Limerick crush Tipp as Peter Casey suffers horror injury

15-point hammering for the Premier as their Munster campaign starts with a thud.

LAST UPDATE | 28 Apr

Declan Bogue Reports from The TUS Gaelic Grounds

Limerick 2-27

Tipperary 0-18

AN ODD DAY for the Munster championship.

At the end of an untidy first half, Tipperary would have been slightly bemused and delighted that they were just five points adrift.

Five minutes prior to the start there wasn’t a breath of wind. Just before the game it picked up and sent the flags aflutter. With that in mind, Liam Cahill informed his team formation. They would leave Jake Morris and Mark Kehoe up top. The rest would funnel back.

With Limerick also leaving just two up top in Aaron Gillane and Peter Casey, with Cian Lynch naturally floating around the middle, it made for an uneasy compromise.

Thus, when Tipperary were lorrying ball inside, they were outnumbered. And when the inevitable turnover produced fast ball towards Gillane in particular, Tipp were again outnumbered.

With Jason Forde responsible for two wides from ‘65s’ and dropping two efforts from play short, they were muzzled. Fears that another day of malfunctioning to rival the league semi-final loss to Clare were bubbling up.

On the half hour, Forde resembled a man low on confidence. He gained possession beside the Mick Mackey Stand. Instead of letting go from distance, he ran into the traffic, waiting until he was under severe pressure from Cathal O’Neill and out of steps and punch before floating in a weak shot that dropped kind for Nickie Quaid.

Tipp had a chance for goal. Eoghan Connolly came through to collect a loopy pass sent towards Kyle Hayes. He feathered a pass to Alan Tynan who transferred to Sean Hayes. Nickie Quaid smothered the chance.

And that was as good as it got.

Limerick’s elaborate passing wasn’t as sticky as they wanted. Same as last week then so. Tipp’s tendency to steam in hard brought enough breaks to survive on. But with Aaron Gillane nailing all his five dead ball and one from play chances, boosted up by Cathal O’Neill’s brace, they were 0-12 to 0-7 to the good at the break.

Thereafter, they went to town. The twenty minutes after the break brought a total of 2-10. Tipperary’s response was 0-6.

By the end of that, the 33,475 attendance started thinning out with the famous blue and gold jerseys departing the scene. In truth, there seemed to be so few of them. Big moments in the first half never produced the roar of the crowd moments.

On 45 minutes, Diarmuid Byrnes didn’t quite get underneath a free. It broke between David Reidy and Johnny Ryan. Aaron Gillane swept up the break and fired to the net.

They compiled another 1-6 in the next ten minutes. The second goal came when Peter Casey latched onto a Will O’Donoghue clearance. He looked at his options inside and just went for the goal anyway.

Ronan Maher’s despairing dive to stop it meant he carried through, and Casey suffered a terrible accident that at first glance, might appear a dislocated or broken ankle.

After a lengthy break, he was stretchered off the pitch and received a standing ovation by all in the ground.

With his departure the game died off. Adam English was introduced with ten minutes left and added four sublime points. They now will enjoy a down week.

Jason Forde notched a few more points for Tipp but with Davy Fitzgerald watching from the stands, next week in Walsh Park will have to see some sort of reaction. Given the relationship between Fitzgerald and his predecessor in Waterford, Tipp manager Liam Cahill, you’d imagine some spite will be arranged.

Scorers for Limerick: Aaron Gillane 1-8 (0-7f), Peter Casey 1-2, Adam English 0-4, Cathal O’Neill 0-3, David Reidy, Tom Morrissey 0-2 each, Diarmuid Byrnes 0-2 (0-2f), Donnacha Ó Dálaigh 0-1.

Scorers for Tipperary: Jason Forde 0-9 (0-8f), Mark Kehoe 0-2, Gearóid O’Connor 0-2 (0-1f), Johnny Ryan, Eoghan Connolly, Alan Tynan, Patrick Maher, Noel McGrath 0-1 each

Limerick

1. Nickie Quaid (Effin)

2. Sean Finn (Bruff) 3. Dan Morrissey (Ahane) 4. Barry Nash (South Liberties)

5. Diarmuid Byrnes (Patrickswell) 6. Declan Hannon (Adare) 7. Kyle Hayes (Kildimo/Pallaskenry)

8. Will O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh) 9. Cathal O’Neill (Crecora)

10. Gearóid Hegarty (St Patrick’s) 11. David Reidy (Dromin-Athlacca) 12. Tom Morrissey (Ahane)

13. Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell) 18. Peter Casey (Na Piarsaigh) 15. Cian Lynch (Patrickswell)

Subs:

25. Donnacha ÓDálaigh (Monaleen) for Hegarty (52m)
21. Graeme Mulcahy (Killmallock) for Casey (58m)
20. Adam English (Doon) for Lynch (61m)
19. Colin Coughlan (Ballybrown) for Hayes (65m)
17. Conor Boylan (Na Piarsaigh) for Reidy (69m)

Tipperary

1. Barry Hogan (Kiladangan)

2. Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers) 3. Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields) 4. Craig Morgan (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

5. Mikey Breen (Ballina) 6. Bryan O’Meara (Holycross Ballycahill) 7. Conor Bowe (Moyne Templetuohy)

8. Willie Connors (Kiladangan) 9. Eoghan Connolly (Cashel King Cormacs)

10. Alan Tynan (Roscrea) 11. Gearóid O’Connor (Moyne Templetuohy) 12. Jason Forde (Silvermines)

13. Jake Morris (Nenagh Eire Óg) 14. Mark Kehoe (Kilesheelan Kilcash) 15. Sean Hayes (Kiladangan)