Dunloy stun St Thomas' to reach All-Ireland club final

JOY: Nicky McKeague, left, and Kevin McKeague of Dunloy Cuchullains celebrate after their side's victory in the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final against St Thomas of Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Dunloy 1-14 St Thomas’ 0-13 

Dunloy, not for the first time in their proud history, both overpowered and stunned Galway opposition to return to the concluding afternoon of the All-Ireland club hurling championship.

Where it was Athenry in 1995 and Portumna in 2004, St Thomas’ are the latest Galway champions to fall at the sword of Dunloy.

This afternoon’s fully merited four-point victory advances the Antrim men to a first All-Ireland club final since 2004 and their fifth overall.

There was no inferiority complex here, no hang-ups. Dunloy were miles the better team. But for their first half inaccuracy - nine wides they registered - this contest would have been settled a lot earlier than was the case.

If last January’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Ballyhale was heartbreak for Thomas’, this was a horror show. It took a Dunloy 1-1 and deficit of six points in the middle of the second half to prompt Thomas’ to belatedly start hurling. Two points was as close as they got on the run for home. Theirs was a no-show.

That aforementioned 1-1 was crucial in finally making Dunloy dominance tell. The semi-final’s sole green flag was a thing of beauty. Nigel Elliott caught Ryan Elliott’s restart. He offloaded to Keelan Molloy, who left four red shirts trailing in his wake before firing past Gerald Kelly.

An Anton McGrath point shortly after had the Ulster winners 1-10 to 0-7 in front.

Conor Cooney (0-2), Mark Caulfield, and Damien McGlynn struck four-in-a-row to reduce the gap to two.

The gap was still two on 54 minutes. But then arrived a Dunloy three-in-a-row from Nigel Elliott, top-scorer Conal Cunning, and half-back Eamon Smyth to take the result beyond their fancied opponents.

The frenetic final quarter was a distance removed from a woeful opening period.

The first half was one of absurd wastefulness. In this year of soaring energy costs, St Thomas’ and Dunloy, in particular, had headed out for the day with the immersion and every light in the house left on.

We counted nine first half Dunloy wides, one of which was a Nigel Elliott half goal chance whipped wide of the target. Add onto that an 18th minute Conal Cunning penalty saved by Thomas’ keeper Gerald Kelly and you’re looking at 2-8 that Dunloy left behind them.

Now, not all of that tally were gimmes. Far from it. But you get the gist of the point that Dunloy’s interval total should have been a hell of a lot more than six white flags.

Thomas’, for their part, had seven wides. Conor Cooney, who accounted for three of their first half 0-6 total, was also responsible for three of their wides tally. Their defence was overstaffed, their attack under-resourced, and their overall play pretty aimless.

On a biting cold afternoon at GAA HQ, neither they nor Dunloy served up any level of decent fare to distract from the winter conditions. Neither side did anything to warm or stir the blood of those tightly bunched in the Hogan Stand.

Summing up a forgettable first half was the fact that both sides endured barren spells running for 16 minutes. There was no score at all between the 16th and 26th minute.

Keelan Molloy and Conal Cunning (‘65 and free) hit three of the last four scores of the opening period to bring the Ulster champions level at the break. Given their far greater number of chances, it said everything of their wastefulness that they did not lead the first half beyond the ninth minute.

The lead they retook early in the second half and never looked like relinquishing it thereafter. Early in the New Year, an Antrim club will contest the All-Ireland hurling final for the 10th time. After four times coming up short, can Dunloy finally take that last step.

Scorers for Dunloy: C Cunning (0-7, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘65); Keelan Molloy (1-2); N Elliott (0-2); E Smyth, S Elliott, A McGrath (0-1 each).

Scorers for St Thomas’: C Cooney (0-6, 0-4 frees); M Caulfield, D McGlynn (0-2 each); E Duggan, O Flannery, É Burke (0-1 each).

Dunloy: R Elliott; P Duffin, R McGarry, O Quinn; E Smyth, Kevin Molloy, A Crawford; E McFerran, C Kinsella; N Elliott, Keelan Molloy, R Molloy; S Elliott, C Cunning, D Smith.

Subs: A McGrath for Smith (29 mins); P Shiels for Crawford (33, inj); N McKeague for N Elliott (58); G McTaggart for R Molloy (63).

St Thomas’: G Kelly; C Mahony, F Burke, J Headd; E Duggan, David Burke, C Burke; B Burke, C Cooney; M Caulfield, O Flannery, D McGlynn; V Manso, B Farrell, É Burke.

Subs: C Headd for Farrell (HT); S Cooney for Manson (42); Darragh Burke for Caulfield (53).

Referee: J Keenan (Wicklow).