Martin’s from Cuala
Cial decider as visitors end with 13 men
eading by 2-7 to 0-8. brothers, Harry and set up their cousin, fore an O’Callaghan uke White in the 21st ield delivery from left anon. k of converting a free ter a bout of dissent, d over a ’65 after Jack rom a Daithí Waters
Maloney led to Joe e posts from his own ord before the break corer Jake Malone favourites five clear. ed with Joe O’Connor d Barry O’Connor at but they quickly lost were outscored by Cuala emptied their d the last four points
ed in to partner Ciarán nside attacking line, hope of better things itute Darren Codd - a ey Coleman - pointed om a Jack O’Connor
the first of his team’s s (nine in all), and was w card for an earlier which led to referee Cuala an advantage. ed to appear after a long-range David Treacy point was followed by a third from Nicky Kenny, with Treacy adding another from a free before poor play by Joe O’Connor and Daithí Waters in quick succession presented Colm Cronin with a gift score (2-11 to 0-9).
Michael Codd came on for Jake Firman just before Joe Coleman pointed a free that would be the last St. Martin’s score for almost 16 minutes.
He missed a free after Oisín Gough was booked for a swipe at Darren Codd in the right corner, and Jack O’Connor was next to enter the notebook for dissent at the start of the last quarter.
Cuala had full control of the game at that stage, and there was absolutely no chance of a comeback.
Just to underline that point, Con O’Callaghan stepped into the limelight again for a 90-second showcase of sheer class.
He hit two points off his left side, with David Treacy and Darragh O’Connell supplying the deliveries into space, before turning on to his right to finish off another neat ball into his area from Simon Timlin. Willie Devereux was behind him on all three occasions, but once O’Callaghan gained possession there was only going to be one outcome.
And as if to rub further salt in the wounds, the ultra-talented number 14 won a ball on the right that seemed to favour a defender and, after referee Hughes played a good advantage, he fed Colm Cronin who burst past Luke White and tapped it into a gaping net (3-14 to 0-10).
Before the puck-out, Cuala centre-back Seán Moran went down in a heap and his colleagues quickly pinpointed the culprit. The man in the middle sought confirmation from his umpires before showing a deserved red card to Michael Codd.
Play was re-started with a throw-in, and Jack O’Connor ended up with a broken hurl and a second yellow as St. Martin’s saw their numbers reduced from 15 to 13 in less than 90 seconds.
A booking followed for Willie Devereux before David Treacy converted the free, but Joe Coleman did well to respond with a point from play from a Mark Maloney delivery.
Substitutes Brian Fitzgerald and Niall Carty hit the last two Cuala points, and the four unanswered Martin’s points at the finish put a slightly better look on a still lopsided scoreboard.
Coleman connected sweetly with a line ball on the right and also added a brace of frees, with Daithí Waters hitting only their sixth point from play in between.
It was an eye-opening experience on the whole for St. Martin’s, but it should make them all the more determined to get back to this stage and have another crack at one of the big boys in 2018.
St. Martin’s: Luke White; Willie Devereux, Paudie Kelly, Conor Firman; Daithí Waters (01), Aaron Maddock, Barry O’Connor; Harry O’Connor, Mark Maloney; Jake Firman, Jack O’Connor (0-1), Joe Coleman (0-11, 8 frees, 1 line ball); Joe O’Connor (0-1), Ciarán Lyng (capt.), Mikey Coleman. Subs. - Darren Codd (0-1) for M. Coleman (HT), Michael Codd for J. Firman (40), Ben Maddock for B. O’Connor (49), Philip Dempsey for Devereux (60+1).
Cuala: Seán Brennan; Oisín Gough, Cian O’Callaghan, Simon Timlin; John Sheanon, Seán Moran, Paul Schutte (capt.); Seán Treacy, Colum Sheanon (0-1); Darragh O’Connell, Colm Cronin (1-1), Jake Malone (1-1); Con O’Callaghan (1-3), Nicky Kenny (0-3), David Treacy (0-6, 4 frees, 1 ’65). Subs. - Niall Carty (0-1) for Con O’Callaghan (51), Cian Waldron for Cronin (51), Ross Tierney for J. Sheanon (53), Shane Stapleton for C. Sheanon (57), Brian Fitzgerald (0-1) for Kenny (57).
Referee: David Hughes (Carlow).