It was a match we expected to win. We were, after all, All-Ireland finalists last year and with the saga we left behind us who would have expected anything from Offaly?
Captain Mark Foley, a veteran from the cruel five-minute-final of 1994 had seen what could happen when you underestimate an Offaly team and, no doubt, had warned the rest of the team.
With Brian Geary back from injury we had our full panel. We were ready to put the embarrassing defeat against Clare behind us and play some real hurling. Weren’t we?
The game started off with Offaly’s Brian Carroll scoring a point followed quickly by another from Shane Dooley. All of a sudden we were five minutes into the game and three points behind. From the word go our Shannonsiders were overwhelmed by an Offaly defense led by David Kenny who almost casually picked up any offensive Limerick ball and cast it back to his forwards.
In the 10th minute Niall Moran, who was the only player to turn up for the championship game against Clare, caught a hand-pass from Mark Foley and, with a deft motion, put one over the bar. Donnie Ryan quickly followed with another point. But our increasing enthusiasm was quashed in the 14th minute with a goal from Joe Bergin. On the 20th minute Bergin scored again making the score 2-04 to 0-04 with the crumbling walls of the Limerick defence trailing after him.
Shaughs tried using a free in the 24th minute for an equalising goal which was blocked by a sturdy Offaly line. It eventually earned Wayne McNamera, a newcomer to Limerick Senior Hurling, a point.
Every approaching goal was blocked by the determined Offaly line. Mark Foley tried to provide our side with some dignity at the end of the first half with a point in the 35th minute; our first score in 11 minutes. This was, however, followed quickly by an Offaly point which concluded the first half with Limerick 11 points down and boos heard from supporters.
In the second half, Offaly were playing against the breeze and into the sun. Remembering our 10 point disadvantage against Tipperary last year, we clung on to hope. And for a while it seemed that things were going our way. Offaly scored wides while our Shaughs flicked his wrists and got us points in the 37th and 39th minutes. We actually started challenging our opponents and getting stuck in. But all hopes for our insurgency were dashed when Joe Bergin managed to pull his third goal from a Rory Hannify sideline cut. Although, Niall Moran put another over the bar, we needed a goal and we could not get it.
Pat Tobin put in a good performance scoring five points but by the 60th minute, it became a hopeless case with Limerick fans leaving the Gaelic Grounds. The frustration came to the fore with a fight almost breaking out which resulted in Denny Maloney getting yellow card. Mark Foley kept on fighting but the final score was
Offaly 3-19, Limerick 0-18.
So what went wrong? Limerick manager, Richie Bennis explains that the team doesn’t seem to have the same appetite as they did last year. Their play does leave a lot to be desired for when you compare it with the finalists we saw last year. Limerick didn’t quit, even when the chips were down, but in this match we couldn’t put up more than a five-minute token resistance. Our defence also seems to have waned. After the Clare fiasco we were told that lessons had been learned but the first and third goals were easy enough give-aways which shouldn’t have happened.
Where was Lucey, Geary, Ollie Moran, Reale, O’Brien, and Seanie O’Connor for most of the game?
The main thing seems to be that we underestimated Offaly and they were a much better team than anyone thought they’d be. Bennis says that there will be some soul searching for the next year. Lets hope that we haven’t returned to the post-1996 doldrums.
