Limerick breeze past Carlow to book place in quarter-finals
A SIX-DAY recovery from their Joe McDonagh Cup final win proved too much for Carlow as Limerick got their season back on track and reached the All-Ireland quarter-finals with a comfortable 24-point win at Netwatch Cullen Park.
The Limerick forwards were all on song – particularly Aaron Gillane and Tom Morrissey – and John Kiely’s side showed no ill effects of a disappointing end to their Munster Championship campaign.
The losers of tomorrow’s replayed Leinster final between Galway and Kilkenny will not fancy trying to regroup against Limerick in a week’s time.
Limerick got off to a flyer when Kyle Hayes found the net with a firm, low shot after just 30 seconds, but the next ten minutes were bossed by Colm Bonnar’s side and Denis Murphy and Edward Byrne hit points put one between the teams.
But following a great Tom Morrissey point in the 12th minute Limerick began to find their flow.
They took a six-point lead when Cian Lynch and Aaron Gillane sent Graeme Mulcahy in for their second goal, while a minute later Gillane finished from a tight angle to push Limerick well clear.
The two goals in the space of a minute was the killer blow, but Carlow didn’t help themselves either, and a return of just four points from 13 attempts before the break was not the return they sought.
With Declan Hannon and Cian Lynch quenching any Carlow attacks, Gillane, Tom Morrissey and Hegarty benefited and a 3-9 to 0-4 half-time lead was easily accumulated.
Limerick were far from perfect though and the 10 wides they hit before the interval will have to be improved upon if they are to get past the sizable task of downing either Galway or Kilkenny in the next round.
John Michael Nolan and Murphy hit early points for Carlow after the break, but they continued to stray off target too, and after substitute Peter Casey and Seamus Flanagan both hit their first points of the game Limerick cruised to victory over the Leinster side.