Harty Cup: Ardscoil Rís navigate way past stern John the Baptist test
CLOSE QUARTERS: John The Baptist's Niall McNamara tackles Ardscoil Rís' Marc O'Brien. Pic: Eddie O'Hare
Ardscoil Rís may have been raging hot favourites coming into this Harty Cup quarter-final but John the Baptist CS provided a stern test of their mettle before advancing.
The 2022 All-Ireland champions still led from pillar to post in this all-Limerick clash at Kilmallock, although that lead looked to be slipping away when reduced to one with eight minutes remaining.
Ardscoil, however, had some cards to play off their bench even with Clonlara star Diarmuid Stritch ruled out through injury.
Eoin Carey slotted a nerve-settler before Limerick U20 Fintan Fitzgerald stepped up with a closing brace, pointing to the crowd in celebration after he pushed the gap out to three.
It sends Ardscoil through to a titanic semi-final tussle against last year’s runners-up Thurles CBS.
They entered this contest having dispatched their group-stage opponents by an average margin of nine points but the Hospital school were battle-hardened having come through a preliminary quarter-final on their return to Harty hurling.
Top-scoring midfielder Owen Meany filled a deep-lying role to shield his defence and they had some success in restricting Ardscoil’s starting inside line to one point from play.
The Bruff prospect also started attacks when John the Baptist went short from their restarts but Ardscoil’s smart passing play, mirroring the Limerick seniors’ style, was able to isolate wing-forwards Michael Collins and Marc O’Brien for 0-3 apiece.
They were among eight All-Ireland minor champions from Clare who saw action and Collins’ form forced John the Baptist to deploy three different markers on him across the hour.
His three-point contribution came in the opening 13 minutes including a stylish opening brace from along the frozen sideline shaded by the Fitzgerald Park stand.
Hugh Flanagan opened John the Baptist’s account and Diarmaid Hurley brilliantly blocked down an Ardscoil clearance, controlled it, and pointed in one flowing sequence.
In between, Daniel Chaplin converted his first of four first-half frees before a three-point run by James Finn, storming up from half-back, Collins reading an opposition puck-out, and another Chaplin free.
Still, Seán Casey and Barry Callinan were dishing out some big hits to stem the flow while Michael Leo and Shane Treacy were having plenty of success in their defensive duels. Griffin McCaffrey was a livewire at midfield and he won a free for Meany to do the rest.
Goalkeeper Fionn O’Brien’s accurate distribution found Marc O’Brien for his opener and Collins drew back-to-back frees for Chaplin to dispatch.
Eoin Begley split the posts from the most acute of angles but John the Baptist were also finding their groove, with two points from Flanagan and a final Meany free leaving it at 0-10 to 0-6 at midway.
They evenly shared eight points in the third quarter. Callinan was coming into the game for the underdogs and he won a free for Meany before teeing up McCaffrey, who was pushing further forward and twirled away from a tackler to score.
O’Brien had the first four shots of the half for Ardscoil, resulting in two white flags, the latter after a smart catch in a crowded area and manufacturing the room to swing the hurley.
They could’ve killed off the game at that juncture when Fitzgerald released Riain McNamara in on goal but his batted effort was saved by Lorcan Costelloe.
Chaplin nailed the 65 and another free but their shooting was otherwise becoming pock-marked by wides.
The final wide count read 14-6, with Ardscoil’s 17 points mined from 33 shots (a conversion rate of just over half), while John the Baptist’s 0-13 came from 21 shots (a 62% success rate).
John the Baptist were more efficient but they couldn’t force enough chances from open play, with just five points aside from placed balls, of which Meany added two more.
But driven on by more heroic blocks by Niall McNamara and Jack O’Neill, they clipped three points on the spin.
It was sparked by a brilliant move involving the charging Casey, substitute Niall Connaughton, and Hurley applying the finish before frees from Meany and Flanagan made it 0-14 to 0-13.
The tension was at its highest but Ardscoil would survive this gut check to rebuild a four-point lead via Carey and Fitzgerald.
Led by Seán McMahon, Jamie Moylan, and Finn, they never looked like conceding a goal. Their clean sheet held as Meany’s stoppage-time free was saved on the line before O’Neill whipped the rebound just wide.
D Chaplin (0-6, 5 frees, 1 65); M Collins, M O’Brien (0-3 each); F Fitzgerald (0-2, 1 free); J Finn, E Begley, E Carey (0-1 each).
O Meany (0-6 frees); H Flanagan (0-4, 2 frees); D Hurley (0-2); G McCaffrey (0-1).
F O'Brien (Bruree); J O'Keeffe (Na Piarsaigh), S McMahon (Smith O'Briens, j-capt), S Morrissey (Dromin-Athlacca); J Finn (Na Piarsaigh), J Moylan (Cratloe), D Scully (Dromin-Athlacca); R McNamara (Cratloe), M O'Halloran (Sixmilebridge); M Collins (Clonlara), F Fitzgerald (Mungret St Paul’s, j-capt), M O’Brien (Cratloe); E Begley (Clonlara), D Neville (Cratloe), D Chaplin (Sixmilebridge).
D Gleeson (Adare) for O’Keeffe (38), P Kearney (Adare) for Neville (47), E Carey (Cratloe) for Chaplin (47), S Arthur (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for M O’Brien (55).
L Costelloe (Hospital-Herbertstown); N McNamara (Pallasgreen), S Treacy (Staker Wallace), M Leo (Knockainey); D Heavey (Garryspillane), S Casey (Bruff), F Leahy (Knockainey); O Meany (Bruff), G McCaffrey (Hospital-Herbertstown); S Ryan (Garryspillane), H Flanagan (Garryspillane), B Callinan (Bruff); D Hurley (Hospital-Herbertstown), C Cronin (Bruff), H Murnane (Caherline).
N Connaughton (Caherline) for Leahy (28), J O’Neill (Bruff) for Callinan (38, inj), C Murphy (Ballybricken-Bohermore) for Cronin (55, inj), A Carroll (Staker Wallace) for Meany (58, inj), Meany for Murnane (60+2, inj).
J Hayes (St Senan’s).
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