Garryspillane see off Bruff to reach Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling final:

By Paul Shaughnessy Limerick Leader Sport

GARRYSPILLANE defeated Bruff 2-14 to 1-14 in the Lyons of Limerick premier intermediate hurling championship semi-final on Saturday evening in Kilmallock.

The Bouncers are one game away from going straight back up to senior after being relegated to the premier intermediate grade this year.

Limerick U20 star Hugh Flanagan and Limerick senior star Mark Quinlan were immense for the victors.

Dylan O’Shea’s free taking was crucial as the Garryspillane midfielder finished with 0-5.

Bruff were dealt a huge blow before the game when Sean Finn was ruled out of this clash due to injury.

It was Bruff who were quickest out of the traps when they raced into a 0-4 lead. Owen Meany, Josh Keating and Gavin Bracken all registered early scores to put their side into the lead.

It took Garryspillane some time to settle in the game. Centre half forward Bryan Heavey opened the scoring for the victors. Owen Meany responded through a placed ball to put Bruff back into a four-point lead.

Garryspillane wing forward Eoin O’Mahony won the ball in the left wing forward position. O’Mahony made a powerful run down the wing and layed the sliotar off to Hugh Flanagan. Flanagan slotted the sliotar into the back of the net.

The Knocklong side were experiencing a purple patch. Bryan Heavey, Colin Ryan and Dylan O’Shea put Garryspillane 1-4 to 0-5 in front after 19 minutes.

Another Meany free and a effort from distance courtesy of Bob O’Brien had the sides level for the second time. O’Shea, Ciaran Sheehan and Hugh Flanagan had Aaron Considine’s side 1-7 to 0-7 ahead at the break.

Bruff were guilty of some wayward shooting in the opening period. Jason Hayes’ side hit 11 wides in 30 minutes.

Straight after the interval, Dylan O’Shea stretched Garryspillane’s lead out to five points. Both sides were starting to stuggle to get scores. The Garryspillane and Bruff defenders were putting both sets of forwards under huge pressure.

Wing forward Darragh Butler kept Bruff in the contest when he nailed a neat point. Further scores from Heavey and O’Shea put Garryspillane back in a comanding position.

Eamonn Stapleton awarded Garryspillane corner forward Calum Sheehan a red card. Sheehan was awarded a red card for pulling the helmet off one of the Bruff players.

Last year’s premier intermediate semi-finalists were handed a lifeline and Bob O’Brien was off the mark the second time to give the East Limerick some belief.

Dylan O’Shea settled things down after that through another placed ball. Colin Ryan placed the sliotar into the back of the net and Garryspillane led 2-12 to 0-10 after 49 minutes.

Flanagan and Meaney swapped scores. Bruff were reduced to 14 men when joint captain Danny O’Leary was dismissed for an off the ball incident.

Bruff to their credit kept chipping away and sharpshooter Josh Keating hit three points in-a-row. Bruff went desperately searching for a goal and Garryspillane defended heroically. Late on, in injury time Owen Meany drilled the sliotar into the roof of the net as Garryspillane hung on for a narrow victory.

Considine’s charges will now face Newcastle West in the Premier Intermediate Final on Sunday, October 27 at the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Scorers for Garryspillane: Hugh Flanagan 1-3 (2f), Dylan O’Shea 0-5 (4f), Colin Ryan 1-1, Bryan Heavey 0-3, Mark Quinlan and Ciaran Sheehan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Bruff: Owen Meany 1-4 (1-4f), Josh Keating 0-4 (3f), Danny O’Leary and Bob O’Brien 0-2 each, Gavin Bracken and Darragh Butler 0-1 each.

GARRYSPILLANE: Adam Sheehan; Declan Heavey, Robert Sampson, Ciaran Sheehan; Declan Heavey, Mark Quinlan, Jamie Morrissey; Josh Dineen, Dylan O’Shea; Ryan Tobin, Bryan Heavey, Eoin O’Mahony; Calum Sheehan, Colin Ryan (Captain), Hugh Flanagan.

SUBS: Shane Ryan for O’Mahony (48 minutes), Peter Morrissey for Dineen (59 minutes).

BRUFF: Eric Finn; Pa Finn, Sean Casey, Sean Murnane; Paul O’Riordan, Paul Browne, Kevin Bonner; Gavin Bracken, Owen Meaney; Darragh Butler, Bobby O’Brien, Josh Keating; Mike O’Riordan, Diarmuid Dennehy, Danny O’Leary.

SUBS: David Browne for Danny O’Leary (47 minutes)

REFEREE: Eamon Stapleton (Doon)