Dubs fall to Limerick

Limerick came from behind at Croke Park to defeat 14-man Dublin by six points, and move to the top of Division IB of the Allianz Hurling League.
Both sides were going for three wins out of three in the second tier, and the tie was seen beforehand as being likely to have a very decisive impact on the battle for promotion. Dublin looked for long stages like the more likely winners, but the sending off of free-taker Paul Ryan in the second half had a profound impact on the game.
Dublin were leading 1-12 to 0-13, with 50 minutes played, when Ryan was sent off. Limerick had been coming back at Dublin at that stage, but Dublin still appeared to be in relative control of the high-scoring contest.
However, just five minutes after the dismissal, Limerick lead by two and they never looked back thereafter.
Graeme Mulcahy’s goal on 55 minutes sent them into the lead, and then points from Kevin Downes and Declan Hannon extended the lead to four.
Dublin kept battling, and got to within two with around 10 minutes to go following scores from Danny Sutcliffe and Alan Nolan. Limerick finished with a flourish however, and points from Hannon (2) and Niall Moran sealed a crucial win for them.
Dublin had led 0-8 to 0-2 after 26 minutes, with Joey Boland, Ryan and Sutcliffe all finding their range for Anthony Daly’s men. However, Limerick hit five unanswered points before the break to go in just one behind, and although Dublin still led by the time of Ryan’s dismissal, his red card tilted the balance towards the Treaty County, who took full advantage.
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