Classy Cian the Carnew star
Naomh Eanna clubman hits 1-8 in South Leinster win
C. BHRIDE (CARNEW) 1-9 PRES. DE LA SALLE 0-8
A SUPERB performance from Naomh Eanna’s Cian Ó Túama helped Coláiste Bhríde (Carnew) to the Top Oil South Leinster Schools Junior hurling ‘C’ championship crown in a bitterly cold and drenched Bunclody recently.
The Gorey attacker bagged 1-8 out of the total of 1-9, with seven sweetly-struck frees, a gem from out on the sideline, and a wellstruck penalty that turned this match on its head at the end of the third quarter.
How the Bagenalstown students weren’t out of sight by the end of the first-half was puzzling. They were by far the better team for the opening quarter and had worked the ball into seriously threatening areas, only for an error or last-gasp defending to save the day for the Carnew side.
Pres. opened up a 0-4 to nil lead over Coláiste Bhríde by the twelfth minute thanks to a stunning sideline cut from Myshall’s Dean Slye, a single from Zach Kelly, and two fine efforts from Shane Kelly during a period where they also hit the post and fired wide.
Around this time, Coláiste Bhríde’s management team of Kevin Morris and Pat Nolan switched full-back Thomas Collins and centre-back James Doyle in an attempt to stop the onslaught of Pres. Attacks, and it must be said that it worked a treat.
The steadying of the ship at the back allowed the ball to be worked forward with much more intent, and Coláiste Bhríde began winning frees and putting the Pres. defence under pressure in the atrocious weather conditions.
Ó Túama was on fire from placed balls on a day when striking was difficult to say the least, and he had them level with five minutes left in the first-half.
However, Pres. also notched up two more golden chances of majors, one from Billy Fitzpatrick and the other that saw defender Ben O’Donoghue get his leg to a ground stroke close to the Coláiste Bhríde goal.
A strong finish to the half sent the Carlow side in with a 0-6 to 0-4 lead, but it was certainly Coláiste Bhríde who were the happier of the two teams given that they would have the wind and driving rain at their backs for the second-half.
Ó Túama reduced the deficit to one from a free he won himself shortly after the re-start, but Pres. retaliated through Slye with a peach.
A huge moment of the game followed. Adam O’Donoghue in the Coláiste Bhríde goal somehow managed to get a hurl to a Pres. rocket and he pushed the ball up off the crossbar and out for what should have been a ‘65.
However, referee Dickie Murphy waved it wide, simultaneously saving Coláiste Bhríde from potentially conceding a point but also depriving O’Donoghue of being able to officially chalk down a wicked save.
It was 0-8 to 0-6 when Coláiste Bhríde were awarded a penalty which Cian Ó Túama fired home past Ross O’Neill to give the Carnew side a huge boost with 16 minutes gone in the second-half.
From here on in it was all Coláiste Bhríde, with Ó Túama firing over a wonder score from the wing, and midfielder Brendan Tobin collecting a short free from the Naomh Eanna man and lobbing it over the bar from distance.
Any attacks Pres. were launching were being dealt with by a hard-working defence marshalled by the excellent Thomas Collins, and when Pres. went down to 14 for a striking offence the goose was well and truly cooked.
Ó Túama’s last score was a wonderful reflection on his overall performance and his hurling ability.
He came from deep in his own half, charging into three 50-50 challenges for the breaking ball, winning all three with neat flicks and unfailing courage, before being fouled.
Having dusted himself down, he fired over the free with the enthusiastic cheers of manager Kevin Morris ringing in his ears.
Ó Túama then delivered a flawless and classy acceptance speech in Irish to cap off both a fine individual performance and a team showing of patience and bravery against a very decent side and in chronic conditions.
Coláiste Bhríde (Carnew): Adam O’Donoghue (Askamore); Rúairí O’Brien (Carnew Emmets),
Thomas Collins (Carnew Emmets), Ben O’Donoghue (Askamore); Craig Grannell (Ballynastragh Gaels), James Doyle (Craanford), Maurice Shiel (Carnew Emmets); Seán Hughes (Ballynastragh Gaels), Brendan Tobin (Craanford, 0-1); Daniel Bolger (Ballynastragh Gaels), Seán Keogh (Askamore), Cian Ó Túama (Naomh Eanna, 1-8, 0-7 frees, 1-0 pen.); Daniel Redmond (Carnew Emmets), Brendan Bolger (Ballynastragh Gaels), Larry Kinsella (Tinahely). Subs. - Darragh Hayden (Tinahely) for Kinsella (42), Billy Molloy (Carnew Emmets) for O’Brien (56).
Presentation De La Salle: Ross O’Neill; Shane Cody, Fionn Hickey, Pádraic Kearney; Seán Wall, Evin Rudkins, Jason Haughney; Oisín Dillon, Craig Kehoe; Dean Slye (0-4, 3 frees), Shane Kelly (0-2), Zach Kelly (0-1); James Maher (0-1), Billy Fitzpatrick, Eoghan Doyle. Sub. - Paul Fitzpatrick for Kehoe (44).
Referee: Dickie Murphy (Rapparees).