BALLYGUNNER MUST WAIT FOR MUNSTER TITLE NUMBER TWO AS NA PIARSAIGH CLAIM TITLE NUMBER THREE

Ballygunner must wait for at least one more year if they are to win a second Munster Senior Hurling Championship Title after they lost out to Limerick side Na Piarsaigh in this years decider at Semple Stadium on Sunday afternoon, going under to the Limerick Champions 2-18 to 2-11 who claimed their third title at this stage since 2011 and will now be confident that they can end their campaign by climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand on St. Patrick’s Day.

While defeat was Ballygunner’s lot in this game, they will have to be confident that their wait for a second title wont last too long more, as it is well documented that going into this game they were without the influential Mahony brothers and lost another rising star Peter Hogan after just 20 minutes with an injury.

The Gunner’s and hurling supporters will know that with these three back in the side from the off for next years campaign and with many of the other young players involved being a year old and as a more experienced, should Ballygunner get out of Waterford, they will be a side closely watched by many not just in Munster by the other County Champions but also in the other three provinces.

And while Ballygunner were short the services of key players for this game, it must not be forgotten that the Limerick side were also without Kevin Downes and while they began without David Breen he did manage to get in the last twenty minutes of the game coming on for Pat Gleeson who started for Downes.

In this game Ballygunner had done to them what they had done to Cork Champions Glen Rovers in the semi final as they went in leading by three points at the interval but in the second half had to play second fiddle to a strong Na Piarsaigh performance.

While it was Ballygunner were the better side in the first half it was the Limerick side that were first to score on six minutes as Alan Dempsey pointed. However within a minute Brian O’Sullivan who has impressed all years for Ballygunner responded with a similar score.

Kevin Ryan and Brian O’Sullivan swapped scores for their respective sides before Stephen O’Keeffe put over a long range free to give Ballygunner the lead for the first time with twelve minutes played.

By the mid way point of the first half Ballygunner had stretched their lead to three as Brian O’Sullivan from a free and Stephen Power landed scores to give the Waterford side a 0-5 to 0-2 lead.

The lead however did not last long as on nineteen minutes Ronan Lynch pulled a point back from a free and a minute later, David Dempsey finished a Mike Foley pass to the back of Stephen O’Keeffe’s net following some hesitation in the Ballygunner full back line.

The sides were level again with eight minutes left to play in the first half as JJ Hutchinson just seconds after replacing Peter Hogan slotted the slitter between the Na Piarsaigh posts.

A Shane Dowling point followed for the winners three minutes from the end of normal time in the first half which gave his side a one point lead, but it was the ‘Gunners’ that finished the stronger of the two sides as Tim O’Sullivan finished to the Na Piarsaigh net on twenty eight minutes after the Limerick side failed to clear their line and they rounded off the first half scoring two minutes into stoppage time as Brian O’Sullivan put over a ’65 to give his side a 1-7 to 1-4 advantage as the sides headed to the dressing rooms under the old stand at Semple Stadium at the interval.

The Limerick side began the second half by hitting the first five scores of the half in ten minutes.

Shane Dowling cut the Ballygunner lead by one in the first minute of the half, after which Peter Casey and Will O’Donoghue landed points to draw the sides level within five minutes of the restart.

The Limerick side went back in front on thirty-seven minute when Mark Foley put over a huge score and three minutes later Shane Dowling put his side two up on forty minutes.

The Limerick side were now on a bit of a high and it was important that Ballygunner would hit a first score of the second half and this is what they did as Brian O’Sullivan put over a free to leave just one between the sides, but the Limerick side hit back with points from Shane Dowling, David Dempsey and Kevin Ryan to lead 1-12 to 1-8 at the end of the third quarter.

Na Piarsaigh in the final quarter continued to prove to be the better of the two sides.

Peter Casey and Brian O’Sullivan exchanged scores in the first five minutes of the final quarter to keep four between the sides which was brought to three on fifty one minutes when Shane O’Sullivan pointed for Ballygunner.

Points from David and Alan Dempsey followed for Na Piarsaigh to send them five in front with seven minutes remaining, but that lead was cut to two three minutes later as Brian O’Sullivan got the final touch to a Conor Power shot and beat Podge Kennedy in the Na Piarsaigh goal.

But the goal proved to more of a wake up call for the Limerick side than a inspirational one for Ballygunner as Roan Lynch and Peter Casey to of Limerick’s rising stars landed points with two minutes remaining and they secured a third Munster title in five years two minutes later as Shane Dowling hammered to the net to give his side an eight point lead.

Ballygunner hit the final score of the game through Stephen Power.

The Gunner’s like any side will be disappointed with this seven point defeat, but they will know that next year should they come out as Waterford Senior Champions for a third year in a row they will be a much more difficult side to beat with a stronger and more experienced side to pick from.

Na Piarsaigh: Podge Kennedy; Mike Casey, Kieran Breen, Kieran Kennedy; Mike Foley, Ronan Lynch, Cathal King; Alan Dempsey, Will O’Donoghue; Kevin Ryan, David Dempsey, Shane Dowling; Peter Casey, Pat Gleeson, Adrian  Breen. Subs: David Breen for Pat Gleeson, Tommy Grimes for Kevin Ryan

Scorers: Shane Dowling 1-4 (0-2f), David Dempsey 1-2, Peter Casey 0-3, Ronan Lynch (1f), Alan Dempsey & Kevin Ryan 0-2 each, Mike Foley, Will O’Donoghue & David Breen 0-1 each.

Ballygunner: : Stephen O’Keeffe; Eddie Hayden, Barry Coughlan, Ian Kenny; Shane Walsh, David O’Sullivan, Harley Barnes; Billy O’Keeffe, Shane O’Sullivan; Tim O’Sullivan, Stephen Power, Barry O’Sullivan; Peter Hogan, Brian O’Sullivan, Conor Power. Subs: JJ Hutchinson for Peter Hogan, Conor Sheahan for Billy O’Keeffe, David Walsh for JJ Hutchinson

Scorers: Brian O’Sullivan 1-6 (0-4f, 0-2 65s), Tim O’Sullivan 1-0, Stephen Power 0-2 (1f), Stephen O’Keeffe (f), Shane O’Sullivan & JJ Hutchinson 0-1 each.

Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork)