NA PIARSAIGH GAA CLUB
LIMERICK

Report: Senior Hurling Championship Final Vs DoonSunday afternoon saw us compete in our twelfth county senior hurling final since our maiden appearance in 2009. We were going for title number 9 in this year's showpiece but for our senior rivals from East Limerick to edge us out. On the balance of play Doon may have deserved the result, but we’ll always tend to look back on a loss with a small sense of regret. Had one or two decisions gone our way, this for one would be a lot easier to write but alas, we must take the result on the chin. We went in a point ahead at half time having buried 2 exceptional goals through Adrian Breen and Daithí Dempsey. Both men had to battle through serious injury this year and to have Adrian and Daithí lining out fully fit today was huge. We went 6 up after the 2 goals went in but we struggled to maintain our foothold. Doon brought it back to a point before the break. Half time score: Na Piarsaigh 2-03 Doon 0-08The second half continued where the first finished. Our opponents weren’t letting up and were 3 points up with 10 to play. We battled on and got it back level close to the end but Doon found a way to get ahead. We had more than one shout for a free with seconds remaining but the ref wasn’t budging. An afternoon where the ref’s whistle could have been kinder you might say but we won’t make excuses. The final one was blown with Doon a point to the good, and their first county title won. Final score: Na Piarsaigh 2-09 Doon 0-16Great credit must go to Shane O’Neill and his management team for all the hard work and dedication they have given to this team since coming in last year. They have assembled a new squad, blooding fresh talent that will certainly stand to the group in the coming years. We will undoubtedly see a couple more young lads given their shot in 2025.Today’s game saw the return of Na Piarsaigh’s Peter Casey to competitive action. And what a roar he got when he entered the field in the second half. The Gaelic Grounds was stunned into silence back in April when Peter suffered a massively unfortunate injury in Limerick’s Munster Championship tie with Tipp. To see Peter being brought on today will certainly have warmed the hearts of all Na Piarsaigh people and Limerick fans alike. While the result didn’t go our way today, we can still come away proud that our man Peter is back. Team: Shane Dowling(0-02f), Vince Harrington, Mike Casey, Emmet McEvoy, Mike Foley(0-01), William O’Donoghue, Jerome Boylan, Ronan Lynch(0-02f), Tommy Grimes, Kevin Downes, Will Henn, Conor Boylan(0-01), Adrian Breen(1-00), JJ Carey(0-01), Daithí Dempsey(1-00).Sub: Peter Casey(0-01) for Will Henn(42mins), Dylan Lynch(0-01) for Adrian(53mins), Keith Dempsey for Kevin Downes(59mins). Na Piarsaigh senior squad prior to the 2024 County Final.

Preview: Senior Hurling Championship Final Vs DoonMatch Details:Limerick Senior Hurling Championship FinalVs Doon📍 TUS Gaelic Grounds 📅 Sunday 27th October ⌚ 16:15Ticket info:Purchase Tickets HereThe match is part of a doubleheader with the Premier Intermediate Hurling Final – Newcastle West v Garryspillane @ 2pmTickets purchased in advance of the match through Limerick GAA Website can be obtained at a reduced rate of Adults €20 & OAP/Student €15. Both are €5 extra if purchased on the day of the game. We advise all our supporters to purchase their tickets the day before the game to obtain the discounted rate. Looking Ahead to SundayAll roads lead to the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday with Doon our opponents in the 2024 Senior county final. This will be our first visit back to the county grounds since our opening round win against Patrickswell back in August. Much has happened in the intervening weeks with players coming in and out of the team, lads falling foul of injury and more making a welcome return from lengthy stints on the sideline. Alan and Paulie with the birds eye view in round 5. Our lads recorded 4 wins