*Aidan O’Connor celebrates for Limerick. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
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LIMERICK laid down a marker as to their championship credentials when emerging emphatic fifteen point winners over Clare with manager John Kiely pleased that they always controlled the game.
In what was the sixty fourth championship meeting between the counties, Limerick comprehensively claimed the spoils.
Speaking following the game, Limerick manager Kiely said, “It was a solid performance and there was a good element of control involved in it. At the same time there were a couple of moments in the first half when they had a few openings and we had to scramble. I thought we scrambled very well when we needed to and we always got a hook or a block or a flick in and that was probably the most pleasing aspect of it”.
Shot efficiency was improved on by Limerick since their round one loss to Cork a week previous. “Our accuracy was up today. Last week we left ourselves down with our accuracy and we paid a big price for it but today we got our accuracy right”.
Asked if it was difficult to get things right within seven days he replied, “when you lose and you lose the way we did, I think we could have played on Monday. It wasn’t out of fatigue or tiredness, it was just sheer disappointment at leaving a performance go like that. The game was in our control”.
Kiely continued, “look this is two points on the board, that’s all it is at the end of the day. We have to go again in two weeks time when we play Waterford who have been causing everybody trouble. They beat us early in the year. We will turn our focus to them very quickly”, he added.
“We had a nice big led at half time but as we have seen in hurling and football across the season a lead is only as good as how well you play and protect it. We still needed to charge on and get more scores on the board. In the first ten to fifteen minutes in the second half our intensity dropped off a little and Clare got a couple of scores and the next thing there is a bit of oxygen coming into their flow and we needed to break it. We got a really good burst of four points together and I thought that was a decisive period of the game really, the Limerick boss said.
Asked if the fact that they were facing Clare after the previous week’s defeat helped focus the minds he said “ I don’t think it mattered who we were playing today. We were so disappointed last week, we needed to perform better and to take our opportunities. That was the key for us all week, just take our opportunities and we did today”, he concluded.
