The Limerick minor football team pictured before their Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship victory over Tipperary.
Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship phase 1 round 2
Limerick 2-14 (2-2-10) Tipperary 1-12 (1-0-12)
Waterford 1-10 (1-0-10) Clare 1-22 (1-3-16)
By Stephen Barry
Double-digit head starts carried Limerick and Clare to victory over Tipperary and Waterford in round 2 of the Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship. The Treaty had fallen to an eight-point defeat in their opening game away to Clare so their encounter with Tipp took on do-or-die significance for them.
They certainly showed it from the off as, backed by the wind, they unleashed an unanswered 2-8 burst in the first 24 minutes. That gave them all the cushion they needed to hold Tipp at arm’s length at Mick Neville Park.
Having given their visitors a few scares, Oisín Healy whipped their first goal to the net with a soccer-style finish in the 14th minute, assisted by outstanding wing-back Jake Higgins.
Healy turned creator three minutes later with a sublime pass over the top for Jamie Crowley to fire home for 2-4 to no score.
A couple of two-pointers from Crowley (1-3) and Ryan Sheehan (0-4) moved them 14 clear before Tipp awoke with four in a row, including an impressive brace off of either foot from early substitute Seán Cleary.
Eoin Williams made it 2-9 to 0-4 at half-time.
Tipp created a handful of goal chances in the second half but Jack Noonan denied Seán Burke, while James O’Brien’s save forced Darragh Moloney to settle for a point at the other end.
They rumbled a short kick-out for Ned O’Meara’s 48th-minute goal to make it 2-12 against 1-8. The captain finished with 1-4.
Limerick scored their entire tally from open play as Aaron O’Kelly completed the set of all six forwards registering before Tipp rattled off the final three points.
Clare marched to a 1-22 to 1-10 victory over Waterford at Lemybrien, fuelled by an unanswered 1-10 streak in the opening 20 minutes.
Conor Burke chalked up nine points of that early haul, including a pair of two-point frees, while Cathal McNamara intercepted a short kick-out for the ninth-minute goal. Their lead remained at 13, 1-12 to 0-2, at half-time.
The hosts hit the net in the 40th minute when Ronan O’Hora’s shot dropped into the arms of Aaron Curran to finish.
Back-to-back points trimmed the deficit to eight, 1-14 to 1-6, but the Banner went through the gears with Burke taking his tally to 0-17, including five from play, and McNamara finishing on 1-4, featuring one two-pointer.
They travel to Tipp in a fortnight while Waterford head for Limerick with the top two progressing to join Cork and Kerry in the knockout stages.
