Dunloy make a mockery of bookies’ odds

WHOEVER set the odds for the bookies in last Sunday’s All Ireland club semi-final between Dunloy and Mount Sion was no hurling man.

So reckons Dunloy centre-forward Gregory O’Kane, scorer of two points in a last gasp win that sees the Antrim champions through to their third All Ireland club final in eight years.

“The odds were high against us (10/1 in some places), and we used that as motivation to drive us”, the former Antrim captain said yesterday. “I don’t know where those odds came from, but they were a bit insulting. I was talking to a few of the supporters last night, and they had good money on us, so a lot of people are really smiling this morning. It was tempting, I was even tempted myself, but a few of the other lads had a flutter alright”.

Even a superficial glance through the form book would have suggested that Dunloy were in with at least a 50/50 chance against Mount Sion.

A glance through the results since 1995 would have shown that Dunloy had beaten Athenry, beaten Glenmore of Kilkenny, drawn with Sarsfields of Galway, all in All Ireland semi-finals, while in their two finals, they drew with Birr in ’95 before going down in the replay, lost to Sixmilebridge of Clare in ’96.

“I don’t think anyone but ourselves appreciated how difficult our win was over them last year”, said Birr captain Gary Hanniffy.

“That game was of huge benefit to us going into the All Ireland final,” said Hannify. “ We’re not surprised they’re still there, we have a lot of experience of them, know how good they are.”

Added O’Kane: “We were confident we could beat Mount Sion, we know that on our day, if we get the breaks, we can beat anybody. They have Ken McGrath, Tony Browne, guys like that there, but we knew we had good hurlers in Dunloy too.

“We said we’d go at them and we did, then just before half time we conceded a goal, lack of concentration, and handed them the initiative. But we dug deep, came back from that, because that’s what we do, we just keep trying, plugging away, hoping to get the breaks. Yesterday, we did.”

“I’m not surprised they beat Mount Sion, I was going to back them yesterday at 6/1”, reckoned Birr manager Padjoe Whelahan; “I fancied them. They outhurled us last year and there was only four points in it at the end, so we knew”.