Battling Shamrocks in clover

WHAT an absolutely magnificent game to start the hurling championship season.

Had justice been done, had this ended in a draw, then without a shadow of a doubt every one of the near 9,000 enthralled attendance would have returned to see these two superbly conditioned sides go at it again.

This All-Ireland Club senior hurling semi-final, played on a near-perfect pitch at Portlaoise on Saturday, had everything anyone could ask for — score-taking of the highest calibre, goals galore, points from all angles and distances, pace, power, precision, the full range of hurling’s wide array of skills were on fulsome display. And of course there was plenty of drama.

In the first-half, Toomevara raced into a massive lead and looked like ending this one early.

They were ahead 2-2 to 0-2 after six minutes thanks to brilliantly-taken goals from outstanding centre-forward Eoin Brislane and flying winger Paddy O’Brien. The scoreboard read 3-4 to 0-4 after 16 minutes with full-forward John Delaney adding the third goal; then a whopping 12-point lead by the 28th minute, 3-10 to 0-7, and it looked all over for the youthful Kilkenny champions.

Toomevara were cruising, in total control in every area of the pitch, their defence of Barry Dunne, Tony Delaney and David Young in the full-back line, Terry Dunne, Benny Dunne and Joey McLoughney in the half row, squeezing the life out of the Shamrocks’ attack.

In midfield, Francis Devanney and Kenny Dunne were on top, all of which meant that an attack in which Brislane and O’Brien were the most eye-catching had an ample supply of good ball, of which they took full advantage.

In the final few minutes before the break, however, came hope for Ballyhale. It came first in the shape of a point from midfielder Cha Fitzpatrick, and then the big one, an opportunist goal from full-forward Paddy Reid after a long Bob Aylward free. Trailing 3-10 to 1-8 at the break, eight points behind was far more manageable than 12, especially for this Ballyhale Shamrocks side. Manager Maurice Aylward explained why.

“I preached nothing else at half-time but that we’d come back from the dead before and could do it again. In the Kilkenny county quarter-final, we were nine points down against Carrickshock, but finished four ahead.

‘‘Anyone could drop their head, say this was gone from them, and in fairness, Toomevara were flying, running at us at every angle, winning every breaking ball. But I knew if we could come within four or five points of them we’d be okay.”

Toomevara manager Pat Herbert knew they were going to face a whirlwind on the re-start, prepared his side accordingly. “We had done a lot of work in the first-half and didn’t want to see that wasted. We knew there would be an onslaught for the first ten minutes of the second, and we actually handled that, but didn’t convert it on the scoreboard.”

And that’s where the game was lost for Toomevara. Seven wides shot in those crucial ten minutes while at the other end the Kilkenny champions began to blossom. The Reid brothers began to make their mark, Paddy, Eoin and TJ all contributing on the scoreboard, with the redoubtable Cha and the impeccable Henry Shefflin also rowing in. Eight shots on goal Henry had on this day, eight points.

By the 18th minute of the second half the margin was down to four points, 3-12 to 1-14, and with the Shamrocks now backed by the slight but significant breeze, the momentum had changed. And then, suddenly, controversially, it changed even more. After an innocuous-looking incident on the sideline at halfway midfield Tommy Dunne was red carded.

“It was nothing much,” said Ballyhale centre-back Aidan Cummins, “He didn’t deserve to go anyway, a yellow card would have been more than enough. There were no dirty strokes, a few hard tackles but nothing much. It might be his last game, very harsh.”

Toome lost this one in the first ten minutes of the second half with all those wides.

That was the difference. And of course there was the second Ballyhale goal, perfectly timed — 53rd minute — perfectly set up, with an intelligent and precise Henry cross, perfectly finished by the lurking Cha, from the edge of the square. That made it 3-13 to 2-14, just two points behind, and the game was up.

“Madness, pure madness,” said a relieved Cummins, but it was a magnificent madness.

Scorers: Ballyhale Shamrocks: H. Shefflin 0-8 (0-7 frees); Cha Fitzpatrick 1-4; P. Reid 1-2; TJ Reid 0-2 (0-1 sideline); E. Reid 0-2; B. Aylward, D. Hoyne, 0-1 each. Toomevara: P. O’Brien 1-4; K. Dunne 0-5 (0-4 frees 0-1 65); J. Delaney 1-1; E. Brislane 1-0; F. Devanney 0-3; W. Ryan 0-1.

BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: J. McGrath; P. Shefflin, E. Walsh, P. Holden; K. Nolan, A. Cummins, B. Aylward; J. Fitzpatrick, M. Fennelly; E. Fitzpatrick, H. Shefflin, TJ Reid; E. Reid, P. Reid, M. Aylward.

Subs: D. Hoyne (Fitzpatrick 34); C. Fennelly (M. Aylward 43).

TOOMEVARA: J. McGrath; Barry Dunne, T. Delaney, D. Young; Terry Dunne, Benny Dunne, J. McLoughney; F. Devanney K. Dunne; P. O’Brien, E. Brislane, Tommy Dunne; M. Bevans, J. Delaney, W. Ryan.

Blood sub: B. McCormack (Devanney 57/60).

Referee: E. Morris (Dublin).