MUNSTER SHC FINAL Newtownshandrum 2-11 Ballygunner 2-9WITH NEWTOWNSHANDRUM supporters impatiently counting down the minutes until the cup was to be presented yesterday's AIB Munster club hurling final unexpectedly erupted into a contest. The final quarter began with the Cork champions protecting a double-digit lead and ended frantically with the margin down to two.
They held on with just about sufficient conviction to recapture the provincial title after a four-year gap and a point by Jerry O’Connor was whistling over the bar when referee Declan O’Driscoll signalled for full-time before a small crowd of 2,876 in Thurles.
Two points ahead in the first 10 minutes, the Waterford club were managing to hit good ball into the forwards and it was sticking. The favourites were slow to hit their stride but Ben O’Connor’s dead-ball proficiency helped them compile a response, although as manager Phil Noonan pointed out afterwards the contribution of younger players such as Ryan Clifford and teenager Jamie Coughlan was also encouraging.
It was Coughlan who made the first goal, latching on to Dermot Gleeson’s lengthy clearance and persecuting the defence before setting up James Bowles for a goal that doubled the lead to 1-6 to 0-3.
Ballygunner experienced major problems with the speed of their opponents even on a heavy pitch in late November. Their touch wasn’t as good either and they struggled all around the field to sustain threatening movement.
Newtown’s backs were excellent. Gleeson covered well and found time to join the attack. He also valiantly banged himself off the post trying to keep out Ballygunner’s first goal.
Pat Mulcahy was named TG4’s Man of the Match and maintained the influential stamp of his recent performances but Newtown may face further investigation over the seventh-minute incident in which wing back Philip Noonan pulled across Andy Moloney’s head, necessitating a blood substitution, but picked up only a yellow card.
Moloney had started brightly on Mulcahy but after getting stitched up was unable to sustain the effort and the former Cork All-Ireland winner put in a fine display.
“We knew they were going to be a tough side,” he said afterwards. “They came back in the Waterford final so we weren’t surprised.”
It’s safe to say, however, that everyone else was, as Newtown appeared to have settled the match in the minutes after the interval.
Firstly Cathal Naughton burned down the left wing and hit a fine score. Ben O’Connor was next to cut in behind the Ballygunnner defence and his shot was blocked by Stephen O’Keeffe only for the rebound to be tipped down nicely for Jamie Coughlan to nail his team’s second goal for a 10-point lead, 2-8 to 0-4.
The luxury obviously got to the Cork side, as urgency began to drain from their play. But it didn’t look as if it would make much difference, as Ballygunner took 12 minutes to register their first score of the second half and even then Naughton cancelled it out with another rampaging point.
The comeback began in earnest with Stephen Power, a replacement for Moloney, getting a clear run on goal, rounding the goalkeeper and clipping the ball to the net despite Gleeson’s brave attempt at intercepting. Within a minute the margin was down to three.
A 20-metre free awarded to Ballygunner immediately sent a ripple of excitement around the ground, as Paul Flynn stepped up to have a pop. His shot was blocked by Noonan but Barry Mullane somehow managed to squeeze the ball along the cut-up turf and through the defensive cover on the line.
Three frees from Flynn followed and suddenly Newtown had passed into a parallel world where defeat had become a pressing possibility. In the circumstances their response was impressively composed.
Ben O’Connor calmly converted a free to restore the lead in the 58th minute and the Cork club finished strongly, forcing a 65, which O’Connor uncharacteristically missed but atoned for this lapse from the puck-out, gathering the ball around the middle and sweeping over the final score.
Mulcahy was almost nonchalant in describing the near-meltdown.
“At that stage we just needed to calm down for a few minutes, just to settle things down a little bit and get our shape back and I think we did that.”
The 2004 All-Ireland champions now move on to face the 2007 champions Ballyhale in what will be a much-anticipated All-Ireland semi-final in the new year.
NEWTOWNSHANDRUM: W Biggane; J O'Mahony, B Mulcahy, D Gleeson; S O'Riordan, P Mulcahy, P Noonan; PJ Copse (0-1), C Naughton (0-2); R Clifford (0-2), J O'Connor (0-1), M Bowles; J Coughlan (1-0), J Bowles (1-0), B O'Connor (0-5, 65, two frees and line ball). Subs: J Herlihy for M Bowles (26 mins), JP King for Clifford (54 mins), J O'Connor for Copse (58 mins).
BALLGUNNER: S O'Keeffe; A Kirwan, W Kiely, V Molloy; P Mahoney, F Hartley, W Hutchinson; C Kehoe, S O'Sullivan; JJ Hutchinson, A Moloney, P Mahony; B O'Sullivan (0-1), P Flynn (0-8, frees), G O'Connor. Subs: B Mullane (1-0) for JJ Hutchinson (38 mins), S Power (1-0) for A Moloney (46 mins).
Referee: D O'Driscoll (Limerick).
