A date and duel to remember

MARK this date down in your calendar – May 3, 2009.

The occasion, the NHL Division One final in Semple Stadium, Thurles. The significance? The arrival, the real arrival to be precise, on the big stage of two precocious talents.

Though still only 20, Richie Hogan has long been flagged as another Kilkenny star in the making, as good a prospect as his famous cousin DJ Carey. In his third season in the senior panel, however, and after a number of runs in various competitions, the doubts were beginning to emerge. Previously unthinkable questions were being asked – was he too small perhaps? Too slow? Lacking the temperament for the big day?

Not after May 3rd in Semple Stadium.

Tipperary’s Noel McGrath is also 20, but only just, several months younger than Hogan. He too has long been a star on the rise, he too has been in or around the senior scene for a couple of seasons. In Noel’s case, however, there was a little more patience, a little less expectation, perhaps – it was just a matter of time.

Yesterday, that time arrived.

Hogan scored 1-9 yesterday, all after half-time in regular time, and all the points scored after team captain and attack leader Henry Shefflin was sent off for a yellow card offence. One of those points was the essence of cool, two minutes into added time of normal time, hard on the sideline, 65 metres out – curled beautifully over the bar, the score marked by a triumphant fist-clench to give Kilkenny a one-point lead.

McGrath finished with 1-5, only one of those points from a free, but that free came three minutes into added time of normal time with his team a point down. Despite it placement in a saucy enough position about 35 metres out, well right of centre – McGrath hit it nervelessly over the black spot. That score tied the game again, sent it to extra-time, but it was more than that – it was a pointer.

Hogan versus McGrath, Kilkenny versus Tipperary – this is the future.

So how did it feel now for two so young, to have lifted the burden of expectation from their shoulders, to have delivered on a big day?

“Fantastic,” said Hogan with the man-of-the-match trophy already stowed away. “It’s always great to win any sort of final, be it league, minor, U21 or senior – it’s always great, and today was no different.”

McGrath, however, was on the opposite end of that spectrum. “It was a good team display,” he agreed, “but we came here to win, we weren’t here just to make up the numbers. All week there was a lot of talk about Kilkenny, but we put it up to them, and I think we were unlucky not to win.”

His disappointment was understandable. Of course, it was never meant to turn out the way it did, was it? The Kilkenny juggernaut was to make its way to Thurles, steamroll Tipperary as they’ve already steamrolled several others this season – including Tipp less than two months ago. The script was simple – pick up the National League trophy, throw it in the back of the bus, head home and look ahead to the real deal, winning another All-Ireland championship title in September, join Cork in the very exclusive four-in-a-row club.

The fear, even among Tipperary fans, was that as happened all too recently in Nowlan Park, it would all be over at half-time with Kilkenny so far out of sight that everyone could head for the hills.

Instead, what we got was a game and a half, with extra-time needed to separate two teams that went toe-to-toe for the full 70 minutes of normal time, still just a point between them at half-time in that, before Kilkenny managed to pull away at the death.

Even then there was drama, long-hitting Tipp keeper Brendan Cummins (some of his puck-outs into the stiff breeze almost seeming to defy the laws of physics, so far did they travel) making the long journey forward to take a 25m free that would have tied the teams again had he goaled and sent it in to yet another extra-time period.

Cummins’ missile, however, got away from him ever so slightly, screamed over the crossbar, and Kilkenny just got across the line.

The league is over, the championship season about to get under way, and boy, this was a bloody good precursor. Kilkenny unbeatable? Tell that to McGrath.

“We didn’t believe that; we nearly pulled it off today, now we’ll have to wait for another day,’’ he said. “The fans were behind us all the way, gave us the support we needed, but we were just short. There’s a great bond in this squad, we all believed we could do the business today, we’re all in it together, all 35 of us, with one aim.”

That aim now? Cork in the Munster first round, on May 31st.

For Hogan? Well, even after yesterday, and given the strength of the Kilkenny squad, he’s not guaranteed a championship starting spot.

It’s tough, being a youngster trying to break into that 15, but Hogan isn’t complaining. “We’re very lucky to even get the chance – there’s a lot of very good club hurlers in Kilkenny who would love to get that chance, lads every bit as good as us; we’re lucky to get the jersey in the first place, then you try to keep that jersey for a while.”

On this evidence, and even with a taskmaster as demanding as Brian Cody, he is surely headed in the right direction, looks set fair to follow in the steps of DJ (looked remarkably like him when taking about seven strides before scoring his goal!). Ironically, however, Richie had a different idol, in his youth.

“John Power was always my favourite hurler growing up, he’s a folk hero; when I was a young fella he played with my father’s club, that’s where I drew most of my inspiration from, though DJ was obviously on that pedestal also.” Move over DJ, make room; after yesterday, May 3rd 2009, you’re going to have company!