from 5 in the group stage with one loss to our name. That loss came against Doon in round 3. We finished second behind our county final opponents in the standings, which pitted us against our fierce rivals Kilmallock in the county semi-final. Played in winterish conditions in Mick Neville Park, our lads showed incredible grit and determination to claw back a 5-point deficit late on and record a 1-point win. You can see the full match report here.Daithí Dempsey and Cathall King both sat out our semi-final victory due to injury and we remain hopeful of their return on Sunday. Jerome, Adrian and Seanie Long all made come-backs from serious injury over the course of the championship and they have certainly added to Shane O’Neill’s squad. Both Jim Beary and John O’Keeffe are newbies to this year's panel with both making a positive impact throughout the course of the season. Come 2025 and beyond they’ll be in contention to feature more prominently you would have to think. James Finn suffered a serious facial injury in UL Fresher’s training prior to round 5 but is thankfully now back to full training with the squad, and available for selection on Sunday. Podge Heaney and Alan Dempsey were both hampered with injury throughout the season but both have also returned to full training at the time of writing. Doon enter Sunday’s final on the back of a 12-point victory over Patrickswell in their semi-final. Our 3rd round tie with them back in August went down to the wire with Doon’s winning score coming with the last puck of the game. It was a night of fine margins where we found ourselves a point ahead on the hour, but with Johnny Murphy’s final whistle we were on the losing side. Sunday may be different. We shall see. You can see Mike Casey's interview at county final media day here. Na Piarsaigh management team 2024: Brian Hurley (physio), Eoin Grimes (logistics), Pat McCarthy (performance coach), Lukasz Kirszenstein (S&C), Peter Sheehan (selector), Barry O’Regan (logistics), John Fitzgerald (coach), Shane O’Neill (manager), Colm Callanan (selector), Ben O’Regan (logistics) and Denis Duggan (logistics). Management and backroom team: Shane O’Neill (manager), John Fitzgerald (coach), Colm Callanan (selector), Pat McCarthy (performance coach), Lukasz Kirszenstein (S&C) & Peter Sheehan (selector).Backroom Team: Dr Dave Boylan (Doctor), Brian Hurley (Physio), Tom Synott (First Aid)Logistics: Dennis Duggan, Barry O’Regan, Ben O’Regan & Eoin Grimes,Stats: Paul McNamara, Paul Downes, David Burke, Ciarán Broderick & Kieran Kennedy Squad that lined out against Kilmallock. Back row: James Finn, Mark O’Connor, Sean Long, Mike Foley, Jerome Boylan, JJ Carey, Ronan Lynch, Vince Harrington, Emmet McEvoy, William O’Donoghue(no patience), Dylan Lynch, John Fitz, Gearoid Synnott, Tommy Grimes. Front row: Marcus Hogan, Daithí Dempsey, Kevin Daly, Shane Dowling, Wayne Kearns, Cathall King, John O’Keeffe, Conor Boylan, Mike Casey, Adrian Breen, Kevin Downes, Will Henn, Keith Dempsey, Evan Condon. All the helmets… Squad according to Sunday's program. Sponsors: Smithstown Light EngineeringSquad that lined out for our semi-final victory over Kilmallock:Shane Dowling, Vince Harrington, Mike Casey, Emmet McEvoy, Mike Foley, William O’Donoghue, Jerome Boylan, Ronan Lynch, Tommy Grimes, JJ Carey, Will Henn, Conor Boylan, Kevin Downes, Keith Dempsey, Dylan Lynch, Adrian Breen, Wayne Kearns, Sean Long, John Fitz, Gearoid Synnott, Evan Condon, Cathall King,⁠ James Finn,⁠ Daithí Dempsey, John O’Keeffe, Mark O’Connor, Marcus Hogan, Peter Casey, Alan Dempsey, Jim Beary, Padraic Heaney, Pa O’Neil, Kevin Daly, Kieran Daly, James Daly, Josh Sheahan. Every day this week we have been sending out player profiles on each of the 36 squad members. You can catch up on them here: Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. We'll also have a one-off interview with a member of the backroom team coming out this Friday so keep an eye on socials and ClubZap for all the updates.