Clare Seeks to Salvage Season Pride Against Limerick
Clare finally picked up their first win of the 2025 Munster Senior Hurling Championship with an impressive 3-20 to 0-24 victory over Limerick at the TUS Gaelic Grounds. While Limerick had already secured a spot in the provincial final and will take on Cork again on June 7, Clare were clearly out to prove a point and restore some pride.
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Limerick started the stronger side, with Diarmaid Byrnes getting the first score, followed by Seamus Flanagan and Gearoid Hegarty. They jumped to a 0-3 to 0-0 lead before Clare responded. Tony Kelly and Mark Rodgers leveled it with a couple of frees, and Peter Duggan fired Clare into the lead briefly before Peter Casey tied it back up. From there, it was tit-for-tat as both teams traded scores, but Clare began to take control with four points in a row from Cathal Malone, David Reidy, and Kelly.
Limerick kept fighting, pulling level again thanks to scores from Hegarty, Casey, and Byrnes, but the game shifted just before halftime. A puck-out from Clare goalkeeper Eamon Foudy set up Rodgers to smash in a goal, and he followed it up with another free. Clare led 1-13 to 0-10 at the break, with Rodgers and Rory Hayes chipping in right before halftime.
Rodgers didn’t slow down after the break either. He started the second half with a point, and although Tom Morrissey answered for Limerick, Clare kept pushing. Rodgers added two more points, then turned provider for Ryan Taylor, who blasted in Clare’s second goal to stretch their lead to 11.
Even though Clare hit a scoring drought for 16 minutes, Limerick couldn’t close the gap. They narrowed the margin with six points, but Taylor’s second goal with five minutes to go sealed the win for Clare.
Rodgers was the standout for Clare, scoring 1-8, while Taylor netted two goals. Limerick had solid performances too, especially from Morrissey and Byrnes, but it wasn’t enough on the day. Despite the loss, Limerick will still be eyeing silverware in the final, while Clare can at least take some pride in this strong finish to their campaign.
