Cunning stars as Dunloy dethrone Slaughtneil in Ulster
JOY, AT LAST: Dunloy’s Paul Shields and Ryan Elliott lift the cup.
AFTER the final peeps came from the whistle of referee Peter Owens and the Dunloy fans raced onto the pitch to greet their first Four Seasons Cup triumph in a baker’s dozen years, the microphone was handed to captain Ryan Elliott.
Slaughtneil and Dunloy have defined the Ulster hurling Championship for the last five years. The standout moments included a crowd of 6,412 that went to see them in 2017, but in three meetings since, the Derry team finished winners by the end.
Elliott said in his gracious comments to the beaten side, ‘you have been in our heads all these years.’
“It was probably the day that this team evolved again,” explained Dunloy manager Gregory O’Kane.
“It was a game to be won and it had to be Slaughtneil. That’s where it was today.
“2019, Slaughtneil beat us in an Ulster final. And I think we finished that match with something like 8 U-21s. Two of them were U-20, and that the majority of your team. That team needs to develop. That 19-year-old now is 23 and so on.
“Physically, big game experience, it takes all that. Probably today, we were able to match Slaughtneil physically and the hurling then took over.” While they played with a team carrying that hurt, they also got a little bit of luck at the opportune times.
The game was settling into a pattern with Slaughtneil establishing a 0-3 to 0-1 lead after eight minutes. Then, a raking clearance from Aaron Crawford was expected to be dealt with by goalkeeper Oisin O’Doherty. He attempted to shield the ball, but with Nigel Elliott coming steaming for the loose ball, managed to turn it into his own net.
With Conal Cunning a hugely influential figure at full-forward, Dunloy were posing all sorts of questions off a beleaguered Slaughtneil rearguard, while the usually metronomic Cormac O’Doherty was having by his standards an off day from the dead ball.
Cunning grabbed five of Dunloy’s six points in the first half, the other coming from Anton McGrath. But they were also living dangerously and goalkeeper and captain Ryan Elliott had to be exceptionally sharp twice in two minutes as the half was drawing to a close, first to keep out an effort from Jerome McGuigan that was called back for an earlier foul, and then after McGuigan picked out Brian Cassidy with a delightful bit of stickwork but Elliott flicked it away for a ‘65’ that O’Doherty converted.
Just the half time whistle loomed, a booming clearance from Eoin McFerran was fastened on by Nigel Elliott who got the ball to hand and chose placement to guide his shot beyond O’Doherty to make it 2-6 to 0-7 at the break.
Slaughtneil scored eight of the first ten points in the second half to draw matters level. But the introduction of substitute Nicky McKeague and Declan Smith – both of whom scored – and then Paul Shiels, calmed Dunloy.
Spooked by the time running out, Slaughtneil came once again with a massive effort, but four wides in the last ten minutes left them looking oddly out of sorts.
In the heart of the defence, Ryan McGarry and Kevin Molloy successfully repelled the champions, who had Meehaul McGrath dismissed in injury time.
Slaughtneil have been wonderful and impressive champions. Their manager Michael McShane stopped to talk after emerging from a sombre dressing room and eloquently explained their position.
“I’ve just said to the players in the changing room there, not for one second will I be criticising any of them. They have done so much service to Slaughtneil, to Derry hurling, to Ulster hurling over the last number of years, we have competed at the top level,” he stated.
“And I’ll say now, absolutely guarantee you, that this Slaughtneil team will be back here in another Ulster final in the not-too-distant future. And it’ll be us coming with the hurt next time.” Dunloy will now face Galway champions St Thomas’ on December 18th in the All-Ireland semi-final.
C O’Doherty (0-5, 4f, 1x’65’), Gerard Bradley (0-3), S McGuigan, B Rogers (0-2 each), C McKaigue, B Cassidy, Shea Cassidy (0-1 each)
O O’Doherty (Slaughtneil, 1-0, own goal), C Cunning (0-7, 3f), N Elliott (1-1), A Crawford, N McKeague, D Smith (0-1 each)
O O’Doherty; P McNeill, K McKaigue, C McAllister; G Bradley, C McKaigue, M McGrath; Shane McGuigan, C O’Doherty; P McCullagh, B Cassidy, R ÓMianáin; B Rogers, J McGuigan, Shéa Cassidy Subs: Sé McGuigan for McCullagh (40m)
R Elliott; P Duffin, R McGarry, O Quinn; A Crawford, Kevin Molloy, E Smyth; C Kinsella, E McFerran; R Molloy, A McGrath, N Elliott; K Molloy, C Cunning, S Elliott Subs: D Smith for S Elliott (40m), N McKeague for A McGrath (50m), P Shiels for Kinsella (53m)
Peter Owens (Down)
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