Experience the key in glory day for Gaels
But there was bitter disappointment for Carrickshock, once a powerhouse in the county, but the wait since their last glory day in 1951 drifts into another season.
There can be no question about the result either as the city side were far sharper from first ball to almost the last. Carrickshock threatened for only a brief few minutes after the start of the second half, when Richie Power’s well-struck penalty was deflected out for a 65, and again towards the end of the tie after midfielder John Tennyson had got on the end of a John Dalton lobbed 65 to double to the net.
Experience was probably the key factor according to O’Loughlin Gaels outstanding centre-back Brian Hogan; not inter-county experience, but club experience. Carrickshock had a host of guys on their team who had played with Kilkenny at every level, including John Dalton, John Tennyson, Michael Rice and Richie Power from the current Kilkenny senior team, David Franks from Offaly, and Richie’s younger brother John from this year’s outstanding All-Ireland-winning Kilkenny minor team.
But, says Hogan, that’s one stage; in front of 11,000 of your own, on the gala day for all clubs – that’s quite another: “I know some of their guys have hurled at the highest level but it’s a different thing hurling with your own team in a county final.
“You’re hurling for your parish, and that brings its own pressure. For some of us on this team this was our fifth final – that brings a benefit, an advantage, and we felt if we could use that, get a good start, that would put pressure on them. Luckily that’s what we did, and we kept the pressure on them throughout the match.”
That was it, exactly. The first two points of the match fell to O’Loughlin Gaels, from the outstanding Alan Geoghegan on the right wing and captain Martin Comerford (a superb hour) at full-forward. And with the scores flowing from a variety of sources (corner-forward Brian Dowling with two beauties), they were four points in front in the 18th minute (0-6 to 0-2), five ahead in the 22nd (0-8 to 0-3), then six to the good at the break (0-10 to 0-4).
“Fair dues to the boys, it’s not easy to keep up that level of work-rate for 60 minutes but they did,” said the experienced Hogan, who himself was in inspirational form at the heart of the defence (though Carrickshock centre-forward Michael Rice was carrying a leg injury).
“And credit for that has to go to some of the younger lads who have come in. Andy Kearns had a great game at full-back on Richie Power, Maurice Nolan and Peter Dowling were super in midfield, the amount of hooks and blocks they put in. They had a job to do and did it. When you win, everything is rosy, and it all worked out today.”
It wasn’t rosy all through for the Gaels, however; while the Carrickshock attack never really managed to fire, they did threaten on a couple of occasions. When John Power was dragged down when through on goal in the 37th minute, they were denied only by a super save from Danny Loughnane, a goalkeeper who in this game was plying his trade at corner-forward but who was brought back to stand in alongside Stephen Murphy.
A goal for Richie Power and for Carrickshock at that stage, and who knows what might have happened?
Power did drill over the subsequent 65, but freetaker Mark Bergin immediately restored the Gaels’ six-point lead with a huge free into the breeze from halfway, and their nerves were again settled.
That lead was extended to eight in the 48th minute (0-15 to 0-7), Bergin with two more points, Martin Comerford (now operating effectively on the 40) with another, and it was looking all over. But Carrickshock, to their credit, finally began to make their presence felt. Three points (two from Richie Power, one from John Tennyson, a powerful presence all through) reduced the deficit, then came that Tennyson goal in the second minute of injury-time to bring it back to a single score (0-16 to 1-10), but it was all too late.
A pity, from the Carrickshock perspective, but the best teams all bounce back from setbacks like this; for O’Loughlin Gaels, however, another Kilkenny title, and another tilt at Leinster around the corner.
Scorers for O’Loughlin Gaels: M Bergin 0-7 (0-5 frees); A Geoghegan 0-3; B Dowling 0-2; M Comerford 0-2; N McEvoy 0-2; S Cummins 0-1.
Scorers for Carrickshock: R Power 0-6 (0-4 frees, 0-1 65); J Tennyson 1-1; M Rice 0-2; N Rohan 0-2.
Subs for O’Loughlin Gaels: S Cummins for B Dowling (56).
Subs for Carrickshock: M O’Dwyer for Hoyne (35); A Power for Rice (inj. 43); R Frisby for Mulcahy (48); B Donovan for P Tennyson (51).
Referee: E Mansfield (Cloneen).
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