Not too many teams will live with Na Piarsaigh
As the first-half wore on, that’s exactly how this game looked set to pan out – nothing between the teams.
It’s amazing though, how much of a factor mindset can be in these games, especially at this time of the year. Just before half-time, Na Piarsaigh were lax in their set-up around a sideline ball and it allowed Ballygunner take it quickly and set up the point that put them three up at the break. It almost typified where Na Piarsaigh’s heads were at but once they switched on after the break, they were a different animal.
Three Munster titles in five years, nine games unbeaten in the province, tells you just how good this Na Piarsaigh team really is. After being nine points down against Sixmilebridge at half-time, and three down last week against Thurles Sarsfields (when it should have been more), trailing by three at the break again yesterday never seemed insurmountable. Yet once Na Piarsaigh step on the gas and hit fifth gear, there aren’t too many teams around that can live with them.
Whatever magic dust Shane O’Neill, Alan Cunningham and Kieran Bermingham are able to sprinkle over them at half-time, it always seems to work. They were probably even lucky to be only three behind because David Dempsey’s goal came off the back of the misfortune of Peter Hogan pulling his hamstring but it didn’t take them long to set the tone on the restart. They had five points bagged in six minutes. They outscored the Waterford champions by 1-14 to 1-4 in the second-half.
This fella said to me afterwards that Na Piarsaigh are so good, they’re playing with such confidence, that they don’t need to play well in the first-half. That’s still a risky approach in 60 minute games at this time of the year. But they are that good they can compensate for the shortfall.
They’ll have to negotiate their way past Cuala or Oulart-the-Ballagh now to make the All-Ireland final but they’ll take some stopping. After suffering semi-final heartbreak to Loughgiel Shamrocks and Portumna, Na Piarsaigh look ultra determined to cross that barrier in February. If they do, I couldn’t see Cushendall or Sarsfields taking them down.
The mercurial Peter Casey, whom I worked with for the Limerick minors, was superb again yesterday. Two of his three points were magnificent but he made two tackles in the second-half that eventually led to scores. When Na Piarsaigh match their workrate with their class up front, the fusion is deadly.
Shane Dowling was brilliant in the second-half and his late goal was typical of his class. Moving him from wing-forward to the centre looked like a strange move at the time but putting Dempsey in at full-forward also helped to improve the balance of the Na Piarsaigh attack. Barry Coughlan had a fine game at full-back but Dempsey still proved to be a handful.
Springing David Breen was also a huge move. He scored one point while he also dispossessed Stephen O’Keeffe at one stage which led to a free. His presence also allowed Dowling, Casey and Dempsey to exert more of an influence.
Ballygunner deserve a lot of credit for hanging in for as long as they did. They had the deficit pared down to a score with ten minutes remaining but the goal chance that fell to Shane O’Sullivan in the 52nd minute needed to be converted
Ballygunner played it smart for long periods. O’Keeffe hit some sublime puck-outs to Barry O’Sullivan and Hayley Barnes but Na Piarsaigh still blitzed them at midfield where Alan Dempsey and Will O’Donoghue were brilliant. The Thurles pitch looked in great shape but it was still heavy from all the rain. Once the ball hit the deck from any loose Ballygunner passing, Na Piarsaigh were all over it.
Defensively Ballygunner set up not too dissimilar to Waterford with how they had banks of bodies across the middle third but they were still asking too much of Bryan O’Sullivan up front. Mikey Casey gave such an exhibition in the full-back line I’m sure he has muscled his way into TJ Ryan’s thoughts for the coming year.
With that platform linking so well with Dempsey and O’Donoghue at midfield, and Na Piarsaigh’s direct game unhinging Ballygunner’s defensive structure, it was only a matter of time before it came apart after the break.
In the history of the Munster Club championship, only two teams have gone unbeaten in a season – Cashel King Cormacs and Na Piarsaigh. Cashel won two games – one against Clarecastle – en route to the 1991 title but Na Piarsaigh are on a different level having been unbeaten in nine matches.They have done it all in Munster but their sights are set on only one target now. If they can maintain this form it’s going to take some outfit to stop them.
