Pat’s power
ST PATRICK’S CARNEW EMMETS 2-12 1-12
LAST Saturday evening produced something of an inevitable result in Wicklow club hurling when St Pat’s toppled Carnew Emmets in the Dacia Cars Senior Hurling Championship 2017 to leave last year’s beaten finalists in a spot of bother.
With the Wexford border side struggling for scores and lacking a championship sharpness in recent times, they were ripe for the picking by a hungry St Pat’s outfit who possessed a lethal attacker in the form of Andy O’Brien and it was the county star, among many, who dismantled a troubled Carnew outfit in the second half of this clash in Joule Park, Aughrim.
It should be said that Carnew were missing some key regulars ahead of this game but St Pat’s produced such a dominant second half last Saturday that the result might well have been realised regardless of who Carnew had in their ranks.
Key to the victory was the awakening of Andy O’Brien after a terrible opening half for the Pat’s man who found a quality nemesis in the shape of Andrew Hughes, who himself was aided by a shrewd defence in the opening 30. Such was Hughes’ dominance that O’Brien left the field at half-time in a foul humour and giving out to referee Jimmy Kelly, his manager and members of the Pat’s backroom team.
If Pat’s were to turn the half-time score of 0-05 to 0-02 in favour of Carnew around they would need to unlock that Carnew defence and buy Andy some space.
Eight first half wides certainly didn’t help Michael Neary’s men but Carnew fully deserved their half-time lead. A shaky start where full-back Graham Keogh fouled Andy O’Brien in the opening minutes of the game provided Pat’s with their opening score and Tom Darcy with his first positional switch of the day with Andrew Hughes retreating to full-back and Graham Keogh moving out the field.
With Martin O’Brien not available for selection, Padraig Doran donned the number six jersey and he started well with a fine catch and burst up the field before feeding to Dan Nolan who flicked on to Cormac Doyle who earned a 65 for his side. Enda Donohue fired wide but Carnew were showing a bit of bite.
One man in the mood for catching and running in the opening half was Robert Lambert and it was fine work from the county football goalkeeper that allowed Don Hyland fire a neat pass out to Graham Keogh in space and the unleashed full-back dropped over a lovely score to get Carnew off the mark.
An Andy O’Brien converted free after five minutes would be the Pat’s men’s last score of the half while Carnew went on to add points from Enda Donohue, one from a free and one from play, and a fine effort from Robert Lambert after good work by James Gregan and Andrew Hughes and a quality score from Don Hyland.
Pat’s headed to the dressing rooms as a frustrated bunch but returned after a long break as a band of men intent on taking the game to Carnew, but it was last year’s beaten finalists who had the busier start with a wide each from Robert Lambert and Don Hyland.
A foul by Cormac Doyle on George O’Brien provided John Connors with the chance from a free from distance and the fullback dropped over a monster to give his side a major boost in the early stages of the second.
Two tremendous scores from George O’Brien brought the Pat’s men level and then a converted free from Andy O’Brien sent them into a lead they would never relinquish.
It was obvious that Pat’s were