BRAY EMMETS SURVIVE EPIC SCARE TO KEEP FOUR-IN-A-ROW DREAM ALIVE
Opportunist goals leave St Pat’s floored
BRAY EMMETS 3-11 ST PATRICK’S 3-09
BRAY EMMETS secured their place in the 2017 Wicklow Senior hurling final thanks to a shocking late surge that saw them snatch two late goals to absolutely stun a brave St Pat’s side in Joule Park, Aughrim.
In a game where St Pat’s looked certain to secure a magnificent victory over the defending champions, a saved penalty, two defensive blunders and a tactical switch at the back for Bray set the wheels in motion for the recovery of all recoveries as Bray surged from 3-08 to 1-08 behind to 3-11 to 3-09 winners.
So how did it happen? No doubt Michael Neary and the St Pat’s hurlers will be pondering over this one for the long winter ahead. Bray are fully deserving of their place in the final but Pat’s will be livid with themselves that they didn’t close out this game and seal their spot in the decider against either Glenealy or Éire Óg Greystones.
First, a word about Andy O’Brien. It was an absolute pleasure to witness this man’s performance last Saturday in Joule Park, Aughrim.
As if being marked by the richly talented John Henderson is not bad enough, but to be double marked by Henderson and the powerful Diarmuid Masterson would restrict many a hurler to a very low score. Not Andy O’Brien.
His haul of 3-06 of the St Pat’s total of 3-09 while playing under the pressures listed above must surely mark him as the best player to be playing or to have played in Wicklow for many a long year.
You could almost smell the fear from the Bray defence every time a long ball was sent in from the St Pat’s midfield. With O’Brien in the form he showed on Saturday, there is very little any defence can do to thwart him.
O’Brien had 3-05 of his total on the board when John Henderson was adjudged by referee Ciaran Manley to have picked the ball off the ground in the small rectangle and a penalty was awarded.
Up stepped O’Brien and his shot was saved by Eoin Mason who was actually outside the small rectangle when the ball was struck making the goals behind him impossibly small for O’Brien to find.
At the time, the miss – the resulting 65 was pointed – didn’t appear to be too damaging but nobody could have foretold what was to follow.
With Diarmuid Masterson already released from his sweeper role by manager Tommy Carroll, things were starting to turn out the field.
Masterson had swept over a fine effort from the bank side to make it 3-08 to 1-10. But then George O’Connor raced in on the Bray goal for yet another goal chance but he dropped the ball and in the resulting scrum John Henderson emerged with the ball with Ciaran Manley sounding the whistle and indicating a penalty instead of a 20-meter free. Henderson was furious with the decision but it stood and O’Brien placed the ball.
After the 65 was pointed the entire atmosphere changed. Bray looked energised. A long ball from midfield was picked up by Ben McCormack. He fed it out to Daire Henderson who looked to go for a point but his strike was poor and the ball looked to be heading for the relative safety of ‘Jimzer’ O’Brien. Alas, for Pat’s, O’Brien got his hurl to the ball but it came back off the upright and directly in to the path of Liam Benville who walloped home.
Still, you thought, Pat’s have too much done at this stage.
A long ball down the field from Pat’s is won wonderfully by John Henderson but his ball to Masterson is poor and collected by Chris Kavanagh. Kavanagh does well to survive the tackling of Masterson and gets his ball across to George O’Brien and here was a perfect example of a team just not accepting defeat.
When George O’Brien gathers that ball there’s at least 20 meters between him and Dara Maloney. But by the time O’Brien attempts his shot for a point, Maloney is on top of him and he blocks the ball. It spills to Masterson who cleverly thumps the ball on the ground with the hurl and sends it clear of the chasing O’Brien and back to Maloney who fires long up the field.
Up goes the mighty Gerry Connors and he plucks the ball from the heavens but he’s blocked by Benville and McCormack, two second half substitutes for Bray. Credit to Connors, who was immense all day, he chases after the ball and gets his clearance in.
The ball lands in front of the racing George O’Connor and Seanie Maloney down on the bank side and it’s Maloney who wins it but it breaks and rolls across to Terry Healy. Healy is thwarted by Masterson and Luke Maloney gathers and goes long but damn it if that Pat’s defence doesn’t stand its ground yet again and the incredible John Connors clears after being on his knees seconds earlier.
