Sprinklers the only concern for Limerick fans in facile win
In the end there was just six points between the teams, but the final score bore no relation to the run of play. Midway through the second half Limerick were 14 points clear and started to empty their bench. Clare rattled off 2-7 in the last 15 minutes, which was more than they had managed in the previous 55 minutes.
In the continuing absence of Aaron Gillane, and with David Reidy leaving the field early with an injury, Houlihan was suddenly promoted to free-taker too. He gathered himself after a couple of tentative attempts from dead balls and by half-time he had chalked up eight points, half of Limerick’s total. By the end, he had turned his first League start into a man of the match performance.
It is hard to assess what Clare might take from this. Even small mercies were scarce. Having missed last year with a serious injury Aidan McCarthy continued his rehabilitation with a terrific performance, finishing up with 13 points, four of them from play. He rattled a shot off Nickie Quaid’s crossbar too with a goal at his mercy, early in the first half, at a time in the game when it just might have made a difference.
Limerick had racked up 16 points by half-time, the same total that they took into the break in Pairc Ui Chaoimh last weekend. This time, though, there was no let-up. The excellent Kyle Hayes scored two points immediately after the break, one off either hand, and in the third quarter Limerick outscored their neighbours by 0-8 to 0-1. By that stage the exchanges had assumed the temperature of a challenge match.
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