Limerick 2-15 Carlow 0-7: There was a huge build-up in Carlow for this first senior football championship meeting with Limerick at Dr Cullen Park on Saturday, but sadly for the very large home support in the attendance of 7,000, their side flopped on the day and exited tamely from this year's All-Ireland qualifiers.
Liam Kearns's Limerick team were simply in a different class to Carlow. They took control of matters from the throw-in and from an early stage it was apparent that there would be no repeat of Carlow's shock championship win over Offaly at the same venue two weeks previously.
In mitigation to Liam Hayes' side, Carlow were without midfielder Thomas Walsh, who sustained a fractured cheekbone in the Offaly game, and Willie Power who fractured a leg in the same match.
Disciplined in defence, dominant in midfield, where John Galvin was outstanding and extremely accurate in attack, Limerick simply never allowed Carlow a foothold in this game.
In Muiris Gavin, Michael Reidy and Conor Fitzgerald, Limerick had three forwards who were deadly accurate in their finishing during the first half.
Reidy finished with 2-2 from play, Gavin was immaculate with his free-taking, scoring 0-6, two from play, while Fitzgerald shot three superb points from play.
By comparison, Carlow found scores extremely hard to come by and were over-dependent on the forward axis of Mark Carpenter and Simon Rea. Both men played well but were unable to put the scores on the board.
Reidy scored the game's first goal in the 19th minute, following excellent work along the right wing by the Munster visitors who led 1-8 to 0-5 at half-time.
Carlow had to make a good start to the second half if they were to make a game of it, but their heads dropped when a number of scoreable chances were missed early on and Limerick went from strength to strength.
Reidy finished off the home challenge with a second goal eight minutes from time. Limerick move on in the qualifiers while Carlow must regroup and seek to gain league promotion.
LIMERICK: S O'Donnell; T Stack, C Mullane, J McCarthy; P Browne, S Lucey, S Lavin (0-1); J Quane, J Galvin (0-1); S Kelly (0-1), M Gavin (0-6, 0-4 frees), S Buckley; C Fitzgerald (0-3), M Reidy (2-2), M Crowley (0-1). Subs: M O'Riordan for Stack (half time), M O'Brien for Buckley (47 mins), D Reidy for Lucey (62mins), J Stokes for Fitzgerald (62 mins), J Murphy for Gavin (62 mins).
CARLOW: J Brennan, C McCarthy, L Murphy, P Cashin, J Hayden, J Kehoe, R Sinnott, P Walsh, M Brennan, B Carbery (0-2), J Byrne, R Walker (0-1), S Rea (0-3, 0-2 frees), M Carpenter, B Kelly (0-1, free). Subs: P Kelly for Cashin (26 mins), D Byrne for J Byrne (45 mins), P Hickey for Kelly (45 mins), J Nevin for Rea (53 mins), W Minchin for Walsh (65 mins).
Referee: C Broderick (Down).
