St Thomas 1-23; Ballygunner 2-20
(AET - St Thomas win 4-2 on penalties)
Who said you couldn’t play top-class, exciting hurling in the depths of winter? As nail-biters go, this was down to the quick for long stretches but particularly when the drumroll sounded for penalties after extra-time had failed to prize these two committed teams apart in Portlaoise on Saturday night.
Ballygunner tried might and main to shrug off Galway’s champions but the Saints refused to go away - even when they faced a sizable wind three points down in the second-half of extra time.
Somehow and from somewhere, they dug deep and quarried an extra layer of energy to run up the field and slot over sufficient points not just to equalize but to get their noses in front with 30 seconds left of play.
It looked like that was it for the Deise boys but sub Billy O’Keeffe produced a moment of magic to fire over from afar into the elements to bring the house down as the final whistle sounded with the puckout.
St Thomas, the great underachievers from the west had at last shown they could win a tight encounter in an All-Ireland series. Six-in-a-row Galway champions they may be but they had failed to deliver on the big stage and for a long time on Saturday evening, it looked like they were off the pace. Then when it seemed that all was lost, they surprised their opponents and possibly themselves with their resolve to see this close encounter of the gripping kind through to the exhilarating end.
It was heart-stopping stuff not just at one game ending, not just two but the three times that play came to conclusion at full time, extra time and then the denouement of the penalty which the men from the west won 4-2 to clinch an All-Ireland place against Kilkenny and Leinster champions O’Loughlin Gaels.
With just over four minutes played in injury time of regulation time, the laurels seemed to be heading south as Conor Sheahan struck for what look like a winning point.
The peerless Conor Cooney showed nerves of steel to convert a free to level at 1-18 to 2-15.
With the win at their backs, the Saints should have built a lead in the first half of extra time; instead they found themselves three in arrears and facing down the barrel of a gun as they went out to fight hurling and elemental foes simultaneously.
They seemed to have worked the oracle when clawing back the deficit and indeed getting a score two minutes into overtime in extra time through Eanna Burke.
There shouldn’t have been a way back for the Gunners but Billy O’Keeffe’sc ciotog stroke right on time brought an explosion of relief from the Waterford followers as they faced the prospect of penalties.
Once Conor Cooney, who shot 0-14 on the night, showed he was as adept at penalty shooting as stick away frees, the dial changed in favor of the Galway men.
Darragh Burke, Eanna Burke and Evan Duggan followed his lead by lashing home past a despairing Stephen O’Keeffe, who along with Paraic Mahony, were the only Ballygunner marksmen to find the back of the net. For many, the writing was on the wall when Dessie Hutchinson, who shot 1-4 from play, had his shot easily saved.
St Thomas’: G Kelly (0-1f); C Mahony, F Burke, D Sherry; J Headd, S Cooney, C Burke; D Finnerty, D Burke (0-1); D Burke (0-1), C Cooney (0-14, 0-13f), V Manso; J Regan (1-1), E Burke (0-3), O Flannery (0-1) Subs: E Duggan (0-1) for Sherry (53), D McGlynn for Manso (53), B Burke for D Burke (57), E Brady for C Burke (62). D Burke for Flannery (e/t), Flannery for McGlynn (68), C Burke for Headd (h/t e/t), Sherry for CBurke (72).
Ballygunner: S O’Keeffe (0-1); I Kenny, B Coughlan, T Foley; P Mahony; S O’Sullivan, P Leavey (0-1), R Power; C Sheahan (0-1), P Mahony (0-7, 0-6f); P Hogan (0-1), M Mahony; P Fitzgerald (1-4), K Mahony, D Hutchinson (1-4) Subs: H Ruddle for Fitzgerald (75), C Power for Hogan (75), B O’Keeffe (0-1) for Sheahan (79).
Ref: J Murphy (Limerick).
O’Loughlin Gaels 1-17; Ruairi Óg 1-16
Asking the second All Ireland club hurling semi-final to match the first for sheer drama may have been a bridge too far but somehow O’Loughlin Gaels and Cushendall rose to the challenge and delivered at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday. In truth they gave us a game for the ages.
The only disappointment for the big crowd and the neutrals watching was that there had to be a loser in the end - and that was the role that Ruairi Óg were forced to play after Gaels defender David Fogarty landed a point from distance worthy of winning any great hurling occasion.
Once again though hurling was the winner and Ulster hurling has done itself proud with the display of the Antrim boys who matched their more vaunted Kilkenny opponents strike for strike during their majestic winter encounter.
We must also salute the Gaels for the way they have found a happy knack of winning tight games as if it was their birthright. They did it in the county final and again in the Leinster final by the narrowest of margins and here they were once more escaping to victory in true dramatic fashion.
O’Loughlin Gaels, masters of the narrow win, did what they do best yet again with another dramatic victory in Navan to secure an All-Ireland club SHC final clash with St Thomas’ next month.
Brian Hogan’s Kilkenny city side will now go all out to win their first title and make up for the disappointment some 12 years ago when losing to Clarinbridge in the 2011 decider.
With the wind against them in the first half, they took time to settle as the Ulster side chalked up a seven point lead which was eventually cut to three at the break. It was this work in the final 10 minutes before the half-time whistle that restored belief in the Kilkenny ranks as they sought to emulate Ballyhale Shamrocks by reaching yet another All Ireland final.
Once more they can thank their free-taker Mark Bergin who scored 0-9 while Seán Bolger registered their only goal, a scrappy affair but so important in that it came just before half time.
Cushendall’s start was highly impressive and they will regret how they fell asleep in the second quarter when they had the winning of the game in their own lap.
Despite that, they upped their game in the second half and had sufficient possession to come out tops but it was a day when they opted for the wrong play too often and shot wides when their opponents were more economical with their scoring stats.
They did get one late chance to level proceedings and bring the game to extra-time like the other semi-final. And their supporters could not have asked for the sliotar to fall to a better marksman than Neil McManus, who accounted for 0-9 for the losers. On this occasion though, his radar blinked and the ball was pulled to the left and wide.
O’Loughlin Gaels: S Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Forristal; D Fogarty (0-2), P Deegan (0-1), J Molloy; J Nolan (0-1), C Loy; C Heary (0-2), M Bergin (0-9, 0-5f), E O’Shea (0-1); O Wall, L Hogan, S Bolger (1-1) Subs: C Kelly for Bolger 44, J Ryan for Nolan 55, P Butler for O’Shea 57.
Cushendall: C McAlister; L Gillan, P Burke (0-1), M Burke; S Walsh, E Campbell (0-2), R McCollam; F McCurry, R McCambridge (0-1); E McQuillan (0-1), N McCormack, R McAteer (0-1); F McCambridge, N McManus (0-9, 0-7f), J McLaughlin (1-1) Subs: S McAfee for McAteer 23, A Delargy for McCormack h/t, A McNaughton for Gillan h/t, S Walsh for McCollam 48-f/t blood, C McNaughton for McCurry 59.
Ref: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
