Limerick steal NHL Final place in extra time
Clare 2-23 Limerick 3-23
Limerick staged a dramatic turnaround in Thurles as they pinched an Allianz NHL Division One final spot from the jaws of defeat, beating Clare by 3-23 to 2-23 after extra-time.
Joe McKenna's side roared back from being eight points down with little over 10 minutes remaining to level at 3-15 to 2-18 on the stroke of full-time.
They might have won it in normal time as Clare goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald was forced to pull off a stunning save from a Stephen Lucey rasper in injury-time.
Mark Keane stepped up to point the resultant '65, ensuring extra-time for the Shannonsiders.
And in front of a small crowd of 6,500 spectators, telling points from Niall Moran, Pat Kirby, Lucey, Donie Ryan, substitute Denis Moloney and Andrew O'Shaughnessy saw Limerick edge the extra two periods – maintaining their brilliant unbeaten record in 2006, which now stands at 15 games.
McKenna's charges flew out of the traps as Keane flashed home a third-minute penalty, awarded for a foul by Brian Lohan on Brian Begley.
The latter added a second three-pointer on 13 minutes when he got out ahead of Lohan for a Donie Ryan sideline cut, turned and fired past a stranded Fitzgerald.
But apart from the goals, the first half was owned by Clare, who ended it with a 1-10 to 2-04 advantage.
By the time of Begley's goal, the Banner men had five points on the board from Tony Griffin, Diarmuid McMahon (0-03) and Derek Quinn (free).
Clare's Barry Nugent and Niall Gilligan then traded points with Conor Fitzgerald and Keane, before a 28th-minute lobbed free from McMahon evaded the grasp of Limerick stopper Brian Murray and nestled into the net.
McMahon's goal had Clare in front for only the second time at 1-07 to 2-03. And Anthony Daly's men added points from Quinn, Griffin and Nugent to round out the half in style with Keane hitting Limerick's only reply.
Keane and O'Shaughnessy kept Limerick in touch in the second half but the game took on a target practice feel.
After Niall Gilligan, who was initially hooked by TJ Ryan, batted home Clare's second goal at the second attempt on 49 minutes, Nugent (0-02), McMahon and Fergal Lynch (0-02) added points to see Clare's buffer boosted to 2-17 to 2-09.
Nonetheless, South Liberties clubman Keane resurrected Limerick's chances as he scored a scrambled goal from a 61st-minute free and added two frees, a point from play and the all-important '65 to keep his county's hopes of a first League title since 1997 alive.
Substitute Jonathan Clancy notched Clare's only point in reply to the victors' burst of 1-06.
Crucially Clare missed two goal chances in extra-time with Murray redeeming himself and the Limerick defence repelling a Griffin shot.
The hungrier side won. O'Shaughnessy hit the final point, with three minutes remaining, to put a goal between the sides and end any fight Clare had left in them.
