Silence is golden as Shelmaliers crowned Wexford champions in empty stadium

Shelmaliers players celebrate with the trophy Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

SHELMALIERS - 3-18
NAOMH ÉANNA - 3-11

With only themselves for company, Shelmaliers cheered only their second-ever Wexford SHC title but they didn’t care. As Simon Donohue lifted the Dr RJ Bowe Cup in a largely vacant stand in Chadwicks Wexford Park, they made enough noise to make up for the lack of supporters.

Manager Vinny Parker was in charge when they won their first crown six years ago. The lack of a crowd this time around didn’t make this latest success any different, he insisted. “If you ask those lads on the pitch, it definitely doesn’t diminish it. It’s been a powerful championship. The standard of hurling has been great and the whole country got to see it on TG4.

“It was never mentioned in our camp at all. No player ever mentioned it. Our focus was on 2pm today. That’s all we were interested in. It doesn’t bother us. For people at home, they were probably disappointed that they were looking at it on telly. I imagine they’ll line the streets on the way out and they’ll get their turn to celebrate.” Ahead from the fourth minute until the final whistle, there was nothing less sweet about Shelmaliers’ performance. Sure, the 10 wides in the first half threatened to upset their confidence but by the break they had composed themselves to take a deserved 1-10 to 1-5 lead into the interval.

And while they then saw a nine-point advantage whittled down to three they restored it by the 56th minute. Up front, Ross Banville was masterful with a personal tally of 1-8 - he also expertly set up James Cash for the first of Shels’ two second-half goals.

At the back, the Donohue brother Simon and Jody were in mean form and together with Aidan Cash were impressive in silencing Cathal Dunbar and Conor McDonald, the latter only scoring one point from play. Jody also helped himself to two points.

Aidan Cash had been at fault when Dunbar found the net after the first water break but he made a superb block to deny Joe Kelly a goal chance in the 34th minute that was quickly followed by his brother James’ goal.

“Massive,” said Parker of the intervention. “That's what we are drilling into the lads all year. It's all about work-rate. You can have all the tactics that you want and fancy drills but it comes down to work-rate.

“If you get the hooks and body in, you make your luck. They made their, luck on that occasion, great block in, worked the ball down and punished at the other end, a six-point swing, huge in the game. We'll take it."

Other teams would have wilted with the amount of physical hits that came their way. Early on, Shels lost Conor Walsh when he came out the worse of a challenge and a couple of others also required treatment but they were resilient.

"They are an athletic, strong team, very fit and they don't mind teams getting stuck in,” Parker remarked of his players. 

“They are able to handle it and keep their focus and hurl. And that's what we were trying to get into them. If teams get in to you, you have to keep your head. There were some heavy hits in the early in the match but they kept working. We wore them down in the end, we finished much stronger.” 

Backed by a wind, Shels were five points up after 16 minutes although a lot of their shooting was done on sight. They led by four points prior to the water break but that was reduced to one directly after it when Dunbar netted.

Their erratic shooting and some indiscipline allowed Naomh Éanna back into it and the margin was a solitary point two minutes into first-half additional time. However, Shels’ finish to the half was electric. After a second Conor Hearne point, early substitute Arnie Murphy was brought down by Eoin Conroy and after consulting with his umpires referee Barry Redmond awarded the penalty, which Banville hit to the net with conviction.

Cash’s goal then sent them nine up but Naomh Éanna responded with an unanswered 1-3 including a goal by Cian Molloy.

However, a third goal from Seán Keane Carroll in the 42nd minute pushed Shels six ahead and a hat-trick of consecutive scores from Banville in the space of a couple of minutes ended the game as a contest.

Scorers for Shelmaliers: R Banville (1-8, 1-0 penalty, 3 frees, 1 65); J Cash, S Keane-Carroll (1-1 each); C Hearne, J Donohue (0-2 each); G Malone, E Doyle, C O’Shaughnessy, E Nolan (0-1 each).

Scorers for Naomh Éanna: P Doyle (0-7, 5 frees); C Dunbar, C Molloy, G Molloy (1-0 each); D Hughes (0-2); C McDonald, G Cullen (0-1 each).

SHELMALIERS: B Murphy; J Donohue, A Cash; S Donohue; G Malone, B Malone, C Walsh; C Hearne, E Doyle; J Cash, R Banville, S Keane-Carroll; C O’Shaughnessy, E Nolan, J Kelly.

Subs: A Murphy for C Walsh (inj 8); K. Roche for C O’Shaughnessy (60+2), A. O’Brien for J Donohue, D O’Neill for J Kelly (both 60+3).

NAOMH ÉANNA: J Cushe; B Travers (c), E Conroy, P Travers; J Cullen, S Doyle, T Stafford; A Doyle, G Molloy; C Molloy, P. Doyle, C. McGuckin; J. Kelly; C McDonald, C Dunbar.

Subs for Naomh Éanna: D. Hughes for D. O’Brien (36), J Doran for C. Dunbar, G Cullen for C McGuckin (both 53); C Browne for T Stafford (60).

Referee: B. Redmond (Na Fianna, Clonard).