Today was a brutal winter's day,the sort of day on which you would think twice about putting even a milk bottle out.The game was played nevertheless and we scraped home by three points.I had to get out of the car to see the game and ended up like a drowned rat and the paper on which I recorded the action melted in the rain so I haven't the exact score.When I get it I will put it up.(2-8 to 1-8)
But before I get to this game I want to hark back to the previous game against KIllyion which was played last weekend and which we won comfortably enough.
Now last weekend was just a hop skip and jump from the won Intermediate Final and severe and hard celebrating had been had during the week immediately preceding the Killion game.
As long as I have known them Killion are a serious hurling outfit and if you beat them you do beat someone.We don't do it too often.
So I was interested to gauge how we would respond to a hard contest .
I could nearly feel the backwash of stale beer from some of our guys.But youth is great.Without over exerting themselves our guys displayed a confidence in their own ability which comes from long practice ,familiarity and the confidence that winning brings.They played with confidence ,aplomb and threw the ball around so effectively that it really didn't matter who scored because the over riding thing was the teamwork.
These guys are skillful,confident ,brave and united.
All the guys who played on the Intermediate team the previous weekend were on their game and exuded an authority that was infectious and I concentrated on watching the performance of those who didn't get the start the previous weekend.
And I was impressed.
Alan Casey kept a mean goal.His puck outs were on the spot and he is not lacking in confidence.He may be the real thing.
Dylan Keenan at corner back has all the skills ,is as brave as a bull and has a voice like rhino in heat .He just needs to speed up one step in five to achieve his full potential .Aaron Feeney is a great bit of stuff and has it all also in skills and in the liathroidi department,He is a little raw but improves with every outing.
Cathal Ryan had a very impressive debut at this level and serialising his true potential.A bit raw but ballsy .
Stefan Clarke had a great game too and is a pleasure to watch.If he was a horse I'd say he has no vices.
Simon Carty ,better noted as a footballer,has the speed of a gazelle ,no little skill,pluck aplenty and an eye for the ball second to none.Needs a bit more practice.
And Stephen Coogan we all know has it all too but probably would benefit from a bit more hurling.
Now in the Killlion match the more established lads didn't get out of second gear and it was up to the guys above to take on the game,and in the second half particularly Killion threw caution to the wind and went for it gig time.
Our boys stood their ground ,weathered the storm comfortably and became came made men in the process
Won by six points I think
Mc Cabe,Leonard and Mikey got a run late on and slotted right in.
Today we lined out as on the last day.
Casey
Dempsey Keenan
Ryan Wright Feeney
Lukie Martyn (0-5.)(3f) O Shea
Clarke Moran -0-2 Carty
Walshe 1-0 Coogan 1-1
Sub used. P.Mulligan for Ryan.
I was uplifted when I saw Stephen Masterson appear to referee the game.Serious players deserve serious referees
And this was a serious test.That there is no love lost between the teams is no longer in doubt after this game.Clanns were men on a mission.They are teak tough and physically intimidating and went about their work with a vengeance in horrible conditions for hurling.But our guys didn;t flinch and meet them head on.Nothing soft, but I did think that Lukie was unfairly targeted and hit the far side of acceptably in the first fifteen minutes by a variety of opponents.Not sporting and a very tolerant Masterson put an end to it after he was ploughed out of it shamefully after he had parted with the sliotar,The Yellow card did the trick , the intimidation stopped and teak tough hurling ensued.
Alex came up trumps yet again ,rattling the net yet again past former Dunderry player Ciaran Fitsimons ,who stopped a few outrageous bullets over the hour,And then Coogan scored a minor to put us four up before they scored a point.
The game was slugged out for the first thirty minutes in a downpour,with scores as scarce as hen's teeth until the halftime whistle at which we led by 1-4 to 0-4 and deservedly so I thought
After the restart Coogan came good and did what he was threatening for some time.He got possession,left half of Athboy in his wake and bulged the net with a shot that Fitzsimons didn't even see,And we followed up with a point.Goals win matches they say and we ought have made more of our lead.
Athboy ,like a wounded bull just wouldn't lie down and die and came at us in waves .and clawed their way back into the game putting sufficient points over the bar to reduce our lead to five points with eight minutes to go ,when they too rattled the onion bag.
There often develops a certain flow to a game and in these final minutes the force was with Clanns.All the decisions went their way but the back line ,Keenan and Dempsey in particular held their nerve and when Lukie pointed on the cusp of time we all breathed a sigh of relief.
Overall we played well against a highly motivated and strong team,but only rarely hit top gear,sometimes over elaborating when a simpler approach would have yielded richer dividends.
I don't know who we play in the final but I do know that we have to up our game for it and get out of cruise mode.
Minogue and Timber have their work cut out.
Next up is the little matter of dehorning the Kilkenny bull in our own backyard on 16th .
Bring it on says I.
I pray O Farrell and Bligh create history and bring the match to Dunderry.
Leinster Council are you listening ?
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