Athenry show they are up with best

Under the united banner of maroon and white, the west ruled Croke Park yesterday. The All-Ireland club finals - this year the moveable feast of football and hurling - was an occasion for Galway's standard bearers and Mayo's young contenders.

Athenry were back to defend their hurling crown in a final that is always best served hot. Instead, it remained chilled and without much fervour until Graigue-Ballycallan gradually forced them onto the edge.

But they wouldn't be pushed over. Eugene Cloonan's late, late goal forced the game into extra-time and not long after that it was goodnight for the Kilkenny side - eventually losing out 3-24 to 2-19. For the third time in five years the title would be led home by big Joe Rabbitte.

"When you are as long playing as we are, you never think it's gone until the final whistle," he said. "I suppose that's the sign of a good team, and a goal can kill a team in a game like that."

Cloonan, still only 22 and still maturing, was again at his majestic best, contributing a priceless 1-11. "Two titles back-to-back, and still the same team from 1997? I think that's some achievement. But we said last night that we wanted to be up with the best of them, and I think we're there now."

Graigue-Ballycallan chased in vain until the final end, and manager Jim Neary had only one excuse: "I'm always blaming lady luck but she always seems to catch us. We still felt we had our chance but the goal midway through extra time definitely killed us.

"You hear about all the training Athenry do, and you had to worry if we would be fit enough and cunning enough. I think we were. And we are genuinely proud. We have come up from small beginnings and had a fabulous campaign."

That extended feature delayed the start of the football, but when it did, it looked like Nemo Rangers would improve their roll of honour to seven. Three points up at half-time, the Cork club looked to have sufficiently shackled Crossmolina.

Enter the real Kieran McDonald. With a graceful combination of poetry and prose, he inspired the 0-16 to 1-12 victory. Four Mayo clubs had previously failed where they had just succeeded, yet McDonald had even further motivation.

"This is actually my sixth All-Ireland between under-21's and seniors and I'd lost the previous five. So I never thought there would be a feeling like this. Everytime you got the ball in the second half there was someone coming off your shoulder. It's very easy to play football like that."

For manager Thomas Jordan, the third quarter saw the sort of football that he could only dream of: "We went from three points down to three points up. The first 30 minutes had slipped us by but it would have been a long way home if we kept playing like that. They didn't want to be remembered as a team that didn't play to their potential.

"Kieran did what he has done time and time again. Until you actually work with him on the training field, you don't realise how talented he is."

True. In a game like this, you cannot buy players like McDonald. You inherit them.