Veteran O’Brien top scores as Clarke & O’Reilly shine in Mullingar
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
AIB Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship 2024
Thomastown 1-14 Castletown Geoghegan 1-25
TEG Cusack Park
Alan Mangan masterminded both a surprising and sensational win over Thomastown in the quarter final of the AIB Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship as his side ran out comfortable and deserving 11-point winners in TEG Cusack Park last Sunday. Such was the stunning performance by Castletown Geoghegan, that it echoed of many great Kilkenny victories by another team clad in stripes of black and amber. The dismissal of Jonjo Farrell in the opening stages of the second half provided the platform on which the Westmeath side built a historic victory over their Noreside opponents.
The Kilkenny senior champions made one change to the named line-up, with young Jack Holden coming in to start ahead of Rory Connellan in attack for Noel Doherty’s charges. It was Thomastown that got the scoreboard moving first in Mullingar with another of the young brigade, Colm Treacy splitting the posts having collected a fine delivery from Brian Staunton. The Westmeath champions levelled matters shortly after, when their talisman Niall O’Brien struck over a lovely free from close to the sideline. The same player doubled his tally from the restart, taking a nice pass from Liam Varley before firing over.
The men from the Marble City then raised a green flag when John Donnelly took a fine catch and popped a pass to the on running Luke Connellan who burst clear before rifling across CTG keeper Ciaran O’Brien to settle the visitors in TEG Cusack Park. They nearly hit a second goal when Stephen Donnelly struck the ball across goal and Jack Holden drew on the sliotar, but it drifted agonisingly wide. Thomastown built on their early superiority with a brace of placed balls from Robbie Donnelly.
Westmeath intercounty star Niall O’Brien then sent over a lovely point from play, before Robbie Donnelly tagged on another free for the bookie’s favourites. A poor clearance out of the home sides defence was pounced on by wing back Brian Staunton who registered a cracking score to push his team into a 5-point lead after 12 minutes of action in Mullingar. Again, it was Niall O’Brien that kept the score keepers busy on the home front, as he dispatched another placed ball from a difficult angle. One of CTG’s rising stars, David O’Reilly then finished off a well worked team move as the action went from end to end in Cusack Park.
John Donnelly, who had been Thomastown’s most prominent player in the opening quarter, was then fouled, and Robbie did the needful. Once more, Niall O’Brien responded for Castletown, before another foul on JD gave Robbie another placed ball opportunity, which he duly converted to leave the Kilkenny side’s lead at four points. Alan Mangan was prowling up and down the sideline, trying to encourage his troops to step up to the obvious challenge from the perceived ‘bigger side’. His side certainly responded, getting into the faces of the boys in blue, engaging in a little pulling and handbags off the ball as they sought to unsettle their travelling opponents.
The demand from the sideline was clearly heard by the CTG players as they increased their intensity and started to cause problems for Noel Doherty’s side. Niall O’Brien popped over another free after livewire David O’Reilly had been impeded by Ned Kirwan. The Lake County senior champions then hit another three scores on the trot, thanks to clever play and hard work from Jack Gallagher, who created opportunities for the experienced Liam Varley and the ever-threatening O’Reilly. Captain Aonghus Clarke who was thriving in the engine room, then split the posts from ‘45 out to level matters after 23 minutes.
This purple patch was halted when Robbie slotted another free after John Donnelly had been fouled for at least the fourth time in the quarter final. Mangan’s men hit the next two scores, Niall O’Brien finishing a lovely passage of play, to the cheers of the home support in Mullingar. Some slack play from Thomastown defender Ned Kirwan gave Peter Clarke the chance to split Paul Barron’s posts and edge the home side ahead. Zac Bay Hammond rose brilliantly to take a catch over Jack Gallagher before finding his number 6, Eddie Donnelly who struck over a quality score to deadlock matters. Then on the stroke of halftime, goal scorer Luke Connellan powered forward before rifling over pointing to give his side a one-point lead at the short whistle.
The second half wasn’t long started when Thomastown found themselves reduced to 14 men, following the dismissal of the vastly experienced Jonjo Farrell. This numerical dilemma proved to be the beginning of the undoing of the Kilkenny side’s challenge. Castletown’s Conor Murphy fired his team level before defensive lynchpin, Peter Murphy pointed to nudge the home side ahead. Alan Mangan’s team had their tails up and added a further three scores, all courtesy of placed ball maestro Niall O’Brien. Robbie Donnelly broke the Westmeath scoring dominance with a free of his own before JD rifled over a sweet score to reduce the black and amber sides lead to two points, surprisingly, this was to be the Kilkenny stars only point of the game.
Top scorer Niall O’Brien notched another hattrick of free’s to augment two lovely points from Liam Varley and their best performer on the day, Peter Clarke, again David O’Reilly hugely involved in the former’s score. 53 minutes on the clock and the Castletown led by an incredible, but fully deserved seven points. At this stage in the last eight provincial clash, Thomastown knew another major would be required to kick start a revival, but despite several probing long balls in and around the house, they rarely looked like they would add to Luke Connellan’s early goal. You sensed a little bit of panic in the Kilkenny sides approach, as they appeared shell-shocked at how matters were unfolding in TEG Cusack Park.
Mangan’s side were using their numerical advantage wisely, sweeping up lots of ball that was landing in their defensive zone and as a result, putting Noel Doherty’s charges on the back foot with every passing second. The next score brought on of the loudest cheers from the Castletown support in attendance. My POTM, Peter Clarke struck over a sensational point, his third of the game, while appearing unbalanced and then from the restart he provided a nice pass to another of the home sides impressive performers, David O’Reilly who matched Clarke’s tally of scores to extend the CTG lead to nine points.
Thomastown’s top scorer, Robbie Donnelly notched his eighth point of the game with another placed ball effort with the game in additional time, before Liam Varley joined Peter Clarke and David O’Reilly on a trio of points in the Leinster last eight tie. Brian Staunton fired over the Noresiders last point of the game before Niall O’Brien fired past Paul Barron in the visitors goal for a real icing on the cake score. Kildare whistler Conor Daly called for the ball, Thomastown were well beaten, as Castletown Geoghegan advanced to the last four of the Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship to meet Kilcormac/Killoughey on the back of a sensational 11-point win.
Scorers for Thomastown: R Donnelly 0-8 (8fs), L Connellan 1-1, B Staunton 0-2, E Donnelly, J Donnelly, C Treacy 0-1 each.
Scorers for Castletown-Geoghegan: N O’Brien 1-13 (10fs), P Clarke, L Varley, D O’Reilly 0-3 each, P Murphy, C Murphy, A Clarke 0-1 each.
Thomastown: P Barron; P Connellan, J Burke, N Kirwan; B Staunton, E Donnelly, Z Bay Hammond; P McDonald, J Farrell; R Donnelly, J Donnelly, L Connellan; J Holden, S Donnelly, C Treacy.
Subs: T O’Hanrahan for Holden (HT), A Cass for Treacy (43), D Prendergast for P Connellan (56), D Caulfield for McDonald (58)
Castletown-Geoghegan: C O’Brien; P Murphy, A Glennon, D Maloney; J Bermingham, J Murphy, M Gavigan; P Clarke, S Clavin; C Murphy, A Clarke, L Varley; D O’Reilly, N O’Brien, J Gallagher.
Subs: D Fennell for C Murphy (56), M Heeney for J Murphy (60+4), P Kane for P Murphy (60+5).
Referee: C Daly (Kildare).
