Na Gaeil prevail over Kilmaine to reach final after extra-time
ALL-IRELAND CLUB JFC FINAL
Na Gaeil 0-13 Kilmaine (Mayo)
(after extra-time)
TALK about doing it the hard way! Na Gaeil overcame prematch setbacks, in-game injuries, strange refereeing decisions and the sheer manic intensity of their Kilmaine opponents to advance to the All-Ireland Club JFC Final at Cusack Park, Ennis on Saturday afternoon.
In an enthralling, invigorating, claustrophobic extra-time classic that ran to a combined 96 minutes of action, Donal Rooney’s Tralee side remain in the race to become the tenth Kerry team to capture the ultimate honours at this level but, boy, were they made to sweat for victory by the South Mayo men.
Despite receiving the huge setback that county star Jack Barry was unable to start due to his ankle ligament injury, and playing against a blanket rearguard where Kilmaine often operated with two sweepers, Na Gaeil led by 0-3 to 0-2 after the opening ten minutes.
With late replacement Ian McCarthy prompting superbly in attack, the gap could have been extended, but Dara Devine blazed wide of an open goal after a disastrous Kilmaine kick-out, before the Tralee men were rocked to the core in the 13th minute when an error of their own from Kieran Dineen led to Michael Hession rounding the Na Gaeil netminder and slotting home the only goal of the contest.
Kilmaine added a point to move three clear by the 20th minute (1-3 to 0-3) before Na Gaeil received another body blow with wing-back Fergal Barry carried off injured, but two points from substitute Mike Griffin enabled them to retire on level terms at the interval (0-6 to 1-3).
Defences continued to reign supreme in the second half but, despite Dan O’Connor being foiled of a goal by the
Kilmaine goalkeeper, Na Gaeil led by 0-9 to 1-3 before inspirational veteran Pat Kelly ended the Mayo side’s scoring drought with a peach of a point in the 42nd minute.
The savagely spirited Kilmaine soon drew level with two pointed frees and, as the physical intensity managed to ramp up even further, the ferocity of some of the challenges and tackling from both sides had to be seen to be believed.
With Jack Barry now introduced during the final quarter and, with Kilmaine’s Jarleth Mullin dismissed for a second yellow card offence, Na Gaeil appeared to be home and dry when Dara Devine’s fourth pointed free was added to by substitute Eoin Walsh’s punched effort in the second minute of injury time.
Once again, however, Kilmaine refused to surrender. Wing-back Tomas Fahy kicked a blinder to reduce the margin to the minimum before referee Patrick Maguire decided to take centre stage. A scrap for a ground ball following a Na Gaeil kick-out saw the match official inexplicably see something that nobody else could see – a touch on the ground by a Tralee player in a crowd of bodies.
One of several contentious decisions that incensed the Na Gaeil management and supporters, they must have been apoplectic with rage when the unerring Adam Barrett showed magnificent composure to fire over the resultant free from 40 metres to tie the scores at the end of normal time (0-11 to 1-8).
To give Na Gaeil their due, however, they immediately regained their focus for the first half of extra-time, with workaholic Dan Goggin and the always influential Diarmuid O’Connor stepping up to the plate for the only two scores of that ten minute period.
With Kilmaine substitute Jarleth McDonagh kicking a stunning point just 40 seconds into the second period of extra-time, Na Gaeil knew that it was backstothewall stuff
from there until the finish. With Damien Bourke and Ryan O’Neill, among others, defending as if their lives depended on it, they would not concede another score. They were certainly aided by some bad Kilmaine wides as free-taker Barrett, in particular, lost his range, including from a free after another controversial call against Na Gaeil by the referee but, with bodies going down all over the place, a fantastic block from Jack Barry and a crucial interception by Kieran O’Donovan enabled the Kerry champions to fall over the line (0-13 to 1-9) after an absolutely breath-taking epic.
NA GAEIL: Timmy Culloty; Ryan O’Neill, Kieran Dineen, Damien Bourke; Fergal Barry, Andrew Barry, Eoin Doody; Diarmuid O’Connor (0-2), Dan O’Connor; Ian McCarthy (0-1), Eoin O’Neill, Kieran O’Donovan; Diarmuid Herlihy (0-1), Dara Devine (0-4f), Dan Goggin (0-2). Subs: Mike Griffin (0-2) for F Barry (inj, 25), Eoin Walsh (0-1) for Dineen (41), Jack Barry for McCarthy (48), Darragh Reen for Dan O’Connor (48), James O’Connor for Devine (60), Jamie Lowham for Herlihy (60), Devine for Griffin (extra-time), McCarthy for Reen (70), Herlihy for Devine, injured (70), Dan O’Connor for Goggin (75).
KILMAINE: Adam Keady; Padraig McDonagh, David Hughes, Denis Mullin; Tomas Fahy (0-1), Pat Kelly (0-1), Michael McDonnell; Matthew Keady, Oisin Mullin; Cathal Murphy (0-1), Adam Barrett (0-4f), Jarleth Mullin (0-1); Michael Hession (1-0), Joey Maloney, Colin Hughes. Subs: Matthew Mullin for McDonnell (43), Brian Maloney for Hughes (45), Tom McDonagh for Hession (55), Jarleth McDonagh (0-1) for J Maloney (57), Hession for Murphy (b/c 70), Brendan Sheridan for D Mullin (75), Geoffrey Sheridan for Kelly (80).
REFEREE: Patrick Maguire (Longford)
THE GAME IN 60 SECONDS