Heavyweights return for the second chapter
TWELVE months ago, Ballygunner and Na Piarsaigh collided in a Munster semi-final that had boxoffice written all over it.
In one corner you had the nine-ina-row Waterford champions still surfing the wave of bringing home their county’s first senior All-Ireland since 1959. In the other corner you had an emergent Limerick club side who had quickly become Munster specialists, paving the way for the county revolution by winning their county’s first senior All-Ireland since 1973.
By every metric, this one lived up to all expectation.
Such was the quality that manager Darragh O’Sullivan even suggested afterwards it should be repackaged as a promotional tool for the game, arguing that quality club games like this more than justify the new shape of the GAA’s split season. ‘I like it. I think the club player has to have his time and that’s his time now and that’s the way it should be. If you ask people in RTE, maybe they’ll say “no” because hurling isn’t getting the profile when it needs to have it but that was phenomenal today.
‘It’s what the association is about, the club, the spirit and the heart. They should put that on a video and send it around the world and say these are club sides getting nothing for it. Phenomenal.’
Put it on a video and send it around the world. After being in the TUS Gaelic Grounds to witness the game, it was hard to argue. Such was the level that it featured a Kevin Mahony stepover – actually allowing the sliotar past him – to dupe his marker and earn a free that was converted by Pauric Mahony who rolled back the years himself that day with 13 scores.
Dessie Hutchinson provided different touches to show why he was honoured as the Club Player of the Year but they needed him to be on song after Na Piarsaigh banged in 1-4 in a devastating four-minute burst before the break to really take control.
The second half though, showed why Ballygunner would go on to reclaim Munster.
‘A massive, massive victory for us,’ added O’Sullivan. ‘So proud of the lads. Delighted for them. Because it was backs-to-the-wall stuff. Everyone came here, knew it was two juggernauts as I call them coming up against each other. I hope they got the value for money, those that watched it at home or were here because to me it was a phenomenal game of hurling of two really top, top class teams who went at it hammer and tongs. There wasn’t a dirty stroke in it. Thank God we came out on top.’
And here they are again with the mood music suggesting another cracker.
With Ballyhale Shamrocks out of the All-Ireland equation, the talk around this one is that the winners could go all the way. The idea of that sort of speculation causing Ballygunner to take their eye off the ball doesn’t really stack up with a team who have put together a record run of 10 Waterford titles.
Patrick Fitzgerald has blossomed into a real leader up front and was in devastating form in the comfortable win against Cork champions Sarsfields in the last round. There was a certain irony in the way that one went to script.
It’s Ballygunner who remind of Cork teams of old — ruthlessly efficient, play with a cockiness, a swagger, and all the talent to back it up.
This is a meeting between two clubs who have changed the way their counties think about themselves. Limerick position as the game’s dominant force in hurling was copperfastened by this week’s All-Star selection. Once again, Na Piarsaigh’s Will O’Donoghue was honoured, showing his versatility by being redeployed as a centreback in light of Declan Hannon’s absence.
In Mike and Peter Casey, the Limerick champions have serious quality at both ends of the field, enough to deprive Patrickswell in the county final. And that’s an opposition team that includes three different Hurlers of the Year in Aaron Gillane, Diarmaid Byrnes and Cian Lynch.
So this contest has quality aplenty. Shane Dowling has been repurposed as a goalkeeper for Na Piarsaigh since his days as a star forward for Limerick while Ballygunner’s Stephen O’Keeffe remains at such a level of performance as to prompt county recall talk.
But it’s worth remembering his role in Ballygunner’s defeat by Ballyhale
in last year’s All-Ireland final. That defeat put a hole in the Waterford side’s aura and the suggestion they were going to displace their Kilkenny opponents as the preeminent side in the club game.
But for the heroics of O’Keeffe, the holders could have been beaten out of sight. He made two spectacular saves from Adrian Mullen, not to mention stopping a TJ Reid penalty that was arrowed at the top corner.
That was an afternoon when Ballyhale brought Ballygunner
Everyone knew it was two juggernauts up against one another
back down to earth. And reframed any legacy talk.
The Leinster champions were clearly miffed at the idea that a Waterford opponent with one AllIreland deserved to be talked up or favourites against the most successful club in the game’s history.
‘We just wanted to get to a final and the boys wanted to get back and show that they’re the best team in the country,’ admitted manager Pat Hoban afterwards. ‘They’ve won five-in-a row [in Kilkenny]. Potentially drive on to win a ninth All-Ireland. Nobody has ever touched that. So I think these lads deserve huge credit.
‘There was a lot of talk about Ballygunner, their movement, their tactics – I think we proved today that we can match anyone tactically as well.’
Ballygunner then don’t need anyone else to remind them of getting caught up in the hype.
And yet it’s hard not to feel that the winners here could have a say into the new year. The Waterford champions to progress.