Was simply incredible
from the side-line.
Feakle looked home and hosed and were magnificent when they were on it but a side of their quality should be able to see out a 10-point lead. Charleville started to motor before the break and carried the momentum into what was I dare to suggest was the club’s best ever 34 minutes of hurling.
Charleville found their rhythm, they found their mojo, they found their soul. Charleville got back to the way they wanted to play hurling.
They wanted to hand pass, they wanted to run the lines and move the ball quickly and given the opportunity when they looked to be going out they played their game and they didn’t disappoint.
Cork legend and more recently Charleville coach Ben O’Connor could see the issues on the pitch, changed them as quickly as he could and never gave up hope that his charges would seal the deal.
“I said it to the two boys. I looked up at the clock it said 46 minutes and there was five points in it and I said to the boys we will get this yet. I said there is fourteen minutes left with a couple of minutes of injury time as well.
“I said if we get a goal we will get there – I didn’t expect that we would have to wait so long for the goal but in fairness to the lads they stuck at it.
“People have been giving out about the short passing and all that but that is how we won it today. We worked the ball through the lines. Fit strong young fellows hurled with their heads.
“No matter what you ask them fellows to do they will do it. If you ask them to go through the wall they will do it – at half time I just said lads prove to me what ye are and in fairness to them they came out and gave it everything. They got a great start with the first two points and drove on after that.
“We knew they had a good Charleville’s win over Feakle on Sunday was a thing of real beauty. It had style, it had grace and it had guts
patch in the first half when everything they hit went over the bar and we knew we would get our patch. We just needed to make sure we would make the most of that. We knew the wind was strong but didn’t think it was worth 10 points. Perhaps six but not more than that.”
O’Connor and the back-room team decided to substitute early which paid off at the finish.
“We said that Danny [O’Flynn] and Darren Casey were good to go and we said we would give them the few minutes before half-time to get into the game. Otherwise if we went at half-time they would be coming in cold and thankfully it paid off.”
Charleville will now take stock before going again after Christmas for the All Ireland series.
“There was a lot of talk during the week that we weren’t able at this grade and we would be blown out of it but now we can take a break up until Christmas and get going again for February.”
Ireland’s win over the All Blacks is what the record books will show happened last weekend, but after witnessing both games as far as I, and many others that were fortunate enough to be with me in the Gaelic Grounds were concerned the true history makers from last weekend may well be the brave Charleville hurlers – but don’t tell the rugby boys I said that.