Teams serve up feast of character and courage

Once upon an era, Cork’s Mick Malone won four Munster and All-Ireland titles at U-21 level, but played in just one of those All-Ireland finals.

Eoin Kelly has been an integral player for Tipperary for five years now, starring in this grade since 1999, when he came on as a sub in fire-and-brimstone encounter against Clare in Cusack Park and coolly shot several points and won his only medal so far. Hard luck followed for the next three years but this year Kelly is captain and last night, into the second minute of injury-time, stood over a free that could end those years of heartbreak. Problem was, it was on the 20m line right out on the left touchline and it was also Kelly’s first free of the night. Pressure? Let Tipp selector Jackie Bolger take up the story.

“I didn’t even look at it, couldn’t. The pressure that lad was under, when you’re going through what he’s going through at that moment, to be thrown that free, last minutes of a Munster championship, in your own stadium, in front of your own people, and as captain of the team. I think he’s proved his character before, and he did it again tonight.” So he did, ball drilled unerringly between the posts to supplement the five super points he earlier shot from play.

That point put Tipperary one point ahead, 1-18 to 3-11, and Kelly thought it was all over. “I thought it was the last puck of the game, I thought the ref had indicated to one of the lads that it was over.” It wasn’t. Having shown huge heart to claw back an interval deficit of eight points, and gone momentarily into the lead, Cork now showed their character again, went straight back upfield and won a free through towering senior full-forward Setanta Ó hAilpín. Step forward Kieran Murphy of Sars, one of the many second half heroes of the Cork night, over the bar.

“There was never any intention of going for a goal,” Cork coach Seanie O’Gorman confirmed afterwards, “Though I suppose it would it have suited a lot of people if we did, if it was finished one way or the other tonight! But it was a brilliant game, great flow to it, hell for leather all the way.”

The man who suffered more hell than anyone else on the night was Cork centre-back John Gardiner, put under pressure by a very lively Francis Devanney in that forgettable (for the Rebels) first-half, but a towering figure thereafter. In a relieved Cork dressing-room, Gardiner emerged late from the showers, looking like a man who had just done several rounds with Lennox Lewis. Bruised, bloodied under the right eye, right index finger also in trouble, bleeding and swollen. “Yeah, you feel the effects of it, get some knocks some days, but we’re happy to come out of it still alive. It was looking dodgy at half-time, eight points down, backs to the wall, but we drove on. We knew we were up against it, into the wind as well, but there’s great fight in this team. We worked hard and in fairness to the lads, we held on. Kieran Murphy from Sars I thought was absolutely brilliant, Kevin Hartnett was also outstanding in the second half, typified what we’re all about, heart, determination, grit. One or two fellas didn’t perform on the night, but hopefully we all get it together for the next night. We’re delighted to come out with draw.”

A game perhaps they could have done without, given the bigger games ahead, All-Ireland senior semi-final against Wexford? “Yerra we’re only young fellas, we’ll take it, every game we can play. Better than being out of it anyway. Cork, Tipp, Munster final, what better can you get?”

A mere 10,000 last night, rest assured there will be a few more on Sunday evening.