'Those young lads showed real leadership and character': Lee delighted with Limerick comeback

Irish Examiner

23-06-2025

Tailteann Cup semi-final: Limerick 2-18 (2-2-14) Wicklow 1-17 (1-2-13)
When Dean Healy boomed over his second two-pointer of the day for Wicklow in the 49th minute, putting his team six points up, he raised both hands aloft.
It was hard to work out whether it was a celebration or a two-point signal to the umpire to raise his orange flag. Either way, he looked happy. A minute later, Oisin McGraynor definitely was celebrating when he struck another point for Wicklow and punched the air in delight.
It felt like a coming of age moment for this Wicklow team who, with 20 minutes left, were seven points up and, apparently, home and hosed. The Tailteann Cup final on July 12 beckoned.
Remarkably, they didn't score again until time was almost up and, in that intervening period, Limerick didn't so much reel them in as throw a lasso around their necks and yank hard on it.
By the time Limerick's scoring blitz was over, they'd struck 1-9 without response, amassing in just 16 minutes what they'd managed for the previous 50 or so.
Substitutes Rob Childs, who struck the goal that ignited their revival, Barry Coleman and Darragh Murray contributed 1-3 between them.
"Basically at that stage all we wanted was to get on the ball, calm things down," said Limerick manager Jimmy Lee. "We knew there was more in them, and there was. They showed real leadership out there. It's well known, the cliches, that semi-finals are just there to be won and to be fair, those young lads out there showed real leadership and character. Hats off to them."
By the time that Limerick whipped up their storm, James Naughton, who'd rifled 0-27 in his previous four games, and pretty much hasn't stopped scoring all season, was off the pitch with a knock.
"That's it, you look at the injuries we had; Cormac Woulfe, Fiachra Cotter, Darragh O Siochru, you could keep listing them," said Lee. "But then, as I said, you have young lads that stepped up to the plate."
Lee namechecked the more experienced players too. Iain Corbett is still there doing his thing at centre-back. Danny Neville, fresh off scoring 2-2 against Wexford last weekend, added another 1-2 and scored the first-half goal that left Limerick just about ahead at half-time, 1-7 to 0-9. Lee mentioned Paul Maher and Killian Ryan too.
The impact of goalkeeper Josh Ryan was huge as well. He nailed two two-point frees in that late siege of scoring, the second of which was converted from all of 60 metres.
"When Josh knocked over that two-pointer, we were home and hosed at that stage realistically, the clock was running down," said Lee.
And yet it looked as if his opposite number, Mark Jackson, was going to be the hero. The former NFL hopeful has been kicking scores for fun throughout the competition and converted two single points from frees for Wicklow in the first-half.
But it was his error that later opened the door for Limerick. Mark McCarthy's 52nd minute ball into the danger area was gathered up by Jackson but Childs tackled him hard and the ball popped out, allowing him to tap into an empty net.
Earlier in the week, during an analysis session, Lee had pointed out to the players that Jackson is vulnerable to a dispossession when carrying the ball out.
"He (Childs) must have been the only one that listened," smiled Lee. "He listened and he got his reward!"
Neville's earlier goal was more pleasing on the eye. His solo run started on the 45m line, took him beyond Malachy Stone and ended with a composed, curled finish past Jackson at his near post.
It remained anyone's game at half-time though and with Healy once again driving Wicklow, they took off in the third quarter.
Between half-time and the 50th minute, Wicklow outscored Limerick by 1-7 to 0-2 and appeared destined for next month's final themselves.
Even with the deluge of Limerick scores that followed, they still had a great chance to wrestle back momentum.
Kevin Quinn was fouled for a 57th minute penalty but McGraynor's shot was parried onto the post by the increasingly influential Ryan who clawed it away to safety.
Jack Kirwan did snipe a late point for Wicklow but, as Lee said, Limerick were home and hosed at that stage.
Scorers for Limerick: D Neville 1-2; J Ryan 0-4 (2 tpf); R Childs 1-0; P Nash 0-3 (3 frees); J Naughton, T McCarthy, B Coleman 0-2 each; E Rigter, C Fahy, D Murray 0-1 each.
Scorers for Wicklow: D Healy 0-5 (2 tp); M Stone 1-0; M Jackson (2 frees), J Prendergast, E Darcy, K Quinn 0-2 each; C O'Brien, M Kenny, O McGraynor, J Kirwan 0-1 each.
LIMERICK: J Ryan; J Hassett, M McCarthy, D O'Doherty; K Ryan, I Corbett, T McCarthy; T Childs, D O'Hagan; J Naughton, E Rigter, P Maher; P Nash, D Neville, C Fahy.
Subs: R Childs for Naughton (39); T O Siochru for Corbett (45); B Coleman for Rigter (49); D Murray for O'Hagan (52); R O'Brien for Maher (61).
WICKLOW: M Jackson; T Moran, M Nolan, M Stone; C Maguire, P O'Keane, D Fee; D Healy, P O'Toole; C Baker, J Prendergast, C O'Brien; O McGraynor, E Darcy, M Kenny.
Subs: K Quinn for O'Brien (28); PJ Nolan for Baker (44); A Maher for Prendergast (61); J Kirwan for Kenny (64); C Fee for McGraynor (65).
Ref: D Murnane (Cork).