens the Kilkenny account from a free. They needed that.
Limerick 1-2 Kilkenny 0-2
8 mins – Eoin Cody adds another for the Cats.
Limerick 1-3 Kilkenny 0-2
10 mins – Aaron Gillane sends over a free.
Limerick 1-3 Kilkenny 0-3
11 mins – Another free from TJ Reid sails between the posts. Kilkenny are staying in touch.
Limerick 1-4 Kilkenny 0-3
12 mins – Kyle Hayes makes an interception and puts it over the bar.
Limerick 1-5 Kilkenny 0-3
13 mins – Byrnes wins a long puck-out and drills it straight over from midfield. A booming effort.
Limerick 1-5 Kilkenny 0-4
13 mins – Paddy Deegan lands one over from distance in response.
Limerick 1-5 Kilkenny 0-5
14 mins – Mossy Keoghan opens his account after a long Eoin Murphy puck-out.
Limerick 1-6 Kilkenny 0-5
14 mins – Tom Morrissey gets his first point after a turnover from a Kilkenny line ball.
Limerick 1-7 Kilkenny 0-5
16 mins – Gearoid Hegarty with the latest Limerick score. 1-1 for Hegarty now. Will O’Donoghue did immense work to set that up and set-up his team-mate.
Kilkenny temporary sub: Conor Fogarty for Conor Browne.
Limerick 1-7 Kilkenny 0-7
17 mins – Reid strokes over another free. Kilkenny respond immediately through Richie Reid.
Limerick 1-8 Kilkenny 0-7
19 mins – Hegarty again, this time from distance. He always shows up on All-Ireland final day.
Limerick 1-9 Kilkenny 0-8
19 mins – TJ Reid works hard to set-up his brother Richie. Gillane replies at the far end.
Limerick 1-10 Kilkenny 0-8
20 mins – Flanagan pops one over for the Treaty. Their forwards are looking really sharp.
Limerick 1-10 Kilkenny 0-9
21 mins – The shooting has been exceptional so far. Mullen converts over the shoulder from near the sideline. TJ Reid was highly influential in that move.
Limerick 1-11 Kilkenny 0-9
23 mins – Byrnes sends over a bomb from a placed ball inside his own 45 after Mike Casey was fouled.
Browne resumes his place on the field.
Limerick 1-12 Kilkenny 0-9
25 mins – We go to Hawk-Eye for the first time since the malfunction last weekend. It awards a point for Hegarty’s effort.
Limerick 1-12 Kilkenny 0-10
27 mins – Kilkenny need to finish this half strong. TJ Reid pulls back a score from a free.
Limerick 1-13 Kilkenny 0-10
28 mins – Hayes is fouled after bursting through. Gillane converts the free to restore Limerick’s six-point margin.
Limerick 1-13 Kilkenny 0-11
29 mins – Paddy Deegan scores his second of the game.
Limerick 1-14 Kilkenny 0-11
30 mins – Declan Hannon strides forward from centre-back and puts it over the bar.
Limerick 1-14 Kilkenny 0-12
31 mins – TJ Reid is fouled as he bears down on goal. He puts the free over.
Limerick 1-15 Kilkenny 0-12
31 mins – Hayes wins a puck-out and cancels out the Reid score immediately.
Limerick 1-15 Kilkenny 0-13
31 mins – Padraig Walsh scores for the Cats as he finds himself in oceans of space.
Limerick 1-15 Kilkenny 0-14
33 mins – Keoghan is fouled by Byrnes and Reid sends over the free.
Two Limerick wides in a row for Hegarty and Flanagan.
Limerick 1-17 Kilkenny 0-15
35 mins – Dan Morrissey adds his name to the Limerick scorers. Padraig Walsh latches onto a long restart and responds. Flanagan adds to his tally to extend the gap to five once again.
Limerick 1-17 Kilkenny 0-16
35+2 mins – Billy Ryan is fouled and Reid reduces the lead to four.
Half-time: Limerick 1-17 Kilkenny 0-16
Some action from the first period:
Another look at Gearoid Hegarty’s early goal, which was an incredible finish.
@LimerickCLG are off to the perfect start thanks to a brilliant goal by Gearóid Hegarty. pic.twitter.com/msCItji2BM
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 17, 2022
Kilkenny sub: Cian Kenny is replaced by Walter Walsh.
