Three Out Of Four For Minors

Few leaving O’Toole Park on Sunday 7th November 2010 could quibble with the result as Kilmacud Crokes annexed the Dublin Minor A Hurling Championship for the third time in four years and the club’s thirteenth in all*.

On a sunny afternoon, with a soft sod, early on it looked ominous for Crokes as Boden put the ball over the Kilmacud bar on three occasions and racked up five wides.  It might have been more but for goalkeeper Sean Garvey making the first of several excellent saves in the seventh minute.  In reply Crokes had just one score, a finish to the net by Oisin O’Rorke after the Ballyboden keeper was unable to hold a high ball in the fourth minute.

From about the tenth minute Crokes asserted their superiority and it would be hard to find fault with any player’s contribution.  The half back line, from the quarter hour mark consisting of Conor Devins, Enda Grogan and Gary Melican, in particular stamped its authority and the right flankers, Ken Kelly and O’Rorke caused the loser’s defence all sorts of trouble, such that by the twentieth minute the corner backs had been switched and the centre forward withdrawn to left half. 

At this stage Crokes led 2-5 to 0-4.  The overs came from a Kelly 65, a great strike from fifty five metres on the left by Thomas Clarke, Mark O’Dwyer and Alex Pilkington, from an impossible angle on the right end line, while O’Rorke finessed a solo run with a goal.  Throughout, the ploy of stationing full forward Jonathon Healy, Hayes, who put in a tireless hour, out the field gave plenty of space to the latter and Pilkington which they used to great effect. 

In the twenty fourth minute the standout Boden left half forward cut the arrears to six.  This was cancelled by a Kelly twenty metre free a minute into overtime.  At half time Crokes held a 2-6 to 0-5 lead in no small measure contributed to by their pressurised defending and greater economy in front of goal that yielded a seven to one wide count.  Another indication of the Stillorgan lads superiority lay in the fact that by the twenty seventh minute Ballyboden were forced to make three tactical substitutions.

The expected second half onslaught was not slow in coming.  Ninety seconds after the resumption a Firhouse Road attack carved open the Crokes defence and the net billowed.  In the same time span again a converted free meant there was just a single score between the teams.  A thirty fourth minute Ken Kelly collection and finish by Kelly took the gap to four points.  The same player increased it to five from a free in the thirty eight minute which Boden cancelled out shortly after. 

It was in this period in particular that the Crokes defence was called on to show its mettle.  As a number of the outfield Ballyboden players seemed to be able to pluck balls from the sky at will, the full back trio of Steven Beale, Robert Murphy and James O’Keeffe repelled all boarders.  When Louis Whelan saw action he was equally effective.  The towering Jude Sweeney was deployed to assist the defence and discharged his duties to the letter while midfielder and captain Dillon Mulligan hovered an amount of dirty ball and delivered with great precision.

By the forty ninth minute Crokes were 2-9 to 1-8 in front.  A great point from O’Rorke on the right wing increased the lead by one.  His corner forward counterpart Pilkington might then have extended it further lead but his goal effort was saved.  Thirty seconds later he caused the lead to extend when his hard work drew a foul from which Kelly raised a white flag. 

Boden refused to give up and with six minutes left forced a good block from the Kilmacud netminder, Garvey, which became a double stop , which became a double stop when the rebound strike was kept out by a defender’s helmet.  From the ensuing tussle the attackers emerged with a point to make it 2-11 to 1-9.  Almost straight away the Mount Merrion domiciled keeper made another great save to keep them at bay.   

In the fifty sixth minute a long ball went to O’Rorke’s corner.  Just as it seemed he was bottled up a hand offload set up Mark O’Dwyer who crashed to the net and effectively killed the contest at 3-11 to 1-9.  Karl Russell was now introduced and there was no lessening of the Kilmacud effort as Ballyboden kept coming forward.  At the end of regulation time Garvey made another, and what by now had become routine, good save.  More hard work by Pilkington into injury time saw the sliothar split the uprights and crown a great day for his team with final scoreline of 3-12 to 1-9.

Well done to all concerned especially the management team of Peter Walsh, Kieran Dowling and Martin O’Dwyer and also to the B panel and management of Liam O’Carroll, Dave Moran and Donie Dowling as well as Niall Kavanagh.

Team:

Sean Garvey, Stephen Beale, Robert Murphy, Conor Devins, James O’Keeffe, Enda Grogan, Gary Melican, Dillon Mulligan, Mark O’Dwyer, Ken Kelly, Jude Sweeney, Tom Clarke, Oisin O'Rorke, Jonathan Healy Hayes, Alex Pilkington Subs: Louis Whelan for J O’Keeffe (44 mins)  and K Russell for T Clarke (58 mins).

Scorers: Oisin O’Rorke 2-2, Ken Kelly 0–6 (f-4, 65-1), Mark O'Dwyer (1–1), Alex Pilkington (0-2) and Thomas Clarke 0-1

Management:

Peter Walsh, Kieran Dowling and Martin O’Dwyer.  Doctor Chris Thompson

*        For the historically minded:

Croke Park United – 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1933.  Claim can also be made for a title in 1928 but this requires more research

Crokes Hurling Club – 1934 and 1935.

Dalcassians – 1960.

Kilmacud Crokes, 1985, 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

For Hill16 report see HERE

For images of the match, courtesy of Dara O Gallchobhair, click  http://pix.ie/kchurling/album/393194 or on the team photo above!