Newcestown hold off Blarney in replay to clinch Senior A title
GREEN FLAG: Newcestown's Colm Dinneen celebrates his goal past Blarney goalkeeper Conor Murphy during the Co-Op Superstores Cork SAHC final replay at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
Part one of their Senior A double complete. Newcestown, after four years away, are back at the top table of Cork hurling.
In an enthralling Senior A final replay, Newcestown saw an eight-point lead on 24 minutes twice whittled to the minimum in the closing minutes. But these dual operators had not come this far in both codes in an exhausting campaign to be overtaken with the finish line in sight.
When Blarney sub Eoghan Kirby left a white flag between them on 56 minutes, Newcestown’s 40-year-old midfielder Tadhg Twomey won a free that Edmund Kenneally converted.
Shane Barrett’s fourth free and ninth overall again left the minimum between them in the second minute of injury-time. There was a whiff of extra-time now rising from this one.
Newcestown, with a Senior A football final in a fortnight, said to themselves, we need to conserve the littler energy we have left. Sub Ciarán O’Donovan, just on, landed the clincher.
Regraded to Senior A when the county championship was restructured ahead of the 2020 season, Newcestown have reclaimed a seat at the top table.
If the second half of the drawn game was both enjoyable and littered with quality point-taking, the opening half of this replay went a couple of flights of stairs higher. And at a hurtling pace were these flights covered.
Two goals in the 10th minute. A nine-point Newcestown swing. 18 scores in the first 18 minutes.
All six Blarney forwards on the scoresheet by the 21st minute. All six Newcestown forwards on the board by the 24th minute. A third Newcestown goal. From three down inside seven minutes to a lead now eight-strong.
A Blarney response. An interval gap of five. And breathe.
Newcestown’s goals came like buses. The first, on 10 minutes, stemmed from a David Buckley turnover won. Colm Dinneen provided the assist, Edmund Kenneally with the finish.
In the ensuing play, Buckley broke possession, Dinneen went from provider to finisher in an instant. A Dinneen white flag in the play after that and Newcestown had gone from 0-5 to 0-2 behind three minutes earlier to 2-5 to 0-5 in front. Dreamland.
The play went two points for two points for a while after that. A pair from Cian and Shane Barrett had Blarney back within four. 2-8 to 0-10. The inroads they thought they were making were undone from nowhere. A third Newcestown goal. Seán O’Donovan with a superb fetch. Richard O’Sullivan with a superb low finish to the corner.
Buckley’s point thereafter to put all six Newcestown forwards on the copybook left them 3-9 to 0-10 ahead.
Blarney’s revival consisted of four unanswered white flags from Pádraig Power, Shane Mulcahy, and a Barrett pair.
At 3-10 to 0-14 behind at the break, Blarney were still very much alive.
They gained more and more oxygen with each score closer they came in the second period. Not being able to get back on level terms at any point in the second half ultimately sunk them.
Newcestown, at times, didn’t help their own cause. There was one period where they hit three wides in succession and then saw an Edmund Kenneally goal strike saved.
Blarney’s outstanding goal chance fell to Pádraig Power early in the second half. It was deflected out for a 65.
It is rare 0-24 doesn’t win you a county title. It took an exceptional effort to better that. Newcestown are an exceptional team.
In this most exceptional game of hurling, Newcestown’s dual men - not for the first time in 2023 - delivered.
They’ll be back in a fortnight for more.
: E Kenneally (1-6, 0-5 frees); R O’Sullivan (1-4); C Dinneen (1-1); E Collins (0-2); S O’Donovan, J Meade (sideline), D Buckley, C O’Donovan (0-1 each).
S Barrett (0-9, 0-4 frees, 0-1 ‘65); P Power (0-4); J O’Keeffe, M Coleman (sideline), S Mulcahy (0-2 each); C Dunlea, C Hegarty, C Barrett, E Kirby, C McCarthy (0-1 each).
: C Wilson; J Kelleher, M McSweeney, G O’Donovan; C O’Neill, L Meade, E Collins; T Twomey, N Kelly; S O’Donovan, J Meade, D Buckley; E Kenneally, C Dinneen, R O’Sullivan.
Subs: T Horgan for Kelly (47); S O’Sullivan for Dinneen (53); F Keane for Kelleher, C O’Donovan for O’Sullivan (both 61).
: C Murphy; P O’Leary, D Murphy, S Crowley; J O’Keeffe, P Crowley, C Power; O Hegarty, C Hegarty; S Mulcahy, M Coleman, C Barrett; S Barrett, P Power, C Dunlea.
Subs: C McCarthy for C Power (HT); E Kirby for Dunlea (36).
: C McAllister.
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