The second period has resumed.
Limerick 1-18 Kilkenny 0-16
36 mins – Hayes opens the scoring for the second-half.
Limerick 1-19 Kilkenny 0-16
37 mins – Limerick have created a load of space in front of Gillane and he slots over.
GOAL! Billy Ryan hits the net for Kilkenny.
Limerick 1-19 Kilkenny 1-16
39 mins – The goal Kilkenny really needed. Created by Walter Walsh and finished by Ryan. Quaid had no chance.
Limerick 1-20 Kilkenny 1-17
39 mins – Hegarty and Mullen trade scores. Mullen has gone to midfield since the break. Walter Walsh is operating at right-half forward.
Limerick 1-21 Kilkenny 1-17
41 mins – Mulcahy is hooked and Tommy Walsh puts it out for a 65. Byrnes does the rest.
Limerick 1-21 Kilkenny 1-18
43 mins – Walter Walsh drives past Byrnes and drills over. He has changed the game since coming in.
Limerick 1-22 Kilkenny 1-18
44 mins – Hegarty is fouled and Gillane sends over the free.
GOAL! Mossy Keoghan scores Kilkenny’s second goal!
Limerick 1-21 Kilkenny 2-18
47 mins – A high ball was fetched by TJ Reid that ended up with Keoghan’s finish.
Then John Donnelly replaces Padraig Walsh and immediately scores to level the game. We have a real game on our hands now.
Limerick 1-23 Kilkenny 2-19
48 mins – Mulcahy is replaced by Peter Casey as Hegarty sets up a Morrissey point. Limerick retake the lead.
Limerick 1-24 Kilkenny 2-19
50 mins – Byrnes puts over another long range effort.
Limerick sub: David Reidy is on for Darragh O’Donovan.
Limeirck 1-25 Kilkenny 2-19
53 mins – Hegarty picks out Tom Morrissey for a score.
Kilkenny sub: Conor Browne is replaced by David Blanchfield
Limeirck 1-25 Kilkenny 2-20
57 mins – TJ Reid drills over a great free from his own 65. There’s two points in it once again.
Limerick 1-26 Kilkenny 2-20
58 mins – Tom Morrissey with a lovely catch and score.
Limerick 1-26 Kilkenny 2-21
58 mins – Deegan is fouled and Reid sends it between the sticks.
Kilkenny sub: Richie Hogan comes on for Eoin Cody.
Limerick sub: Seamus Flanagan is replaced by Conor Boylan.
Limerick 1-26 Kilkenny 2-22
60 mins – Stunning effort from the sideline by Mullen. We have a one-point game again.
Limerick 1-27 Kilkenny 2-22
61 mins – Boylan has a point ruled out by Hawk-Eye. That was close.
Limerick 1-26 Kilkenny 2-23
63 mins – A massive moment for Kilkenny as Richie Hogan puts over his first score of the day. We’re level again.
Limerick 1-27 Kilkenny 2-23
63 mins – Limerick move back in front through Hayes, who was 0-4 to his name.
Limerick sub: Cathal O’Neill is on for Tom Morrissey.
Limerick 1-28 Kilkenny 2-23
65 mins – Cathal O’Neill puts over from distance after a Limerick counter-attack.
Limerick 1-29 Kilkenny 2-23
66 mins – Boylan raises the roof with a point. Limerick have put a little bit of daylight between them and the Cats again.
Two wides for Adrian Mullen. Have Kilkenny one more scoring burst in them?
Limerick 1-30 Kilkenny 2-23
68 mins – Hayes is fouled and Gillane nails the free. Four points between the teams now.
We’ll have four added minutes at the end of the second-half.
Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-23
71 mins – Hegarty adds another from distance. Surely it’s Limerick’s day now.
Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-24
72 mins – Tommy Walsh pulls back a point for Kilkenny. They need to find a goal from somewhere.
Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-25
73 mins – Donnelly adds another point. Three points in it with about 60 seconds left.
Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-26
73 mins – Blanchfield scores Kilkenny’s third in-a-row.
Full-time: Limerick 1-31 Kilkenny 2-26
Limerick have done the three-in-a-row. What a victory.