Back down the field we go. Seanie Maloney gets his hurl to the ball, it breaks out to Peter Walsh and he fires it down towards the score board and Mikey Lee sweeps a ball in but there’s John Connors again and he wallops the ball clear.
Up goes Daire Henderson. Pat’s are under the absolute kosh. Henderson sends the ball back towards the score board. It’s gathered by Lee who bombs in a high ball.
Up goes the hand of ‘Jimzer’ O’Brien and standing right beside him is John Connors and in a blink of an eye the ball is at the feet of Padraig Doyle who shovels it over the line and turns to accept the cheers of the Bray faithful.
Everybody bar the Bray players are stunned. Mikey Lee goes wide seconds later and Pat’s send a long ball down to Andy.
He’s swallowed up by four Bray players and the ball breaks to John Henderson who shows lovely wrists and blasts the ball clear.
Up and down the field we go and eventually Mikey Lee is fouled and Christy Moorehouse strokes over the free for a 3-11 to 3-09 lead.
Back come Pat’s but they meet a wall of Bray men including Diarmuid Masterson who clears superbly and then Christy Moorehouse is back there and he wins a free out.
We have to be near the end. Back come Pat’s but they’re sent packing. Bray attack but John Connors is there. He sends a long ball down the field but it’s batted to Daire Henderson and Ciaran Manley sounds the final whistle to send the Bray men dancing and to break the Pat’s hearts after over 60 minutes of savage hurling.
The Pat’s men were devastated but to many of the Bray players’ eternal credit they dropped to their knees and commiserated with their opponents.
sJohn Henderson slumped to one knee and tried to console a heartbroken Andy O’Brien and this after a raging battle between the two. To this writer, that speaks volumes as to the character and personality of the Bray Emmets star.
Things had looked so promising for Pat’s in the early stages. When Andy O’Brien fired home his opening goal they lead by 1-02 to 0-04. O’Brien had opened the scoring from a free but Bray had tagged on four points through Christy Moorehouse, Luke Maloney and Padraig Doyle to lead by 0-04 to 0-01.
O’Brien added another free as Pat’s struggled to make inroads but the goal arrived and Pat’s lead by 1-05 to 1-04 at the break and looked capable of causing a major upset.
That potential grew and grew with each goal Pat’s scored but the miraculous recovery began when Masterson was unleashed and the pressure started to rain down on the Pat’s goal.
An amazing semi-final and credit to both teams for the hurling they produced. Someone remarked that if that had been the final you’d be a happy spectator.
They weren’t far wrong. Scorers – Bray Emmets: Christy Moorehouse 0-06 (5f), Padraig Doyle 1-01, Mikey Lee 1-00, Liam Benville 1-00, Tom Cash 0-02, Diarmuid Masterson 0-01,
Luke Maloney 0-01.
St Patrick’s: Andy O’Brien 3-06 (2f, 1 65), Christy Moorehouse 0-01, John ‘Dee’ O’Brien 0-01 (f), Chris Kavanagh 0-01.
Bray Emmets: Eoin Mason; Sean Maloney, Peter Kiely, Peter Walsh; Daire Henderson, John Henderson, Enda Forde; Diarmuid Masterson, Luke Maloney; Christy Moorehouse, Padraig Doyle, Marc Lennon; Tom Cash, Mikey Lee, Dara Maloney. Subs: Ben McCormack for M Lennon, Liam Benville for T Cash.
St Patrick’s: James ‘ Jimzer’ O’Brien; Michael Connors, John Connors, Andrew Conway; Shane Doyle, Gerry Connors, Niall Hanton; Christy Moorehouse, Richard Quinn; John ‘Dee’ O’Brien, Terry Healy, Eddie Kelly; James ‘Bonner’ O’Brien, Andy O’Brien, George O’Brien. Subs: Dale Quinn for E Kelly, Chris Kavanagh for James O’Brien, George O’Connor for John O’Brien.
Referee: Ciaran Manley (Glenealy)