Final win 'a signpost' for ambitious Kilshannig, says boss Murphy
GENERATION GAME: Midfielder Damian Murphy celebrates with his children Emma and Isla. Picture: Larry Cummins
Relief at what they have said goodbye to. Ravenous to find out where the open road might take them.
The recent history of Cork Junior hurling champions is encouraging. Kilshannig know what their recent predecessors have achieved. A historic first junior grabbed, that is now their next set of goalposts.
2020 winners Lisgoold are now a third-tier Premier Intermediate side. The 2021 champions Ballygiblin have since landed All-Ireland honours and climbed to the fourth rung of the local ladder. And lastly to 2022 winners Erin’s Own, who bested Kilshannig in that year’s decider. They took the Premier Junior at the first attempt and were denied, after a replay, a third successive promotion by the aforementioned Lisgoold.
“It is a signpost for us as to where you can go,” said winning Kilshannig manager Pat Murphy.
“We see Kilbrittain, after winning the Premier Junior county, are out acquitting themselves so well in Munster. Like that, there is a golden opportunity there if you want to drive on.
“It is open road if you want to drive on, and you can certainly capitalise on the opportunities if you have the hunger, will, desire, and all the pieces of the jigsaw in place. If you can bring them, you are certainly in a great place to progress.”
Before their gaze turned to tomorrow, they gave thanks for being able to turn their back on the divisional quagmire. No longer will their start line be the group phase of the Avondhu championship.
“Avondhu is a very difficult division. Probably any one of six teams are well capable of winning it. Certainly, it is a great weight off our shoulders. It takes us to another level which for the club is a watershed for hurling in Kilshannig.”
Save for a third quarter where Ballinora had ample opportunity to wipe out a 0-10 to 0-6 interval deficit, Kilshannig were the superior force.
And when Ballinora squandered that period of opportunity and chance by raising just two white flags from nine attempts in the 10 minutes after half-time, Kilshannig subsumed the let-off and, still in front by two, set off for the winning post.
On 44 minutes, that period of squander was punished. Paddy Walsh played possession to Éanna O’Hanlon. The full-forward's shot wickedly bounced in front of goalkeeper Barry Crowley and into the net.
From the 44th minute to the last, Kilshannig outgunned the five-in-a-row Mid Cork champions by 1-7 to 0-2.
O’Hanlon swelled his personal tally to 1-3, man of the match half-back Kieran Twomey finished up with three from play, as did centre-forward Jack Twomey. Subs Colin Ruby and Kevin Smith partook in the winning act.
As was the case in the opening half, their movement and interplay were greater, their engineering and execution of scoring opportunities from play far more seamless.
A double-scores county final win. Nine different scorers from play. Never once did they fall behind. For less than a minute did their opponents stand level early doors. A dream collection of final day stats.
A dream decade thus far for Kilshannig. Intermediate A football success in 2022 and Premier Intermediate football silverware last year has now been followed by Junior hurling glory.
Ten players - Colm O’Shea, Conor Murphy, Kieran and Michael Twomey, Bill Curtin, Eoghan Burke, Darragh and Diarmuid O’Sullivan, and Éanna and Killian O’Hanlon - featured in both the football win of 12 months ago and Sunday’s lifting hurling victory.
“It has been a fantastic run,” Murphy continued. “Management in hurling and football have worked seamlessly this year, as it has in the last number of years. We are getting the results from that unity of purpose. We are maybe a bit overwhelmed after reaching the holy grail (county championship proper), as we call it.”
The difference on the scoreboard meant they were in the privileged position of being able to celebrate coming across the finish line. From the winners' podium, they paid tribute to local jockey Michael O’Sullivan who passed away in tragic circumstances earlier this year.
On and off the field, Kilshannig hit the right notes.
: É O’Hanlon (1-3); K Twomey (0-4, 0-1 ‘65), P Walsh (0-4, 0-2 frees); J Twomey (0-3); D O’Sullivan (0-2); D Murphy, K O’Hanlon, C Ruby, K Smith (0-1 each).
: B Mayer (0-5, 0-4 frees); J Hegarty, D Holmes (0-2 each); D Corkery (free), C Quirke (0-1 each).
: D Kearney; D Guiney, C O’Shea, C Murphy; K Twomey, B Curtin, E Burke; Darragh O’Sullivan, D Murphy; P Walsh, J Twomey, E O’Hanlon; R Crowley, K O’Hanlon, Diarmuid O’Sullivan.
SUBS: C Ruby for Crowley (50 mins); S Lyons for O’Sullivan (56); K Smith for K O’Hanlon, M Twomey for Murphy (both 60).
: B Crowley; T Forde, N Lordan, J Byrne; C O’Flynn, S Kingston, M O’Brien; L Lyons, T Burns; D Holmes, D Dineen, D Corkery; B Mayer, A O’Shea, J Hegarty.
SUBS: J Keohane for Corkery (temporary, 27-29); J Keohane for O’Shea (HT); M Lordan for D Lyons (47); S Lyons for Holmes (49); C Quirke for Corkery (52).
: C McAllister.
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