Under 15 Hurlers – Battle it out with Kevins to secure a place in the Championship Final

Date of Match: 27th August 2006

Versus: Kevins Hurling Club Venue: Silverpark

Competition: Under 15 Championship Semi Final

Management Team: Pat Halpin, Tom Murphy, Daibhi dePaor, Fionan Moriarty

Match Result
Crokes 7 - 07 v Kevins 0 - 02

Scorers;
Crokes: Naomhan Reardon (3 – 00), Seanie McGrath (1-04 (0-03 f)), Matt Kinsella (1-01), Jamie O’Sullivan (1 – 01 (1-00 f)), Johnny Brew (1 – 00) & Eoin Dalton (0 – 01)

It was a bright Sunday morning when Crokes lined out against Kevins on the lower pitch in Silverpark. After all the summer holidays, Crokes were effectively at full strength for the first time since the last Championship Round Robin game in May. Against a tough, undisciplined Kevins side, Crokes maintained their own discipline and ran away comfortable winners in the end, although the final scoreline does not really reflect how difficult a task the final outcome was.

The Crokes forwards were slow to start and struggled to get to the pace of the game. The backs were strong and resolute and rebuffed a number of Kevins attacks. The fullback line in particular gave a demonstration of how to defend and it wasn’t long before Kevins took out their frustration on Jack Doughan with a cowardly off the ball strike which left Jack floored, after some treatment, Jack was able to continue. It was then that the forwards woke up to their task and battled hard. Naomhan opened the scoring with a well-taken goal in the twelfth minute. Kevins defended well in the face of serious attack and held out until the 24th minute when Matthew added another goal to the Crokes tally. Crokes hit a purple patch in the last few minutes of the half, with Seanie converting a free in the thirtieth and Naomhan adding two goals before the halftime whistle sounded. Crokes went into the break with a well-deserved lead of four goals and one point to no score. In general, it was a very good display by the backs and midfield during the opening period, while the forwards were only showing small traces of their capabilities.

Crokes opened stronger in the second half opened, Seanie McGrath getting a goal in the first minute, Kevins scored their first point of the day a minute later. Crokes then added points in fourth minute (a Seanie converted free), in the fifth minute (a well-taken Matthew score) and another Seanie point. Kevins converted a free in the thirteenth minute to double their score, but this proved to be their last score of the game. In the sixteenth minute Jamie rattled a penalty into the back of the net and he added a long-range point four minutes later. Seanie converted another free in the twenty fifth minute, shortly added to by a well-taken point from Eoin Dalton. Johnny Brew finished off the Crokes scoring in the last minute of the game with a great goal, having won possession on the fourteen yard line, he rattled the ball into the back of the net. The second half was a very disjointed affair, with the referee forced to stop the game on numerous occasions due to foul play and injury; it was very difficult for either side to get any rhythm going, which suited Kevins. A number of the Crokes players were battered and brusied after the game, but fair play to them all for holding their doscipline.

In the end Crokes ran out winners with a 7-07 to 0-02 margin. The next outing is against Naomh Fionnbarra in the top four of the league on the 29th August ’06. Naomh Fionnbarra are a tough team, who drew with St Vincents, after extra time, in the other Championship Semi Final.

Kilmacud Crokes:
Barry Mulligan, Cian O’Brien, Jack Kelly, Jack Doughan, Paul Collins, Bill O’Carroll, Darren McVeigh, Alan Carr, Eddie O’Byrne, Killian Doherty, Jamie O’Sullivan, Sean Murphy, Matthew Kinsella, Naomhan Reardon, Seanie McGrath.

Subs: Mark O’Dwyer for Sean Murphy, Eoin Dalton for Killian Doherty, Louis Whelan for Alan Carr, Johnny Brew for Matthew Kinsella, Jack Whelan for Naomhan Reardon.

Subs not Used: - Brendan Halpin, Cillian Casey, Hugh Byrne & Keith Hogarty

Unavailable: - Peter McCague.