A big weight on young shoulders

WE had been hearing for some time about this budding phenom from Tipperary, a young Kelly, but this would surely be the test. Munster U21 final, August 31 1999, Cusack Park, Ennis.

The Clare/Tipperary rivalry had reached boiling point, the full-capacity extremely partisan crowd was tight on the pitch, almost within touching distance of the players, the air fairly crackled with electricity. Different electricity, the dangerous kind.

Clare had the better of the first half, led 1-7 to 0-8 at the break, and the wing-forward, barely out of minor ranks, didn’t get much chance to shine, saw little of the ball. So, hold judgment we thought, give him a chance. The teams come out for the second half, but what’s this?

Another Kelly? Even younger?

Just out of U16, you say? In half an hour of the most incredible intensity, half an hour in which two teams and two sets of supporters went right to the edge, when the mood turned ugly, when the normal murmur from the crowd became an angry rumble, the very spirit of hurling threatened, on that memorable evening the young hurlers of Tipperary turned in a display of the greatest character, outscored the home side in the second half 1-10 to 0-8, took the title on a three-point margin.

Paul Kelly, the older of the two brothers, scored three points from play, Eoin, the baby, three more. Phenom? It was a trap of course.

All along there were two of them, and since then that form has been confirmed, both Paul and Eoin already with a senior All-Ireland and an Allstar award tucked away in the warm and welcoming family home in Mullinahone. This Sunday, as Tipperary take on Kilkenny in the All-Ireland senior semi-final in Croke Park, they’re at it again. Paul is now at wing-back, though that doesn’t stop him from banging over the regular long-range point, while Eoin will be in the corner, waiting the chance to pounce.

It hasn’t been the best of seasons to date for the younger Kelly, certainly not by his own high standards.

Couple of points from play in a heavy Munster first-round loss to Clare, scoreless in a close All-Ireland qualifier encounter against Galway, one point from play against Offaly last time out. Met quality opposition each time of course.

Up against the indomitable Frank Lohan of Clare, against Ollie Canning when Tipp played Galway (and despite the fact that he was overlooked for an Allstar last year, Ollie is the best corner-back in the business), then met a rapidly-improving David Franks in the win over Offaly.

All would have been psyched to the last for the Kelly challenge, but still, last time out, there were mitigating circumstances.

“Things weren’t right for me before the last game, against Offaly, I buried a good ould friend, Frank O’Meara, just before that game. It would put hurling into perspective, wouldn’t it? Paul was best friends with him, I was good ould friends with him too, but it affects everyone in different ways.

“But look, that’s the way it is, I don’t mind how well I’m playing as long as we’re winning.

“It’s the same next weekend, if I don’t play that well but we win, I’ll be happy, we’ll be in the All-Ireland final. That’s the way I’ll be looking at it. Every day is different.”

Tipperary have been idle since that Offaly game, three weeks ago, but Eoin Kelly hasn’t. Captain of the county U21 side, just four days later he was back in action, against Cork in the Munster final; drew, replay three days later. Kelly was brilliant in the first game, five points from play, set up several others with ultra-precise defence-splitting passes.

In the replay he was well held by his marker, Brian Murphy, but there was just the one slip by the Cork corner-back, one opportunity, and Kelly buried it, first minute of extra-time, first goal in a game where a three-pointer was always going to prove crucial.

It did, and Tipp went on to win by a goal, Kelly’s first Munster U21 medal since that epic evening in Cusack Park. Nice way to bookend his U21 career, nice way to come into this game also.

This weekend, Tipperary face a massive challenge, so does Eoin Kelly. It was just over three months ago that they met in the League final and though Kilkenny won the war, 5-14 to 5-13, Eoin had a good day, ended with 1-7, including a stunning goal from a free outside the 21. Doesn’t expect it to go like that again, though.

“I dunno, it’s like anything else, when you expect one thing, you can get the opposite. It’s like Cork and Wexford last Sunday, Cork were expected to win but Wexford really put it up to them in what was probably the best match of the year.

“I think we’re evenly-enough matched and it will go down to the wire; hopefully, we’ll be on the right side of it at the finish.”