Fitz’s vital score ensures Sixmilebridge final glory

Sixmilebridge 2-13 Blackrock 1-15

In an absorbing first half, the Clare champions looked like blowing the visitors from Cork off the park, 1-2 to 0-1 ahead after five minutes following a whirlwind start, but from there to the short whistle it was nearly all Blackrock, outscoring The Bridge 1-6 to 0-1 over the next ten minutes, turning at the break with a three-point advantage, 1-8 to 1-5, with the aid of a slight breeze to come.

When proceedings re-commenced, again it was Sixmilebridge with the better start, tied after four minutes, four points in front after eleven, before Blackrock settled, again pegged them back. As the end of normal time approached, two courageous and skilful sides were deadlocked, 2-11 to 1-14, and the referee ran to the sideline - three digits held aloft, three minutes of additional time.

What incident we had in those three minutes, what action, what scores, and in the end, it all came down to seconds, to who would have their noses in front when the whistle blew.

First it was the massive home contingent renting the clear Clare air, as first-half goal scoring hero Cyril Crowe, latching onto a beautiful Niall Gilligan through ball, raced away and notched the lead point. Well into the first minute of added time, the winner, surely? Not so fast; the ball was worked down the left wing, Blackrock centre-forward Liam Meaney stepped inside his man with a super dummy, unerring strike between the posts. A draw now certainly, justice done, two game sides live to fight another day. But no, one final dramatic scene in what had been fantastic theatre. Into that third and for Blackrock, fatal minute, the Bridge’s tigerish captain Christy ‘Rusty’ Chaplin wins a vital ball in his own half-back line, halting a Blackrock attack, works the ball to brother John, trademark tidy clearance, the ball collected in a bit of space by young substitute Paul Fitzpatrick and there it was.

Forty metres, emphatically-taken winning point, glory, heartbreak, and this magnificent competition summed up in the making of that moment - two snarling old club dogs defending their turf, ball worked to a fearless young pup, point.

“These things happen,” was young Fitz’s breezy summation afterwards. “I just picked it up, didn’t know how much time was left, hit it and hoped, and it went over.”

But Rusty was fully aware of the significance of that shot, what The Bridge had just achieved, the worth of the side they had just broken.

“They really put it up to us and we knew they would, they have some outfit, some amount of top-quality players. We enjoyed our county final success two weeks ago, but we went back to training early, because we knew Blackrock were a formidable force. They were flying, and our backs were to the wall for long periods.

But we went for the win, we didn’t want to go down to Cork. Nip and tuck, and the way it was looking there I thought the referee was going to blow it up, it could have been a draw and we wouldn’t have complained at that. In the end we got the rub of the green, young Paul Fitz came on, slotted it over the bar, the vital score at the vital time”.

This was so hard on Blackrock, all of whom contributed to a brilliant game. Each of their much-criticised forward sextet scored from play, David Cashman on the spot to bat in the first-half goal that really set them on their way, wing-forward Barry Hennebry causing all sorts of panic with his pace, touch and accuracy; midfielder Adrian Coughlan was unerring from placed balls, Wayne Sherlock my man-of-the-match, absolutely magnificent in a hard-worked defence where centre-back Alan Cummins also impressed in keeping Sixmilebridge danger-man John Reddan scoreless.

But ultimately this was about The Bridge, and a result which, as Blackrock manager Timmy Murphy conceded in a magnanimous speech in the winner’s dressing-room, they fully deserved.

Front to back they fought the good fight, bent but never broke; more critically, they maintained that effort right to the final whistle, got the reward. In turn, players came through at critical times; big Pat Hayes at full-back, Tadhg Keogh growing in stature in the corner alongside the Chaplin brothers, Cathal Walsh, Alan Mulready, such a midfield force in the second half, the goal-poachers inside, Gillie and Crowe. And of course, the young lad, Paul Fitzpatrick.

Two weeks time, against Mount Sion in Thurles, they will be hard beaten.

Scorers for Sixmilebridge: N. Gilligan 1-2 (0-1 free); J. Chaplin 0-4 (0-2 frees, 0-2 65’s); C. Crowe 1-1; M. Culbert, C. Chaplin, A. Chaplin, S. Fitzpatrick, P. Fitzpatrick, A. Mulready, 0-1 each.

Scorers for Blackrock: A. Coughlan 0-5 (all frees); D. Cashman 1-0; A. Browne 0-3; B. Hennebry 0-2; L. Meaney 0-2; B. O’Keeffe, J. Young, P. Tierney, 0-1 each.

SIXMILEBRIDGE: D. Fitzgerald; W. Kennedy, P. Hayes, T. Keogh; A. Mulready, J. Chaplin, C. Walsh; M. Culbert, C. Chaplin (capt); A. Chaplin, J. Reddan, S. Fitzpatrick; C. Crowe, N. Gilligan, B. Culbert. Subs: P. Fitzpatrick (M. Culbert 55); B. Kennedy (A. Chaplin 61); blood-sub - Fitzpatrick (Mulready 47/49).

BLACKROCK: T. Barry; W. Sherlock (capt), N. Keane, J. Browne; C. Connery, A. Cummins, F. Ryan; A. Coughlan, P. Tierney; B. Hennebry, L. Meaney, J. Young; B. O’Keeffe, A. Browne, D. Cashman.

Subs: D. Gosnell (Young 48); blood-sub - Gosnell (Hennebry 24/26).

Referee: W. Barrett (Tipperary) - good job, took firm grip when game was threatening to explode.