Lixnaw worthy winners of a ninth county championship

GARVEY’S COUNTY SHC FINAL

Lixnaw 1-16 Kilmoyley 2-11

WHAT happened at the end shouldn’t and mustn’t overshadow what happened before and what happened after.

The tawdry scenes which greeted the final whistle are of no concern to Lixnaw. All that mattered to them was Martin Stackpoole’s save, the win and their ninth county championship title.

Fergus Fitzmaurice’s men were worthy winners of a final which took its time to catch fire, but once it did provided us with the type of excitement we’ve come to expect of Kerry hurling’s show-piece occasion.

That the drama continued after the full-time whistle is disappointing and a distraction from what we should be talking about – Lixnaw’s joy unbound, the outpouring of emotion as fans swept onto the pitch (and remained there for the best part of an hour afterwards) and Shane Conway’s undoubted masterclass.

Pretty much everything the UCC student touched turned to gold on Sunday afternoon. He was a step and a second ahead of practically everybody else on the pitch. He waltzed around like he owned the place, imperious and unerring.

Once again he was responsible for the lion’s share of Lixnaw’s scores – converting just under seventy percent of his team’s total. Conway scored eight frees and five from play and earned a good chunk of those eight frees himself too.

A lot of us suggested before the game that to stop Lixnaw you have to stop Conway. That may well still be the case, it’s just that saying it and doing it are two very different things indeed.

In the first half Conway was responsible for six of Lixnaw’s eight scores. Nearly everything went through him. It took the Kerry star less than a minute to convert his first free into the Horan’s end (the breeze was at Lixnaw’s backs for the first half).

Even though Daniel Collins struck back for Kilmoyley in short order, the momentum was obviously with last year’s runners-up. After eight minutes, three points unanswered (two from Conway and one real beauty from Colin Sheehy) sent Lixnaw into a four-one lead.

By fourteen minutes they were five-one clear as Kilmoyley missed a succession of chances against a difficult and swirling breeze. With Lixnaw beginning to stretch their legs Shane Brick’s side needed to do something and quick.

On nineteen minutes their prayers were answered when Kieran Regan and Daniel Collins combined for a goal that came ever so slightly against the run of play.

On twenty five minutes, following something of a lull, Conway pointed another free from well inside his own half of the pitch to rejuvenate the Lixnaw challenge.

Collins struck back quickly with another free, before Lixnaw took advantage of a mix up in the Kilmoyley defence to strike for a goal of their own. Kilmoyley keeper John Brendan O’Halloran was turned over and Shane Conway assisted John Griffin for a tonic goal on twenty eight minutes.

A couple of swapped frees left it a four point game at the break – 1-7 to 1-3 – and really that had to have been a little disappointing to Lixnaw, who hit an not inconsiderable eight first half wides (after those early wides Kilmoyley’s shooting improved greatly in the half).

With the breeze to come in the second half it was looking pretty good for Kilmoyley. That’s not quite how it turned out of course. Lixnaw thrived playing into the breeze in the second half. The quality of their hurling improved and they utterly dominated at puck-out time.

Three minutes into the half they’d extended their lead to five points and, while Stackpoole had to be at his best to prevent Collins from scoring on thirty four minutes, Lixnaw retained that five point lead by the thirty eighth minute – 1-5 to 1-10.

Another Conway free stretched that advantage to six by forty one minutes and it was then, just as Lixnaw seemed to be pulling away, that Kilmoyley struck back and struck back hard with a goal at just the right moment.

Jordan Conway sent a beautiful pin-point accurate pass right down the pitch and right through the centre of the Lixnaw defence to pick out Maurice O’Connor, who finished past Stackpoole with real aplomb.

A three point game again and with about twenty minutes to go (including time added on) it was again looking good for Kilmoyley. It was looking even better when over the next five minutes they outscored Lixnaw two points to one to make it a two point game – 2-7 to 1-12 following a pair of Kieran Regan points.

Over the next ten minutes the game ebbed and flowed a little but the line of travel was clear – Kilmoyley were on the march. A couple of pointed frees from Daniel Collins on fifty two and fifty three minutes brought Kilmoyley to within a single score of Lixnaw, 2-10 to 1-14.

On fifty seven minutes the sides were level thanks to another Collins free. Digging deep Lixnaw conjured up the next two scores, both from their magician in the full-forward line, Shane Conway.

Into time added on they retained a two point lead, but the drama didn’t end there. First Joe McElligott had a chance for goal drift just wide and a minute later Kilmoyley had a penalty for a foul on Collins (following a long ball into the area by Seánie Murnane).

By now there were sixty six minutes on the clock and referee Fergal Horgan indicated that the penalty would be the game’s last action. Collins stepped up to take it, Stackpoole guessed correctly (left) and pulled off a marvellous save and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kilmoyley would protest that their rebound should have counted and ugly scenes developed, but the real story lay elsewhere, with Lixnaw and their band of brothers who bounced back after coming oh-so close and failing to get over the line the year before.

No question, they deserved their moment in the sun.

LIXNAW: Martin Stackpoole, Michael Quilter, Stephen Power, Declan McCarthy, Gerard Stackpoole, Darragh Shanahan, Pat Corridan, John Griffin (1-0), Brendan Brosnan, Shane McElligott (0-1), Ricky Heffernan, Brian McAuliffe, Shane Conway (0-13, 8f), Mike Conway (0-1), Colin Sheehy (0-1) Subs: John Buckley for C Sheehy, 50, Jeremy McKenna for S McElligott, 58, Raymond Galvin for J Griffin, 59, Jonathan Silles for D Shanahan (inj), 64 KILMOYLEY: John Brendan O’Halloran, Seánie Murnane, James Godley, Seán Nolan, Robert Collins, Tom Murnane, Dougie Fitzell, Flor McCarthy, Kieran McCarthy, Jordan Brick, Daniel Collins (1-8, 7f), Seán Maunsell, Maurice O’Connor (1-0), Kieran Regan (0-2), Joe McElligott (0-1) Subs: Eoin McCarthy for S Maunsell, 46

REFEREE: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary)