Casey clinches famous win
Oylegate-Glenbrien come of age in gripping battle
OYLEGATE-GLENBRIEN OULART-THE BALLAGH
COMETH THE hour mark, cometh the boy Casey.
When the chips were down in this Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group B tie in Bellefield on Sunday, one young man stood up and put his team on his back. A hero was needed, and Seamus Casey answered the call.
This back-and-forth instant classic almost had it all. No shortage of drama, no end of twists and turns, a jaw-dropping, coming-of-age upset, and of course a hero.
Oulart-The Ballagh had just wrestled themselves back in front in the 60th minute courtesy of Rory Jacob’s sixth point. That’s what sides with championship experience do; when they need it they usually find a way.
If Oylegate-Glenbrien had access to that script they simply picked it up and stamped all over it. They had been the better team for the hour and deserved to take the spoils, but they still needed two pieces of Casey brilliance from the little magician.
Never mind the next score, at that stage the next puck-out was vital. John Foley sent it down the right, Casey won possession, and without taking a moment’s hesitation he picked his spot and crushed the strike to level the scores.
With no interest in a draw, the tempo was off the charts now. Oylegate-Glenbrien won defensive possession again and worked the ball through Oulart-The Ballagh’s midfield core with crisp, confident handpasses, and Casey flung over a stunning winner on the turn from just inside the ‘65.
They still had a few seconds to navigate and were able to watch Jack Reck miss a chance to make it a two-point lead. Oulart-The Ballagh couldn’t create an opening when they needed one and it’s now Oylegate-Glenbrien sitting pretty on top of Group B after two rounds.
Who would have predicted that at throw-in? Funnily enough, Oylegate-Glenbrien took a big step towards this win with a huge first eleven minutes.
Against a significant breeze they took a 0-5 to 0-1 lead on the back of three Casey dead-balls and points from Conor Heffernan and Jack Reck.
Oulart-The Ballagh, driven on by three Kirwan points and a brace from the inform Des Mythen, hit back to lead by 0-9 to 0-6, but Oylegate-Glenbrien seemed to have weathered the storm when back-toback minors from Heffernan and Casey made it a one-point game.
Then Oulart-The Ballagh got a little fortunate and a lot brilliant in the space of 30 seconds. When Robbie O’Connor collected the ball, on his own in acres of space, he had two viable options: drive it long or take the yards the opposition were offering and hope someone covered his player.
In two minds, the third option - take some of the space and clear the lines - proved costly. Kevin Nimmo intercepted, picked out the man you never want to leave alone inside, Nicky Kirwan, and he did the rest to make it 1-9 to 0-8 at the break.
It took the boys in blue just six second-half minutes to get themselves in front. The battle between Podge Doran and Keith Rossiter - and sometimes Dennis Morton - was fascinating. The whole first-half felt like it was building towards a Doran masterclass and he duly delivered.
It’s a little harsh to take Oylegate-Glenbrien’s first major away from Mike Kelly after his long ball found the net with the aid of a deflection off a raised hurl but Doran, the only blue jersey in there, wheeled away in celebration. Two cracking points from the majestic Damien Reck then got Oylegate-Glenbrien ahead.
They stayed in front until Billy Dunne fed Murtha Doyle into the clear and he fired low to the net to make it 2-10 to 1-12. Mere seconds later Jamie Reck fed across goal to Podge Doran and he rattled the rigging again.
Buoyed by that revival, Conor Heffernan found Doran’s outstretched paw in the 45th minute, and he ghosted past the cover and fired to the goal to make it 3-13 to 2-11. Like any grizzled old champion, back came Oulart-The Ballagh and Kirwan netted despite the best efforts of the magnificent Michael Heffernan and ‘keeper Foley.
Jacob brought the sides level for the fifth time in the 53rd minute (3-14 each), and they were deadlocked again at 3-16 apiece. Yet when the ex-county forward looked to have won it, up popped the new kid on the block to finish a sensational game of hurling in style.
Oylegate-Glenbrien: John Foley; Robbie O’Connor, Michael Heffernan (capt.), Ciarán Hourihane (0-1); Mark Kavanagh, Damien Reck (0-3), Mike Kelly; Conor Heffernan (0-4), Fergal Doran; Seamus Casey (0-8, 3 frees, 2 ‘65s), Jamie Reck, Tom White; Jack Reck (0-1), Shane Reck (0-1), Podge Doran (3-0). Sub. - Conor Nolan for White (54).
Oulart-The Ballagh: Conor O’Leary; Keith Rossiter, Dennis Morton, Ian Storey; Kevin Nimmo, Eamon Murphy, Conor Goff; Rory Jacob (0-6, 4 frees, 1 ‘65), Shaun Murphy; Des Mythen (0-3), Billy Dunne (0-1), Anthony Roche (0-1); Murtha Doyle (1-1), Garrett Sinnott, Nicky Kirwan (2-5, 0-4 frees). Subs. - Paul Roche for Goff (30+2), Peter Sutton for Kirwan, inj. (49), Peter Murphy for Sinnott (56), Kirwan for P. Roche, inj. (59).
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).