Billy Ryan shine’s as final berth secured
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Leinster SHC – Round 4
Kilkenny 5-19 Dublin 3-21
UPMC Nowlan Park
Referee: Michael Kennedy
The sun splitting the trees, four majors and twelve points on the scoreboard for the hosts and only ten points registered for the visitors, a comfortable afternoon on Noreside for Derek Lyng’s outfit as the short whistle sounded in UPMC Nowlan Park. Time to start thinking about emptying the bench and getting championship minutes into the legs of as many subs as possible? You would have thought that, but Dublin came out a different animal after the interval and got to within two points of Kilkenny in the dying stages of normal time before player of the match Billy Ryan blasted his second goal to the net to see his side home.
As cliche’s go, this was the definitive game of two halves and luckily for the home side, they had done enough in the opening period to ensure a fourth win in this season’s provincial championship and a place in the Leinster decider where their opponent will be decided after this weekend’s round of fixtures, the winner of Dublin’s clash with Galway in Parnell Park will likely face-off against Kilkenny in Croke Park on June 8th.
From the throw-in, the Dubs went on the attack and got the scoreboard moving thanks to a lovely score from Cian O’Sullivan who showed his intent in taking Richie Reid out of his comfort zone before firing over. The talented St. Brigid’s player had a very productive first quarter of the game, notching 0-5, before the Kilkenny management made a change and deployed Mikey Carey to shadow the centre-forward. Adrian Mullen and Mossy Keoghan got the hosts going before Na Fianna’s Sean Currie opened his account in the 6th minute. TJ Reid notched his first of the afternoon from a placed ball effort before the stripey men hit two in a row, courtesy of Mossy and Thomastown’s Stephen Donnelly. A fourth point from Cian O’Sullivan followed before the first of five Cats goals were scored. Cian Kenny struck a long-range free which Conor Burke failed to deal with and Adrian Mullen prodded the sliotar home. A second point of the round 4 clash followed for Sean Currie to cut the home sides lead to two points before Billy Ryan raised the first of his two green flags. A quickly taken sideline ball and nice play between Cian Kenny and Ryan, saw the Graigue Ballycallan blast his shot from about 12 metres out past Dubs netminder, Eddie Gibbons.
Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s charges dug in and collected the next two scores, from Sean Currie and Cian O’Sullivan, but TJ tagged on a free which was added to by points from play by Billy Ryan and temporary sub, Killian Doyle to leave the Cats lead at six points with 25 minutes played at UPMC Nowlan Park. Darragh Power struck over a nice point, but again ill-discipline from the boys in blue saw TJ pop over another placed ball. The impressive Conor Donohoe fired over the first of his four points, but the next score was to be a third major of the Noresiders. Another penetrating run from Billy Ryan gave TJ the chance to goal, and he did just that, despite the strike not being one of his best. The lead was now out to eight points, but about to become eleven. Kilkenny full-back Huw Lawlor sent in a dangerous delivery which a couple of Dublin defenders rose to claim, but as the ball dropped and the most alert man about, Mossy flicked the ball into space before striking to the opposition net. The shell-shocked Metropolitans could have done with a spell of possession or a couple or points before the interval, but the three remaining scores of an action-packed first half all came from the hurl of the oldest player on show, TJ Reid as the men in black and amber went into the changing rooms with a seemingly bullet-proof 14 point lead.
The Dublin management reacted by making a double change during the interval. Ronan Hayes and the experienced Fergal Whitely replacing Colin Currie and Patrick Dunleavy. The first score of the second half came from O’Loughlin’s Jordan Molloy, a fantastic effort from distance, another player putting down roots in Derek Lyng’s panel. A foul on captain John Donnelly led to another point for TJ. Then the Dubs awoke from their slumber. The visitors had decided, like their hosts to use the breeze to their advantage and began raining balls in and around the house. A free from deep inside the Dublin half was struck by keeper, Eddie Gibbons. St Vincent’s clubman John Hetherton rose to collect the ball, but as he came down, he lost his hurl but improvised brilliantly, kicking the sliotar towards the goal, but despite his attempt being blocked, the ball broke to Sean Currie, who struck the ball low past Eoin Murphy on 39 minutes.
