The 2009 St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Final will for the second year in a row be fought out by defending champions Ballyhale Shamrocks and James Stephens. Conditions last Sunday were ideal for good hurling but sadly neither game reached the heights you'd expect at this stage of the competition. The champions Ballyhale put in another Jekyll ‘n’ Hyde performance when they took care of the O'Loughlins challenge.
They mixed the sublime with the ordinary and still won by 10 points. There is no doubt that they are a class above any other team in Kilkenny at present but their lack of competition in this county leaves them vulnerable down the road. The Shamrocks took to the field without ‘Cha Fitzpatrick, who was not available due to tonsillitis; his presence wasn't required on the day as his rearranged colleagues went on the rampage without him. TJ Reid set the goal feast in motion when he drilled low and hard past Ollie Blanchfield. Most lads would have settled for the point but not the bold Reid he had greater things in mind, his execution from 30 yards out was from the top drawer. His imprints were all over this game, he finished with 2-4 but also had a hand in a lot of his colleagues’ scores. However, it wasn't all Reid, on the day he had able assistance in Aidan Cummins who looks totally at home in his new position at fullback. Michael and Colin Fennelly were also very much to the fore the former is a powerhouse at centerfield, if he can get his shooting sorted out he has the ability to man one of the Kilkenny midfield jerseys for a long time to come. This game looked to be done and dusted after 25 minutes. The Shamrocks looked to be cruising into their fifth straight final appearance with what looked like an unassailable lead of 3-5 to 5 points but the O'Loughlins men got a lifeline when Peter Dowling swooped for a well-taken goal. Two quick points followed before hal-time from county stars Brian Hogan and Martin Comerford, this late burst from the O'Loughlin's men reducing the arrears to four points at the break. The half-time score would have given the city men plenty of encouragement, mind you, the feeling in the stand was that the Shamrocks would kick on whenever they liked.
The second half was a complete contrast to the first. O'Loughlins tried hard but they were at maximum effort to reduce it to three points before the Shamrocks woke from their slump. Once substitute Brendan Costelloe, who made a big impression when introduced, scored Shamrocks’ fourth goal they never looked back. They may have eventually won by 10 points but question marks still remain as to why they drift in and out of games The O'Loughlins’ lads must be given great credit for plugging away, like the rest of the county they are no wiser on how to beat this Shamrocks outfit.
The curtain raiser saw James Stephens just about do enough to see off Erin’s Own spirited challenge. As semi-finals go this one was a bore. The only bit of excitement that got a cheer from the crowd was when the linesman slipped. That statement might sound harsh to the players involved but that's just the way some games pan out, not all games are a thriller. This encounter could have been over at half-time if the Village men had taken their chances, they didn't and ‘Comer stayed plugging away. Who knows what might have transpired if the ‘Comer men had to get one major score, it was a case of so near but yet so far. Both sets of forwards misfired on the day. The Village are too reliant on intercounty star Eoin Larkin for scores, the same could be said of the Castlecomer men, corner forward Martin Boran contributed all but two of his side’s 11 points. Two men who stood out over the rest were Jackie Tyrrell and Conor Fogarty. Tyrrell has been the most consistent club defender for several years now while young Fogarty has been one of the players of the championship, he surely deserves his place on the senior panel next year. Erin’s Own will be delighted with their work this year. However, the Village have a lot of improvement to do if they want to stop the Shamrocks completing the four-in-a-row.
The most exciting games of the weekend were the two relegation battles. The threat of the drop certainly brought out the best in Tullaroan and Young Irelands. These two evenly matched sides couldn't have been separated after 60 minutes of honest endeavour. As results go it was probably a fair one, as it was a real see-saw encounter. It's back to the Callan venue this Saturday for part two.
The Intermediate final also ended in a draw. Graiguenamanagh seemed to have done enough in this Derby tie, but a goal by James Hanrahan deep into injury time saved Thomastown's bacon. Thomastown probably came away the happier side, having been 4 points down entering injury time; once again this game could go either way this Saturday.
Dicksboro and St Lachtains will battle it out next Sunday in the Intermediate final; both sides were impressive in their semi-final victories. Freshford easily saw off the challenge of Mooncoin, while Dicksboro seemed to be more convincing than the four point victory indicated over the Rower Inistioge. The result of this Sunday’s clash could come down to who fouls the least. Both sides have top class marksmen in Eoin Guinan (Fr ) and Eddie O'Donoghue (Db ). St Lachtain’s will look to Michael Kavanagh, John Costelloe, Bill Beckett, Noel McGree and Eoin Guinan for inspiration while Dicksboro have a mountain of talent coming through. Many judges say they are too inexperienced just yet to beat the more experienced Freshford, I don't agree. I think they have the ability and desire to join Kilkenny's top ranks once again. It would be a great way to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
The Junior final sees Blacks & Whites take on John Lockes of Callan. The Callan men will be looking for a quick return to Intermediate ranks after dropping down last year. Both these sides have a mixture of youth and experience. I'm not going to call this one as I haven't seen Callan playing this year. Chap Cleere will be a huge loss to Blacks & Whites, his punishment of one month didn't fit the crime, in my opinion a one-match ban would have sufficed.
