Goalfest victory over Wexford sets up historic day for Limerick footballers
Prior to March 29, the Limerick footballers had not set foot in Croke Park in just under three years. The gap to the most recent visit before that was nine years, give or take a week.
Eighty-five days after their Division 3 League success over the same opponents bettered here, the Limerick footballers will step back out onto the Croker sod next Sunday. There'll be history in that step. The first Limerick football team to visit GAA HQ twice in the same year.
The last step to securing history was more harum-scarum than hardship. Once Danny Neville immediately answered Mark Rossiter's goal on 48 minutes to restore Limerick's four-point lead, their ongoing numerical advantage on account of Seán Ryan's black card and the strong wind behind them meant no other outcome bar Limerick again turning the bus for Croker was conceivable.
This fourth championship win in succession is also believed to be a Limerick football first. This fourth win in succession has secured a first championship appearance on Jones Road since the 2011 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry. Their dancing partner will be one of Fermanagh, Kildare, and Wicklow. All four are first-time Tailteann Cup semi-finalists.
But irrespective of how next Sunday pans out for Jimmy Lee's side, this 2025 season has already exceeded external expectations and reclaimed the backward steps of a 2024 annus horribilis where they lost 10 of their 13 outings, suffered relegation to the League's basement tier, and exited the championship 17 points adrift of Sligo.
This still ongoing campaign is unrecognisable by comparison. Since Wexford bettered them on February 2, they've recorded nine victories and a draw, and lost only once, that to Cork in the Munster quarter-final.
According to Lee, the Round 6 League stalemate away to Wicklow on March 16 stands as their turning point. A rescued point that kept them ahead of their hosts in the table and in possession of a promotion berth.
'Hats off to the lads. They've shown a lot of courage, resilience, and character throughout. We've built that character since... I go back to that Wicklow game always. That is what made it. That was the start of it.
'Fierce happy for the lads that they are achieving their goals. We set a KPI of getting back to Croke Park and that box is ticked. They deserve this.'
A strange and enjoyable first half. Wexford, with a strong wind, powered five clear inside five minutes. They then fell six behind, only to wipe out that gap for a 3-8 to 1-14 interval stalemate.
The visitors won the first four Limerick restarts. The latter three were promptly returned between the posts by Jack Higgins, Seán Nolan and Páiric Hughes.
Limerick's response was to wrestle back control of their own kickout, take control also of the Wexford kickout, post 1-6 without reply in the process, and hold Wexford scoreless for an entire quarter of an hour.
Their opening goal on 16 minutes involved Danny Neville taking advantage of a slip to himself slip inside the cover, the offload to Cillian Fahy was palmed home. Neville was provider turned finisher for their second. Fahy bagged his second and Limerick's third in a shifting 10-minute spell. An 11-point swing, Limerick now six in front.
Wexford's closing five minutes was as productive as their opening five. Seán Nolan found the net. His subsequent two-point equaliser arrived 17 seconds shy of the hooter. It represented Wexford's fifth orange flag of the half.
In the 25 minutes between their busy bookending of the half, all they had for sustenance was Niall Hughes and Mark Rossiter kicks from the beyond the arc.
Another orange flag threw in the second half, James Naughton supplying Limerick's first. Their second orange flag pulled the curtain down. Goalkeeper Josh Ryan, far from home, capped the day and continued a restorative season when coming forward for an audacious boomer.
To-ing, fro-ing, six green flags, eight more in orange, and a not insignificant piece of history at the end of it all. Infrequent Croker callers no more.
Scorers for Limerick: J Naughton (0-9, 0-3 frees, tp free); D Neville (2-2); C Fahy (2-0); E Rigter (0-3); J Ryan (tp), P Maher (0-2 each); M McCarthy, D O'Hagan, R Childs (0-1 each).
Scorers for Wexford: S Nolan (1-7, 2 tp, 0-2 frees); M Rossiter (1-3, tp); N Hughes (0-4, 2 tp); J Higgins (0-3, tp); E Porter, P Hughes (0-1 each).
LIMERICK: J Ryan; J Hassett, D O'Doherty, M McCarthy; P Maher, I Corbett, T McCarthy; T Childs, D O'Hagan; J Naughton, E Rigter, C Fahy; P Nash, D Neville, K Ryan.
SUBS: T Ó Siochrú for McCarthy (two mins, temporary); R Childs for O'Hagan (50); D Murray for T Childs, R O'Brien for Neville (both 59); C Ó Duinn for Ó Siochrú (65); A Meade for Maher (68).
WEXFORD: D Brooks; E Porter, G Sheehan, M Furlong; P Hughes, G Malone, D Furlong; L Coleman, N Hughes; M Kinsella, J Higgins, M Rossiter; S Nolan, R Brooks, B Brosnan.
SUBS: S Ryan for R Brooks, K O'Grady for Brosnan (both HT); R Martin for Kinsella, C Walsh for D Furlong (both 59); C Kehoe for Malone (64).
REFEREE: B Griffin (Kerry).
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