Adrian Mullen was then booked for a high challenge, close to the sideline, but the next score was another placed ball effort from TJ, following a foul on Billy Ryan. Dublin midfielder Conor Donohoe was getting to grips in the engine room rifled over a brace of cracking points either side of the first Kilkenny change of the game, Luke Hogan replacing Adrian Mullen. The O’Loughlin’s forward didn’t take long to make his mark, winning the ball, going on a good run before splitting the posts for a sweet score. Emeralds Killian Doyle then entered the fray for the second time, this time in place of the departing Cian Kenny, who appeared to be limping as he left the pitch. Another change for the Capital side, saw Rian McBride replace Conor Burke, as the visitors looked to add more physicality to the middle third. Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s men began to find their rhythm. Billy Ryan was adjudged to have fouled, and Currie dispatched the resulting free. Then St Vincent’s McBride sent over a wonderful score to leave the Cats cushion at eleven points, but this seemingly impenetrable lead was about to dwindle, and in double-quick time.
Referee Michael Kennedy awarded a free and Sean Currie stood over it. Eoin Murphy had plenty of company on his line, but somehow Currie managed to find a gap and his shot nestled in the Cats net and reduce their arrears to eight. The home side appeared a little rattled by the Dubs audacity but rattled was about to become worried. Another booming delivery from Gibbons caused a little chaos in the home rearguard and John Hetherton collected the ball before popping a pass to the supporting Cian O’Sullivan who struck a fierce shot from a tight angle which arrowed past Eoin Murphy. Dublin now just five behind with 15 minutes remaining. Chris Crummey and Conor Donohoe tagged on quickfire points and suddenly it was a one-score game.
Kilkenny were dealt a blow when sub Luke Hogan had to be replaced after his lower left leg appeared to turn in a different direction to the player as he was fouled. TJ popped over the free for his sides first score in some 12 minutes. The next four scores were shared, two from the in-form Billy Ryan and one each from Whitley and Sean Currie. The Dublin bench had certainly helped turn this tie on its head, and another sub, Club Hurler of the Year Andrew Jamieson-Murphy fired over a pair of fine points to leave just the bare minimum between the sides. Everyone was on edge but thankfully the next score would prove decisive. Jordan Molloy went on a strong run before passing to Billy Ryan who finished clinically to ease the Noresiders nerves. The last score of the game was a free from Sean Currie, to take his tally to 2-6 for the Na Fianna man, but time had ran out. Final score, Kilkenny 5-19, Dublin 3-21.
Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 1-9 (0-9f), Billy Ryan 2-2, Martin Keoghan 1-3, Adrian Mullen 1-0, Stephen Donnelly 0-1, Billy Ryan 0-1, Killian Doyle 0-1, Jordan Molloy 0-1, Luke Hogan 0-1.
Scorers for Dublin: Sean Currie 2-6 (1-4f, 0-1 65), Cian O’Sullivan 1-5, Conor Donohoe 0-4, Andrew Jamieson-Murphy 0-2, Darragh Power 0-1, Rian McBride 0-1, Chris Crummey 0-1, Fergal Whitely 0-1.
KILKENNY: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Paddy Deegan; David Blanchfield, Richie Reid, Mikey Carey; Cian Kenny, Jordan Molloy; Adrian Mullen, John Donnelly, Billy Ryan; Martin Keoghan, TJ Reid, Stephen Donnelly.
Subs: Killian Doyle for Blanchfield 24-25, blood, Luke Hogan for Mullen 45, Doyle for Kenny 48, Fionan Mackessy for Hogan 59, Luke Connellan for S Donnelly 71, Tommy Walsh for Blanchfield 72.
DUBLIN: Eddie Gibbons; Conor McHugh, Paddy Smyth, John Bellew; Paddy Doyle, Chris Crummey, Paddy Dunleavy; Conor Burke, Conor Donohoe; Cian O’Sullivan, Brian Hayes, Darragh Power; Sean Currie, John Hetherton, Colin Currie.
Subs: Fergal Whitely for Dunleavy h/t, Ronan Hayes for Colin Currie h/t, Rian McBride for Burke 49, Andrew Jamieson-Murphy for Power 65.
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)
