CUALA BOOLA AS DUBS WIN FIRST HURLING TITLE
‘HISTORY’ proclaimed Cuala captain Oisín Gough from the Hogan Stand steps as he lifted the Tommy Moore Cup, Cuala now the first Dublin club to claim an All-Ireland senior hurling title. Fully deserved too, after yet another St Patrick’s Day decider that failed to live up to its billing, the champions extending a long-running series of one-sided finals with an emphatic victory. To understand how it didn’t go quite to script, the man of the match award was handed out to a midfielder. Except it wasn’t former Hurler of the Year Tony Kelly, but a Kerryman, Darragh O’Connell, a worthy recipient with a trademark display of box-to-box athleticism and sweet striking that yielded three points. That Kelly’s man-marker John Sheanon outscored the form player in the country by a point to nil said everything about how Cuala embraced the occasion while Ballyea never hit anything like the heights of the thrilling wins en route. ‘Heart-breaking’ is how manager Robbie Hogan described it afterwards while Paul Schutte showed the spirit that has seen Cuala add this prize to back-to-back championships and league in Dublin, playing despite having three pins inserted in his finger after breaking it in a challenge in the run-up. Colm Cronin’s goal helped Cuala into a 1-7 to 0-4 lead, the first half a dour, free-ridden struggle in the main with David Treacy’s dead-ball skills keeping the score ticking over and Ballyea only able to muster two points from play. If there was a key moment, it came just after half-time when Seán Brennan made a crucial save from Lillis, a half-hook just enough to take the sting out his shot. From there, instead of the gap being back to just a goal, two Treacy frees and a point from Con O’Callaghan pushed it out nine points. When Niall Deasy rattled the net for Ballyea with nine minutes to go, there was just four in it again, only for Jake Malone to finish to the net in style on the run. Cuala didn’t concede after Deasy’s strike and instead rattled off five classy points from play to win in style.
BALLYEA: K Sheehan; J Neylon (B Murphy 56), J Browne, B Carrig; P Flanagan, G O’Connell, J Murphy; T Kelly, S Lineen (M Coughlan 57); N Deasy, PJ Connolly (M O’Leary 39), C Doohan; P Lillis, G Brennan, D Burke (D Egan, 40).
SCORERS: N Deasy 1-6 (6f); P Lillis 0-2; J Murphy, G Brennan 0-1.
WIDES: 5 (4), Yellow card: T Kelly 27, G O’Connell 34, N Deasy 53
CUALA: S Brennan; S Timlin (R Tierney 62), C O’Callaghan, P Schutte; J Malone, S Moran, O Gough; J Sheanon, D O’Connell; S Treacy, C Cronin (N Kenny 63), D Treacy; M Schutte, C O’Callaghan, C Waldron (C Sheanon 46).
SCORERS: D Treacy 0-9 (8f); C Cronin 1-1; J Malone 1-0; D O’Connell 0-3; C O’Callaghan, C Sheanon 0-2; J Sheanon, M Schutte 0-1 WIDES: 3 (2). Yellow card: M Schutte 64.
REFEREE: F Horgan (Tipperary)