Cork's Kilbrittain are All-Ireland champions after pipping 13-man Easkey
Kilbrittain captain Philip Wall celebrates with the cup after victory in the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Junior Club Championship final between Easkey of Sligo and Kilbrittain of Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Junior kings are Kilbrittain. The West Cork outfit are All-Ireland hurling champions.
What an enthralling decider. Easkey first went down to 14 men. They then went down to 13 men. The Sligo men never gave up. They continued hammering at the opposition door. The outcome was still shrouded in doubt in the final seconds of the final minute of injury-time.
Kibrittain’s belated ability to mine benefit from their spare player out on the Croke Park field sees them become the seventh Cork club to be crowned All-Ireland junior hurling champions. There was to be no third consecutive final disappointment for the Cork junior winners on the concluding day.
Behind by 0-11 to 0-10 at the break, Kilbrittain were the more assertive side upon the restart. Poor shooting continued to hamper them. There were three early wides to go with Philip Wall and Ronan Crowley points.
Tied at 0-12 apiece, then arrived the final’s key moment. Easkey full-forward Andy Kilcullen, who’d already chalked up six white flags, was dismissed on a straight red card for a high challenge on Kilbrittain sharpshooter Mark Hickey.
The red card was incredibly harsh. There appeared no malice or intent from Kilcullen. The Sligo sidelined fumed at the decision. The removal of a player who’d come into the game with 15-77 beside his name.
Luke Griffin and Hickey sniped a pair. Kilbrittain in front by two for the first time. The lead did not grow from there. They’d not add to their tally for another nine minutes. There was no tangible numerical advantage.
The 14 men of Easkey, driven by the outstanding Rory McHugh, and Thomas and Finian Cawley, reeled off an unanswered three points to return in front.
Kilbrittain captain Philip Wall broke the streak on 51 minutes. His half-forward colleagues Ronan Crowley and Hickey followed suit.
Crowley’s fourth of the final left the black and amber sitting 0-18 to 0-16 in front on 56 minutes. Still the numerically disadvantaged Easkey challenged. A pair from Thomas Cawley, the first of which stemmed from a superb catch by the same player.
Cawley, though, will have his regrets. He had three second half wides. Two of those were late on when the game was an 0-18 apiece stalemate.
Kilbrittain cried their own injustice close to the finish. A series of calls went against forwards in scoring positions. Eventually they got the call. A foul on sub Conor Ustianowski two minutes into injury-time. Fionn Connolly walked on a second yellow. Hickey converted to bring his tally to nine and to bring the glory to his club.
The interval scoreline had read 0-11 to 0-10 in favour of Easkey. It was a scoreline Kilbrittain were happier with. Consider that five minutes before the call for half-time, Andy Kilcullen had kicked the sliotar to the net for an Easkey goal and a 1-10 to 0-7 lead. The goal, though, wouldn’t stand.
The full-forward had been fouled outside the large parallelogram by James Hurley and then fouled inside it by Aaron Holland. Referee Eamonn Furlong brought play back for the initial indiscretion. A white flag instead of green. A four-point lead inside of six. A massive moment of many.
Kilbrittain, who had lacked a clinical edge in the opening quarter, including three wides and a fourth attempt blocked down all inside the first five minutes, would finish the half with three unanswered points. All three came from the stick of Mark Hickey. His half-time total read 0-6.
The half-forward burst onto a breaking ball following a Josh O’Donovan delivery upfield. He converted a free from halfway after full-back Hurley was found and fouled far from home. And he converted again when sweeper Fionn Connolly overcarried.
As noted, the Cork champions’ conversion rate was anything but this healthy starting off. This early collection of misses also featured a tame Conor Hogan goal effort that Adam Rolston scooped away.
Kilbrittain’s inside line were finding space and sparking menace when fed, but white returns were the best they could manage. Luke Griffin, when shooting from too far out and an acute angle, was blocked down.
Their opening sequence from Bertie Butler, Ronan Crowley, and Seán Sexton pushed them 0-3 to 0-2 ahead on five minutes. It was the sole first-half occasion they would lead.
Dangerman Kilcullen, who had the first ball flicked away from him by Hurley, announced himself to the final with a pair in a four-in-a-row Easkey run. He’d later convert a sideline.
Bar two short from the same player, the Connacht champions were leaving nothing behind. Their first wide of the half didn’t arrive until the 27th minute. They trailed by double scores 0-10 to 0-5 before getting their scoring act together.
There were many more acts to this phenomenal drama. Rightly or wrongly, Easkey will carry a sense of injustice home to West Sligo. Kilbrittain carry home the silverware to West Cork.
M Hickey (0-9, 0-5 frees); R Crowley (0-4); P Wall (0-2); S Sexton, C Hogan, L Griffin, B Butler (0-1 each).
A Kilcullen (0-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 sc); T Cawley (0-5, 0-2 frees); F Cawley (0-2); O Moylan, R McHugh, R Molloy, E Moylan, D Rolston (0-1 each).
D Desmond; E O’Neill, J Hurley, D Considine; T Sheehan, A Holland, E O’Neill; S Sexton, J O’Donovan; M Hickey, P Wall, R Crowley; B Butler, L Griffin, C Hogan.
T Harrington for O’Neill (49); D Harrington for Butler (54); C Ustianowski for Hogan (56); E Byrne for Considine (62).
A Rolston; O Moylan, J Weir, S Molloy; D Hanley, R McHugh, E-Rua McGowan; R Molloy, N Kilcullen; D Rolston, F Connolly, E Moylan; T Cawley, A Kilcullen, F Cawley.
F Moylan for E Moylan (HT); C Vereker for D Rolston (49); P Walsh for Molloy (58).
E Furlong (Wexford).
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