In a match which warmed the cockles of the hearts of the good attendance in Dunganny on Friday last ,these two Neighbouring Parishes served up a classic and exciting match under lights,the result of which was in doubt right up to the last three minutes.
And believe me your cockles would want to be warmed.The frost intruded to the bone and the excellent pitch froze as the game progressed.But as the man said ,if you had enough dry clothes on you were fine,.Far better than the rain and the damp.Too true.But togged out as a player you would stick to the ground if you stood still long enough.
But none did and a match that would grace the height of summer was served up.
Let me place some personal stuff on record.Killian Minogue and Christopher Harrington saved my life the day I got the stroke.They,Brendan Wright,Damian Bruton and Liam Dempsey cut their farming teeth on my few acres.I know they are made of the rigth stuff.
Mick Minogue and Tommy Keenan invited me aboard the team management for the remainder of this voyage.They have brought these hurlers to this stage of their development.They pick the team.I merely observe and nag.I try to stay unbiased.Such is life.
Team Dun Doire.
Harrington
O Shea Keenan
Garry Wright Kenneally J.P.
Farrell Dempsey .L.
Carty Minogue Moran John
Scannell D. Coogan S.
Subs.
Jordan Martin
Stefan Clarke
Alan Casey
Injured Damian Bruton.
Two lads who cut their hurling teeth here lined out with Athboy,that is Christopher and Ciaran Fitzsimons.These guys are top class hurlers.Our loss is Athboy's gain,Most definitely.
There is a needle in the match.
The match opens in top gear.Before we can blink they have 2-1 on the scoreboard.And the ref awards the first five frees to the Gaels.Were he not a proper hurling referee I would be up in arms.Maybe he is having an off day.Our lads are honest hurlers,not dirty.
Then our luck changes.Fine interplay leads to our first free.Coogan gratefully converts.Coogan is fouled and we miss the free.Dempsey puts his paw up and grabs the puck out and offloads to Minogue who lets in to Scanno,who centres.Goalie collects and clears.Even so that's more like it.
Wright shows his mettle and Moran is fouled in possession,Coogan converts again.
Bomber put the paw up to effect and offloads to Minogue who places an inch perfect pass to the inside forward ,I think Scanno,who converts.It may be Coogan ,not sure in the glare.Dempsey;s paw is in effective action again but Bomber is felled and play stops.O Shea and Keenan show to effect and lead a counterattack and we are fouled on the twenty one.Minogue snakes one to the net,.Nice and casual like.Game on.
We steady the ship.Harrow unhappy at his placement makes a long and relieving clearance.Carty keeps it going and Denise's lad if fouled,He slaps the free over.Minogue slips wide a long distance free and thyme repeat the dose.Wright is fouled and joins the just wide club.
Dempsey reaches for the stars and catches,The Judge grins..A stressed Martin is introduced.John Paul is unlucky.They land a pointed free.Minogue offloads to Carty who eventually delivers an immaculate pass to Martin who picks his spot.A goal for which the word "fatherly" was coined.
They counter attack but first class defending forces the wide.Good play.The teams lock horns and play swings from end to end.Great stuff.The half time clock runs down ,We lead by two.
It gets colder.My left side would freeze seal meat .In Antarctica.
Harry has a hissy fit but earns his bones by stopping a twenty one penalty.Mac an Breitheamh opens his shoulders and plays with abandon for the first time in yonks.Athboy take up the challenge and pull back a minor from play. Then another.Great intensity.The cold recedes.Both teams go at it hammer and tongs.Minogue scores the point of the match so far.Harry pulls off a miracle save ,or does he.The umpire raises a green flag and wont be dissuaded,Two down now.Have we the conjoles.Minoge is at the end of a Dempsey Coogan move and splits the posts.Martyn feeds Carty who gets on his supercharger and scores a goal worth dying for.Yep we have them.Coogan scores another minor from a placed ball.Coogan shits the side netting from play.The Gaels won't lie down.Our exes are inspirational for them.And a good few more.After a hurrock they quarry a point back.And then a goal.What a game.Harry inspires .Martin pulls a minor back.Minogue another.Another minor hurrock.Martin is fouled.We convert.Wright digs in and Coogan passes to Minogue whose first copybook blot results comes from over elaboration.He hits a point wide.He immediately compensates by setting up Martin who narrowly misses.Moran sets up Minogue for a minor.Garry earns his hurling bones and digs deep.Moran is digging in also.Our backs are heroic but the Gaels will not lie down.Dempsey caps it all by scoring a point from play.The auld one,never mind the auld fella,are doing somersaults.And Wright Senior is joining in.O Shea is on the burst and Martyn finishes his inch perfect pass..Coogan scores a minor.Then we got another.Bomber gets thick and stands his hurling ground.Coogan scores a magnificent point from play.Athboy fight on.Martin is beat and limps badly.Coogan gets another.
Its over.
They are all made of the right stuff.
We play the combined might of Blackhall and Drumree in the final.This is nonsense.Leitrim against Cork.Guess who we are.Maybe,just maybe we can do it.We need heroes and we have them.but to win the final we need superheroes.Minogue is arresting Superman this week and Keenan is smuggling him her in the van..I am hiding him in a bunker under the Taj until he shares his secrets.I reckon a steady diet of greasy rashers sugary tay and batch loaf saturated in butter will break him.With plenty of fags thrown in.
Bring it on.
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