The hurling final was a letdown for neutrals, though that will hardly bother Sarsfields as they clocked up another hat-trick of wins for the club. Meanwhile it was two-on-the-trot for gutsy St. Mary’s in the minor event. Elsewhere Kickhams survived the relegation trap in a game that had its moment of controversy on Saturday.
A basic requirement for any gripping game of hurling is that it remains undecided for a prolonged spell. Tension and suspense are essential ingredients. Sadly our senior final on Sunday had none of the above. Sixteen minutes into the game and Sarsfields had coasted to a nine-point lead (0-11 to 0-2). At full time the margin was still nine points. The business of the game was, therefore, decided in the opening quarter.
It was a quarter during which Sarsfields blitzed Kiladangan. The underdogs needed a lively start but instead they looked star struck. Dazzled, perhaps, by their first appearance in the big event they were way off the necessary pace and intensity and before they could settle the game was over. There are few enough certainties in life but one of them is that if you allow this present Sarsfields team enough latitude they’ll hurt you. That opening quarter was a procession of slick, precise moves by the ‘Blues’ who rattled off almost a point per minute with little response from the opposition. Kildangan weren’t even getting close to their men, so it was all too easy for Sarsfields.
All Sarsfields lacked was a goal to endorse their supremacy and perhaps that is a chink in their make-up; they’ll pop points all day but in tough championship encounters there are times when you need the bottle to go for the jugular. On this occasion, however, there was no need for such heroics. The foundations of the win were laid in that opening quarter and for the remainder they just kept the scoreboard ticking over to cancel any potential fight back by the North champions.
To their credit Kiladangan did keep plugging away and managed the game’s only goal when Joe Gallagher turned Mickey Cahill before whipping past Paddy McCormack. But it was, by then, mere damage limitation. So, Sarsfields underline their status as the dominant club of the era. They’ve a formidable defence with the Mahers, Mickey Cahill and company. Ronan Maher got man-of-the-match. He really is developing into an incredible player. His sideline point from close to seventy meters was a match highlight.
At midfield Stephen Cahill rarely plays a poor game and Billy McCarthy has stepped up form in recent matches. Then in attack you have the shooters, led by Aidan McCormack on six points and Richie Ruth on five. It’s their movement, running and snappy touch that makes them so elusive.
Kiladangan need not be too despondent. A first final appearance is always a testing one, especially when you face established champions like Sarsfields. I think they’re better than they looked on Sunday where a horrible start left them chasing the game all day.
If you skipped the minor game and only arrived for the senior then you missed the best action of the afternoon. Here you had a game of real tension where it all came down to the final frantic moments. J.K. Bracken’s were well fancied for this one; those who saw them in the Mid final against Holycross gave rave reviews. I suspect the players heard those reviews too because they played like a team that expected to win whereas Mary’s played like one that wanted to win.
This was another gritty performance by the South champions who barreled into the action at every opportunity and kept up the barrage until they finally wore down the opposition. It was tight in the first half, Shane Doyle’s goal for the Mid side being a big item. Mary’s squandered a goal chance at the Killinan end when Sean Kennedy, younger brother of Seamus, miscued a penalty which came back off the upright. The free taker showed strong nerve to land a few subsequent frees under pressure.
The third quarter saw the Clonmel side really lay down a marker when they went six-up after goals from Gavin Ryan and Niall Hoctor but Brackens retaliated with their own purple patch as this game swayed from end to end. A Denis Russell goal was part of the recovery leaving the sides tied entering the final quarter. But one sensed throughout that Mary’s were the more driven side and characteristically they outscored Brackens six-two in the final climactic moments. One individual point by Niall Hoctor was a massive score, one that epitomised the difference between the teams. Winning possession on the sideline in front of the VIP section of the New Stand he drove through tackles before whaling over a monster point. We’d rave about it if ‘Bubbles’ or Callanan was the scorer. It had an emotional value far exceeding its nominal one.
In total Niall Hoctor hit 1-5 from play making him a very worthy man-of-the-match winner but like last year Mary’s had a team of heroes on Sunday because this had to be a combined effort. It’s a remarkable success story for Clonmel hurling in a year when Seamus Kennedy raised the profile of Mary’s and no doubt offered inspiration for these lads. By winning back-to-back minor titles they join quite an exclusive club. Ballingarry Gaels in the mid 1990s were the only other Southerners to ever do the trick.
Within the club they give huge credit to Tony Shelly for driving these lads to such levels of intensity and obviously there’s a background structure that has fostered this winning culture over the years. The hope is obviously that these minor successes will translate into senior development which needs to start with a county intermediate title. A town of Clonmel’s size ought to have a senior hurling team.
An interesting postscript now of course is the unfinished South championship given that St. Mary’s were nominated to represent the division. Killenaule certainly fancy their chances so that could be an interesting showdown if it materialises. In any case it’s a poor reflection on the South Board and how they run their affairs.
For Brackens it was a sharp lesson. Injury to Tom Murphy was an obvious drawback. In Paddy Cadell they have a player of huge potential. Elsewhere relegation has been decided following Kickhams’ draw with Silvermines on Saturday so we won’t after all be looking at score difference as a discriminator. It’s just as well.
I have little doubt that if Kickhams lost to Silvermines in this match they’d face relegation because I couldn’t see a doomed and deflated Moneygall doing much to stop a Moyne/Templetuohy win in the final game. It was a tetchy, nervous one then for the West side who just about got there although well deserving of a draw – or better. The outcome saved a lot of aggravation too because there was a crazy goal awarded to Silvermines early in the second half. Imagine the scene: the Kickhams’ full back, Nathan Ryan, is being detained for a booking about thirty metres out from goal following a foul on Jason Forde. As that’s happening Forde takes a quick free behind the referee’s back into the unmarked Daniel Keogh who puts it in the net. Incredibly the score is allowed stand.
I can only imagine the consternation if that goal had resulted in Kickhams being relegated. In fairness to the referee I’m told he acknowledged his error afterwards, something others would do well to copy. Kickhams were the better side in this game against a Silvermines team that certainly wasn’t in giveaway mood. Excellent first half goals from Darragh Browne and Nigel Hayes gave Kickhams the early edge; they led by nine at one stage but Silvermines had it back to six at the interval. Then came that goal, which definitely ruffled the West team, as they eventually went two behind before rescuing the game at the end. Brendan Ryan hit the precious leveler, which keeps their senior status for 2017.
It was a jittery second half for the West team. They missed a succession of frees, admittedly several from distance, and it looked like they might pay a heavy price. It’s typical of the team, which does a lot of impressive hurling but still makes so many basic mistakes. In all of this there are lessons for the Board for future years. No team should be relegated on whimsical score difference. Play your round robin series but if teams are level then have a sudden-death play-off. It’s a simple solution but needs to be stipulated in advance.
Finally the legendary Mickey ‘The Rattler’ Byrne was called ashore on a weekend when his beloved Sarsfields claimed another county crown. He was ninety-three. His fourteen county senior hurling medals is an extraordinary haul. His five Celtic Crosses was no minor achievement either.
Mickey was a celebrity in a pre-celebrity era, his colourful witticisms and stories often quoted. I have no memory of him as a player though obviously he was an uncompromising defender in an age when corner backs were expected to protect the goalie from inrushing forwards. You passed Mickey at your peril, it seems.
Many years ago before I had ever met him in person the phone rang one Saturday morning. It was ‘The Rattler’ offering compliments on something I’d written in this column and urging me to keep it up. I remember feeling chuffed at the time that someone of his stature would take the trouble to offer support and vindication. May he rest in peace.
