Charleville’s win

Diarmuid Sheehan

I

HAD the privilege of attending a number of sporting events last weekend. One, and probably the one that will stand out in most people’s memories for many years to come, was the Irish success over the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday night. A magical night for all in attendance and the millions that sat down to watch it on TVs all over the world.

Other events – ones that were less to the fore when it comes to national and international interest were also witnessed by myself and while most pale into insignificance in comparison to the Haka beating Ireland rugby side, one stood toe to toe with that famous night on the posh side of Dublin.

Charleville’s win over Feakle in the Gaelic Grounds last Sunday was a thing or real beauty. It had style, it had grace, it had guts and glory. It showed an undeniable will to win from Charleville that really can’t be ignored.

It showed a hugely impressive never day die attitude that just can’t be bought and it showed that this particular team have steel that was once questioned, but for ever more should be taken for granted. All that said, the win also showed what a wonderful game hurling is and what backs to the wall competitions are all about.

Last Sunday was the quintessential game of two halves. Charleville were dragged all over the pitch in the opening half, they were out-muscled, out-gunned and out-thought and, while that would usually mean a loss was on the way, this Charleville side had other things on their minds.

Charleville came to the Gaelic Grounds full of confidence, and rightfully so, but for some strange reason they got bullied into playing someone else’s game. They seemed to go toe-to-toe with a side that have serious pedigree in Clare, as a senior side at that, and spectacularly came out on the wrong side of proceedings.

Feakle were strong, talented and they had a plan and they looked like they could win the game by twenty points in a canter, but something changed. The Banner side lost the momentum, they lost their plan and eventually they lost the game and few could disagree that the loss came after a failure to react