’GUNNER GLORY
NA PIARSAIGH’S DOMINANCE COMES TO AN END
WAYNE HUTCHINSON, after a powerful display, deserved to go home with the match sliotar.
As Na Piarsaigh rained yet another ball down on the Ballygunner defence, he plucked it from the air. He was the rock on which the reigning Munster champions’ hopes were dashed. And it was just the last in a series of heroic catches and clearances for a team who had suffered unprecedented heartbreak in the competition, losing eight of their nine other provincial final appearances.
But his unflinching resistance summed up the never-say-die spirit of the Waterford champions, recovering from being five down early on to end the long wait since their only triumph in the competition, all the way back in 2001. And, long after the final whistle went and the trophy was presented, the Ballygunner half-back could be found on the pitch, mingling with supporters, still with the sliotar in hand. Nobody can take this one away. This landmark win also marked the end of Na Piarsiagh’s proud unbeaten record in the competition and a chance to go level with Blackrock in the Munster roll of honour with a fifth title since the breakthrough year of 2011. Instead, after 12 wins and a draw without defeat in Munster, number 13 proved to be an unlucky omen.
That no starting forward registered a score from play in the second half — their sole point coming from half-back Ronan Lynch — said everything about the huge defensive effort of Ballygunner and how they reversed the result from last year.
Shane Dowling pilfered a goal from a deadball — somehow finding a way through a thicket of bodies in the 54th minute — but by that stage his team were nine down, the same player adding his team’s only other score of the half from a free.
Philip Mahony and Billy O’Keeffe were others who marshalled the Ballygunner defensive line superbly.
Manager Fergal Hartley captured the mood.
‘We wanted another crack at Na Piarsaigh. They’d beaten us in two Munster finals. You could argue that this was a 17-year crusade but this is what the lads wanted. They’re an incredible bunch — they really are — and I think you could see that there today.
‘When the chips were down and we always talked about recovering from adversity when things go wrong — how are you going to react? Three times this year — against Midleton, Ballyea and then in a Munster final against Na Piarsaigh — sucker punches like that goal early on. It has to be innate; you can’t put that into someone and these lads have it.’
As his opposite number Paul Beary reflected: ‘They’ve been on the receiving end so many times we knew it was going to be a massive battle. Maybe it was one battle too many.’
And yet the opening 10 minutes was all about Na Piarsaigh.
When Shane Dowling ran out of space on the Kinane Stand sideline in the second minute, he improvised with a one-handed pass to Kevin Downes who took it low on the bounce brilliantly and set off, Barry Coughlan trailing in his slipstream.
Just when he looked like he would be hooked, he had the awareness to drop the shoulder and cut in for goal, firing a shot off his hurl to the corner of the net. Coughlan was then booked after Downes ended up in a heap on the ground after scoring.
The opening 10 minutes looked ominous for Ballygunner who soon found themselves 1-4 to 0-2 down, Shane Dowling converting a couple of frees and thumping over a big score from distance after a puck-out was turned over. A quick bit of thinking saw a one-two from a sideline and Alan Dempsey also fired over.
Ballygunner though were showing signs of intent, delivering angled balls which were bouncing in front of inside men Brian O’Sullivan and Conor Power (below left) who both looked dangerous.
And they adjusted tactically after being blitzed early on to tighten up defensively.
Brian O’Sullivan pointed in response then after taking a pass on the loop and had another goalbound effort brilliantly tipped over the bar by Pádraig Kennedy in the Na Piarsaigh goal after referee Nathan Wall allowed a good advantage.
Billy O’Keeffe’s thunderous point from distance was his team’s third on the bounce.
Not having Hawk-Eye in operation was a poor reflection of the importance of the game and David Dempsey’s point for Na Piarsaigh was given, only
after the umpires were overruled. A goal in the 28th minute was crucial for Ballygunner sneaking them ahead by half-time, 1-7 to 1-6. Brian O’Sullivan showed great skill to bring a lateral pass down off his hurl, stepped inside the tackle of Cathal King and then was met high by Mike Casey. Stephen O’Keeffe came up the length of the field for the penalty to prove the stock of goalkeepers has never been as high by sliding a shot off the turf to the bottom corner in clinical fashion.
A sweet diagonal ball in front of O’Sullivan again showed the quality of Ballygunner’s buildup play in the second half and his smart finish was his team’s third unanswered point.
The Pauric Mahony free that bounced to the back of the net was a boon and when Na Piarsaigh were reduced to pumping high ball down the central channels, it seemed like the sliotar was drawn like a magnet to Hutchinson’s hand, right down to the very last play.
The long wait was over.