Double red drama key but Hill deserve progress
At Celebrates Eddie The Supervalu Premier Picture: Chaoimh Defeating O'hare Final Co Coach Op Cork Enright Ihc After Watergrasshill's Superstores Carrigaline Páirc In Uí Eddie
An overturned-penalty-and-double-red-card incident was the major talking point but there was agreement at full-time: Watergrasshill were deserved victors.
The Cork champions maintained a relentless performance level to burn off Wolfe Tones na Sionna despite the six-day turnaround from their county success.
They celebrated until Tuesday, earmarked Wednesday for recovery, returned to the pitch Thursday, and advanced to a Munster final on Saturday.
“You dream of stuff like this for Watergrasshill and Glenville. It’s been great to win the county final, celebrate it really well, and then get back out and put in a really good performance,” said Hill manager Eddie Enright.
“We’re delighted that we showed up. We were sluggish for the first 10 minutes – and the first 30 seconds in particular! – but they really built their way into the game and dominated for long spells.
“We thoroughly deserved the win and credit to them because they really put in a huge, physical effort. We won the physical battle and then our hurling took over.”
The drama centred around a penalty awarded to Aaron Cunningham for a cynical sliding tackle from behind by Dylan Roche. If converted, it would’ve narrowed the gap to one entering the final quarter.
A lengthy consultation between referee Alan Tierney and linesman Johnny Murphy ensued before the call was overturned due to Cunningham’s retaliation after the foul. Tierney, then, brandished straight red cards to Roche and Cunningham.
“We got the rub of the green in our own county final with a controversial free,” reflected magnanimous Shannon manager Barry Keane.
“Look, the thing for us when we look back is how it went from a penalty to two reds to a throw-in. That’s the disappointing thing because we really had a foothold in the game, we felt we had them pinned back, but that’s something that’s going to gnaw away at us over the winter.
“Listen, these things happen in big games and I’m not going to give out about referees because they have a tough job.
“On the balance of play, you’d have to say Watergrasshill were the better team. The scoreboard doesn’t lie and we can have no complaints really.”
Enright’s concern focused on the implications of Roche’s red for his participation in the Munster final.
The Hill’s superiority was such that they could afford 11 first-half wides to Wolfe Tones’ one, while conceding a goal after 10 seconds, and still they led by five at the break.
Anchored by Dáire O’Leary, they choked out the supply lines to the All-Ireland-winning inside duo of goal-scorer Cunningham and Aron Shanagher, dominated the breaking balls, and created such a volume of chances, it didn’t seem to matter that half of them were missing the target amid a wickedly swirling wind.
Adam Murphy and Seán Desmond faced up to inter-county man-markers in Darragh Lohan and Rory Hayes and emerged with impressive hauls; 0-12 (9 frees) and 1-2 respectively.
A 1-4 streak flipped the three-point deficit into a four-point lead, with the goal from Brendan Lehane, and another quartet left it 1-11 to 1-6 at half-time.
Wolfe Tones left the Hill waiting on the field as they regrouped in the changing room. They returned with two substitutions and the first three points of the new half via Cian O’Rourke and a more involved Shanagher. That pair would end with 0-5 apiece.
Murphy replied with a superb brace from play and Lehane had a chance to double his goal tally foiled by an Oisín O’Rourke save. Blood-sub Ian O’Callaghan compensated with a point for a 1-15 to 1-11 cushion.
Then, the critical moments. First, Cunningham came close with a shot that rolled along the goalline. Within three minutes, the penalty controversy saw him removed and both sides reduced to 14-a-side.
The Hill nabbed 1-2 to make the game safe, with Desmond’s 54th-minute clincher finding the net at the second attempt.
More heroics followed when Dáire O’Leary saved Darragh Lohan’s close-range free and charged out 30 yards to block down the follow-up point attempt. He kicked the sliotar to Desmond who sprinted 60 yards down the sideline to top off a sublime counter-attack point.
A Murphy monster score pushed the lead out to double figures before a consolation goal on the hour for Dean Devanney.
A Murphy (0-12, 9 frees); S Desmond (1-2); B Lehane (1-1); S O’Regan (0-2); A Foley (free), L Foley, I O’Callaghan (0-1 each).
C O’Rourke (3 frees), A Shanagher (1 free) (0-5 each); D Devanney (1-1); A Cunningham (1-0); J Guilfoyle, E O’Gorman (0-1 each).
A Foley; S Field, D McCarthy, D Roche; M O’Driscoll, D O’Leary, K O’Neill; S O’Regan, A Spriggs; C O’Leary, A Murphy, L Foley; B Lehane, S Desmond (capt), P O’Leary.
I O’Callaghan for Desmong (39-41, blood), O’Callaghan for Field (44), A Cronin for Spriggs (44), P Cronin for L Foley (51), C Healy for P O’Leary (51).
O O’Rourke; Daithí Lohan, R Hayes, L Murphy; D Frawley, Darragh Lohan, S Meaney; J Guilfoyle (capt), D Devanney; S Donnellan, E O’Gorman, C Riordan; C O’Rourke, A Cunningham, A Shanagher.
G Carrig for Guilfoyle (h-t), D O’Connell for Frawley (h-t), M Hayes for C O’Rourke (52), S Costelloe for O’Gorman (57), C Carrig for Meaney (60).
A Tierney (Tipperary).