U14 hurlers in final glory
On a bright afternoon in Ballyhea on Saturday, the U14 hurlers contested the Rebel Óg North Plate final against the St Marks club of Rockchapel, Freemount and Meelin. The opening exchanges proved testy as both teams traded possession. The fullback line of Darragh Casey, Peadar Moynihan and Peter O’Keeffe had a very active afternoon protecting the goal and clearing ball to the halfbacks Jack Twomey and Cian Looney. All the backs played a vital role pushing the opposition into shooting wide and can be commended for the low score in the first half. The scoring came courtesy of midfielders Diarmuid O’Brien and Kyle Roberts as St Dominics entered the half trailing 2-02 to 0-07.
Following the break, the full forward line of Ricky O’Donoghue, Nathan Lomax and Nathan Murray fought hard to win ball against a persistent opposition and provide an outlet for their team. This led to a few near wides and forced some spectacular saves from the St Marks goalkeeper. The opposition imposed themselves in the third quarter and forced saves from our own keeper Gavin Barrett who had another fantastic performance in front of goals.
Half forwards Tadgh Linehan and Paul Clancy filled in many positions around the field during the course of this game and their link up play with each level of the attack was vital to putting us in a winning position as the game entered the final stages. Substitutes Cillian Relihan, Lorcan Murray, Michael Casey Hanley and Colm Clancy provided fresh legs throughout the game as they forced St Marks players into mistakes with their constant harrying.
This allowed us to be within touching distance as the game drew to a close. A standout moment occurred as Diarmuid O’Brien knocked over a free from over halfway and followed it up with a goal from play to take the lead late in the game. St Marks scored a very impressive point to force the game to extra time at 1-12 to 2-09.
Every St Dominics player was involved in the extra time period, and every player was needed to build the three point lead that proved victorious in the end. Diarmuid O’Brien scored the decisive points but could not have done so without the work of his teammates to provide the opportunities. Defensive work by Peter O’Keeffe and Jack Twomey saw us out as winners and champions. Congratulations to the team and mentors who have a lot to be proud of this year and look forward to a potential double with a football plate final on the horizon.
Team and scorers: Gavin Barrett, Darragh Casey, Peter O’Keeffe, Peadar Moynihan, Jack Twomey, Cian Looney, Diarmuid O’Brien (1-15), Kyle Roberts (0-01), Tadgh Linehan, Paul Clancy, Ricky O’ Donoghue, Nathan Lomax, Nathan Murray. Subs: Cillian Relihan, Lorcan Murray, Michael Casey Hanley, Colm Clancy.