Messing pays off for Martin's as Stafford goes down 'in the annals of the parish'
St Martin's players Ben Stafford, left, and Jake Firman celebrate after their side's victory in the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship final match between St Martin's of Wexford and Shamrocks Ballyhale of Kilkenny at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
St Martin's manager DaithĂ Hayes reckons Ben Stafford's Leinster club SHC final matchwinner may have had something to do with the 'bit of messing' the players get up to at training.
Substitute Stafford was only on the field a couple of minutes when the ball squirmed out of a ruck to him, just outside the 65 metre line and deep into stoppage time, providing the platform for a potshot at glory.
The sliotar flew over with plenty to spare at the Hill 16 End and the score settled a dramatic provincial final, sending the title to St Martin's for the first time in the club's history.
Asked about the 63rd-minute winner, Hayes said it will go down in history and said that it wasn't entirely unscripted with training sessions typically beginning with shots from unlikely angles.
"We start off training and we lay the balls out by the sideline and the lads always have a bit of craic, they empty out the bucket by the sideline and shoot from there for a bit of craic," said Hayes.
"Thankfully that bit of messing has paid off because I think it was his first and only touch, close enough to the sideline, straight over the bar. And sure he's made history now, he'll go down in the annals of the parish."
Henry Shefflin's Shamrocks actually led by 1-4 to 0-2 early on and hinted at winning a 13th provincial title with relative ease.
But St Martin's were the better team after that and advanced to a glamour All-Ireland semi-final against Ballygunner on December 20/21.
"How many times have you seen a Kilkenny team steamroll someone when they get that kind of start?" said Hayes. "But we made a couple of changes in the backs and just grew into the game.
"It's massive, it's hugely satisfying to see and the way we won, they stuck to the way we played all year. We didn't change, even when the pressure was on in the last few minutes. It's hugely satisfying.
"The way we responded after the start they got, we didn't cave in. They didn't go into their shells. The one thing we asked them today was to be brave and to have no regrets and keep hurling the way we've always hurled.
"You had your heart in your mouth at times when it was going back and forward, especially with the likes of TJ Reid and Eoin Cody around there and ready to take the ball off you.
"It's hugely satisfying when you see them winning the game that way and continuing to hurl the way we've hurled throughout the year. That's a credit to the players, it takes huge nerve to do that.
"At 1-4 to 0-2, you might turn your back, you mightn't want a puck-out, you might get the ball and launch it long. You mightn't look for it again but they kept their heads up and kept the scoreboard ticking over."
Man of the Match Jack O'Connor is due to be married next weekend, to former Kilkenny camogie star Grace Walsh. It'll be back to hurling business the following weekend when St Martin's face 2022 All-Ireland winners Ballygunner.
"I don't think you can look any further than the next couple of days," said Hayes. "We've just made history. We've made history in Wexford for our own club doing back-to-back for the first time and now we're Leinster champions as well. We'll certainly enjoy the next couple of days and we'll worry about the next challenge after that."
Shamrocks manager Henry Shefflin, who guided the club to two All-Ireland titles in the past, acknowledged that the better team won.
"It's very difficult to be fair but there's the fact that we were probably the second best team and too many of our lads were a little bit off tonight," said Shefflin. "It's very frustrating because there were chances but, to be fair to Martin's, they did enough to get over the end line."
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
