Vegas Boys vs ‘Town in shield decider
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
St. Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League & Championship
After five rounds of action, group placings have been decided with Tullaroan and O’Loughlin Gaels taking top spot in group’s A and B respectively. The current county champions are the only side with a 100% record and appear keen to defend their Tom Walsh crown and try to go one step further than last season, when they just missed out on the All-Ireland club title by the narrowest of margins to St Thomas’.
Brian Hogan’s charges saw off the challenge of Shamrocks Ballyhale at John Locke Park in Callan by 5 points to maintain their perfect run in Group B. The result saw Shamrocks finish just above pointless Erin’s Own which means these two sides face-off against James Stephens and Glenmore respectively in round one championship action and relegation clashes. Brian Cody’s club knew before throw-in that they would be in relegation semi-final action against the illustrious Shamrocks, while the Castlecomer side had two possible opponents, Glenmore or Dicksboro, the former’s defeat to The Village coupled with the Palmerstown sides victory over Thomastown meant that the Pairc na Ratha side would finish second bottom in group A.
Gowran was the venue for the clash between Dicksboro and Thomastown. This looked to be a game that ‘Boro wouldn’t have wanted, but they delivered a performance to see them home by six points. Recently retired county man Cillian Buckley set the tone for his side from centre-back and this allowed those in front of him to display their talent. Shane Stapleton again top scored for Michael Walsh’s side, hitting 0-6 before the short whistle to help give Dicksboro a commanding 7-point lead at the short whistle. While Thomastown did improve after the break, Harry Shine, and Moore’s Kevin and Liam ensured that the Palmerstown side secured what they hope will be a confidence boosting win, ahead of their championship opener against Graigue Ballycallan.
Clara went down to a 3-point defeat at Dunnamaggin at the hands of the surprise package, Mullinavat who had a star performer in Ger Malone, who notched 1-4 in the victory. As per usual, John Walsh scored heavily and had a personal tally of 0-7. The Vegas Boys can now look forward to a shield final against Thomastown, while Clara will need to regroup ahead of a tricky tie with Bennettsbridge.
The most entertaining clash of the weekend saw this season’s clash of Tullaroan and Bennettsbridge in Muckalee. They say that the cream rises to the top, and that’s exactly what county man Mossy Keoghan (1-2) produced in a 6-point win. His goal typified his attitude, diving full-length, superman like to get on the end of Shane Walsh’s searching ball, while his game intelligence meant that he can bring other players into the game with ease. Shane and the fast-improving Dylan Simpson contributed 0-14 between them in the win while Gearoid Dunne hit 0-4 as The Sash topped group A and set up an exciting league final with O’Loughlin’s.
Talking of the county champions, Brian Hogan rang the changes for their final round robin game, but a change in personnel didn’t change their luck as the St John’s Park side maintained their unbeaten run ahead of the league final. Shamrocks again took to the field without TJ Reid, Adrian Mullen and Eoin Cody and this encounter had the feel of ‘bigger games ahead’ about it. Richie Reid and Evan Shefflin looked in decent form, while sub Finnian Shefflin hit a lovely score.
Elsewhere, Declan Browne’s GBC had seven points to spare over relegation contenders, Erins Own, who lost Conor Delaney early on to injury. The ‘Comer side will need all hands on deck when they tackle Glenmore. James Stephens put in their best showing to date when they defeated Glenmore by five points.
Something for the weekend..
This Sunday will see the senior league and shield winners crowned. A double header at UPMC Nowlan Park kicks off with Mullinavat vs Thomastown at 12 noon in the shield decider, while O’Loughlin Gaels take on Tullaroan in the league final at 2pm. Titles may well be on the line, but will all four sides really go for it tomorrow?
One of the standout performers, not just on Noreside, but in club hurling generally over the past year has undoubtably been John Donnelly. Hurling fans across the island have seen the imposing Thomastown man put in some incredible displays for his beloved club, which saw them claim titles at county, provincial and national level. If you were Noel Doherty, would you unleash the talented JD this weekend? Or would you keep him in reserve for bigger days ahead? The latter might be the best option. The Vat on the other hand might go full tilt and see what happens. The ‘Town will be keen to avoid a third successive defeat and will be well aware of the banana skin awaiting on Sunday.
The current Tom Walsh holders, O’Loughlin Gaels will pit their wits against Tullaroan in the league final and a high scoring affair could be on the cards. Brian Hogan chose to shuffle his pack last time out, and may well get more minutes into the legs of the same players this weekend. Young Alex Sheridan caught the eye and will hope to get another chance to impress against The Sash. Ken Coogan has built a really entertaining side, with the likes of Mossy Keoghan, Dylan Simpson, Gearoid Dunne and Shane Walsh. If The Sash go strong with their line-up, it could well be an intriguing encounter.
Two other games scheduled for Sunday are the first-round clash between Graigue Ballycallan and Dicksboro at Páirc Lachtain (Throw-in 1:30pm). The ‘Boro will hope that the recent win over Thomastown has re-focused the players ahead of this fixture. Cillian Buckley, Timmy Clifford and Harry Shine will hope to maintain their good form, while Shane Stapleton appears to be almost flawless from the placed ball. Declan Browne will hope that senior county star, Billy Ryan causes plenty of problems for the Dicksboro defence, while some of GBC’s younger players have been performing well, especially Jeff Neary.
The final instalment of action on Sunday is a real clash of two big guns. James Stephens and Shamrocks Ballyhale will collide in a relegation semi-final in Callan, with both sides fully aware of what’s at stake. Neither side would have envisaged taking to the John Locke Park pitch for a relegation battle, but such has been the patchy form of both clubs, that they find themselves in this precarious position. Brian Cody and Jimmy Meagher have been deprived of their first choice XV during the round robin stages, but both know that their teams should have enough to avoid relegation clashes. There should be a decent crowd in attendance as these two big name clubs go toe to toe.
Saturday’s action begins with the meeting of Bennettsbridge and Clara in Thomastown. Timmy Dooley will know that his charges need to ‘turn up’ tomorrow, or they could risk falling to a Clara side that is capable of mixing it with more ‘fancied’ sides on their day. The Bridge will know that if they can contain Paul Cody, that gives them a huge advantage in this game. This could well mean that David Blanchfield picks up the Clara dangerman. If John Donnelly has been the best club hurler on Noreside this season, Kevin Blanchfield must surely be up there too. The midfielder is such a classy hurler and can help set the tempo for his side. Nicky Cleere will keep the scoreboard ticking over for the Bridge and they can advance if they all perform.
The first of the relegation semi-finals see’s Erin’s Own face-off against Glenmore Throw-in 1:30pm). Injuries to key players could again prove crucial in this battle. As mentioned earlier, Conor Delaney went off in the defeat to GBC, and the Castlecomer side will need their best men on the Pairc Sheamuis Stiophan pitch tomorrow. Glenmore themselves appear to have lost All-Star keeper, Eoin Murphy to injury. Operating in defence for his club, the intercounty netminder clashed with Thomastown’s John Donnelly, and it looks like he might be out for a while. This could be another close encounter and has the potential to be a little feisty, given what’s at stake.
