Na Piarsaigh score narrow win over city rivals Monaleen in Limerick senior football championship

DYLAN Cronin’s late pointed free helped Na Piarsaigh seal a precious one point victory over struggling Monaleen in the Irish Wire Products Limerick Senior Football Championship at Rathbane on Thursday night.

Na Piarsiagh have now recorded back-to-back wins in the championship following their 1-8 to 0-10 victory over their city rivals.

This was a titanic battle between the local rivals. Conditions proved to be difficult and it took both clubs a while to adapt to the wet conditions.

Scores were difficult to come by and free takers proved critical at Old Christians GAA Club grounds.

This victory gives Na Piarsaigh a chance of making the knockout stages of the SFC, while Monaleen remain winless in the competition after four rounds and need a win in the final round of action against Ballylanders if they are to avoid the relegation play-off. 

It has been a remarkable turnaround for Na Piarsaigh considering the city side lost their first two games of the Limerick SFC.

Na Piarsaigh started brightly and straight from the throw-in Gordon Brown played a terrific pass into Dylan Cronin where he won a mark. Cronin made no mistake from the mark to put his side into the lead. 

Monaleen responded straight away, however, with Darragh O’Siochru nailing a free from a difficult angle and then Eddie Cosgrove’s side forced a turnover in the middle third and they attacked in numbers, before the ball found its way to Daniel Daly and he had Monaleen leading 0-2 to 0-1. 

Back came Na Piarsiagh and on five minutes, Dylan Cronin put the side back on level terms. 

Four minutes later, the lively Fionn O’Tiarnaigh drove forward and the tapped over a neat point.

O’Tiarnaigh then set up Cronin for his third point of the evening on 15 minutes. The Caherdavin-based city led 0-4 to 0-2 on the first quarter mark. 

After that, Darragh O’Siochru and Cronin traded scores to make it 0-5 to 0-3. 

Monaleen had the game back on level terms for the second time on 24 minutes when  Daly was off the mark from the placed ball on two occasions to bring his club back into the game. 

Before the break, Na Piarsaigh topscorer Cronin had a free which dropped short into the square and the alert Kevin Nolan was on hand to split the posts. The victors led 0-6 to 0-5 at the break. 

Three minutes into the second half, the big score arrived when Cronin rattled the ball into the back of the net and the 2023 Intermediate county champions pushed 1-6 to 0-5 ahead. 

The inside forward line kept Monaleen in the game, however, as O’Siochru and Daly narrowed the gap to two points on 40 minutes. 

Cronin was proving a handful once again which he has has been in opposition deefnces in every game throughout the championship and the lively attacker landed his second mark of the evening putting Na Piarsaigh 1-7 – 0-7 ahead. 

Last year’s county semi-finalists regrouped and Darragh Murray took a free off the ground from distance for his first score of the evening. 

On 46 minutes, Ralph Leonard was shown a black card by referee Jonathon Hayes for a cynical foul. 

This gave the Castletroy side oxygen and pointed frees courtesy of O’Siochru and Murray made it a level game once again with five minutes remaining. 

Monaleen will have regrets about their shooting in the final quarter where they squandered a couple of chances to close out this game. 

They were left to rue those missed chances as Na Piarsaigh ended their 16 minute scoring drought on 58 minutes. Lynch’s charges cleverly worked the ball into the scoring zone and they were awarded a free. Cronin nailed the free and that was the ultimately to prove to be the difference between the sides as Na Piarsaigh hung on for a narrow one point victory. 

SCORERS: Na Piarsaigh: Dylan Cronin (1-6, 0-2 frees, 0-2 marks), Fionn O’Tiarnaigh and Kevin Nolan 0-1 each. Monaleen: Daniel Daly (0-4, 0-3 frees), Darragh O’Siochru (0-4, 0-2 frees), Darragh Murray (0-2 frees)