Shock and awe
O'Shaughnessy leads charge as Limerick stun Decies
A bare-footed Mark Foley celebrates Limerick's fifth goal during the dying minutes of yesterday's All-Ireland semi-final, while (right) man of the match Andrew O'Shaughnessy is airborne as he blasts home their second goal despite the attentions of Aidan Kearney and Declan Prendergast
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LIMERICK started the season as seventh favourites to win the Guinness All-Ireland hurling title, but are now within one victory of landing the crown for the first time since 1973 after toppling well-fancied Waterford in a wonderfully-exciting semi-final in Croke Park yesterday.
Two goals each from Andrew O'Shaughnessy and Donie Ryan powered Limerick towards a thrilling 5-11 to 2-15 win and set up a final clash with Kilkenny - the first between the counties since 1974 - on September 2.
Waterford, the reigning National League and Munster champions, were nowhere as assured or effective as they had been against Cork in the two quarter-final clashes on the previous two Sundays, leading to suspicions that those energy-sapping encounters had left them slightly leg weary for Limerick's high-tempo challenge.
Waterford had beaten Limerick by nine points in the Munster final just five weeks earlier, but they were in trouble from the start yesterday and trailed by ten points after 23 minutes.
They pared it right back to a point with six minutes remaining, but unlike the Munster final when Waterford finished strongly, it was Limerick's turn to power on over the home stretch with O'Shaughnessy (from a penalty) and Brian Begley scoring the clinching goals.
Prize
It earned Limerick a place in the All-Ireland final for the first time since 1996, a prize they fully deserved after serving up a goal feast in front of a crowd of 80,546.
O'Shaughnessy finished on 2-7, while Donie Ryan scored 2-0 on a day when Waterford's goal machine, Dan Shanahan, had to be content with a points-only diet.
He scored 0-4 but couldn't add to the eight goals he had already scored in this year's championship.
Delighted Limerick manager Richie Bennis paid tribute to the hard work and dogged determination of what is the most improved hurling side in the country this year.
Monaghan could lay claim to a similar boast in football and looked for long spells yesterday as if they would pull off a sensational win over All-Ireland champions Kerry in the last of the quarter-finals.
They led for most of the way before being caught by a late Kerry surge in which the champions scored three points to edge home by a point, 1-12 to 1-11.
Kerry's win sets up a glamour semi-final tie with Dublin on Sunday week, with Pat O'Shea's squad knowing that they will have to be a lot more clinical if they are to stay in line to become the first county to retain the All-Ireland crown since 1990.
- Martin Breheny
