William Harmon praises Rahillys' battling qualities

The Strand Road outfit didn’t score for the 25 minutes of action that followed Barry John Keane’s 39th minute goal but they did enough to keep Newcastle West at bay

Sat, 10 Dec, 2022 - 18:27

John Fogarty

William Harmon praised the battling qualities of his Kerins O’Rahillys charges to see out their first Munster senior football title.

The Strand Road outfit scored just one point following Barry John Keane’s 39th minute goal but they did enough to keep Newcastle West at bay in a tense affair in Mallow.

“When it comes to major finals, you just want to get over the line. The lads were probably thinking they (Newcastle West) were going to have to score four or five points. If they didn’t get a goal, could they score that.

“We felt we could hold out if we got our hands on the ball. We just made one or two silly errors that kept the momentum their way but Dave Moran and Tommy (Walsh) just caught some unbelievable ball in the last few minutes when we needed it. It’s a point win, that’s what the records say and we’re delighted with that.”

Harmon isn’t an O’Rahillys man but he could fully appreciate the outpouring of delight among the supporters including former players after the final whistle.

"There are a lot of people there and you could see the joy on their faces afterwards. For the club and the community, it’s huge. They have been in a lot of finals where they have come out the wrong side of close, tough battles but today it’s their time, which is fantastic.”

Newcastle West manager Jimmy Lee was just as proud of his players for fighting back to within a point by the end, coming just short of forcing extra-time as they did in their semi-final win over Clonmel Commercials last month.

“They’re as good a group of young fellas as I’ve met. I’m extremely proud of them. They should be proud of themselves, their families should be proud of them, the club is proud of them, and the town is proud of them. They’ve gone on a massive journey. It’s hard to take but it’s fine margins.

“One thing I’m not going to do is be critical of the players. I wish Kerins O’Rahillys well. I can’t ask any more of them lads inside there. I had a 17-year-old, an 18-year-old, a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old. To show the character they showed as a young bunch of lads says more about them than it does about myself.

“They never threw in the towel. They kept going to the bitter end. You’d have to stand up and admire them for that.”