WEEKEND OF FINE FIRSTS
Shelmaliers and Naomh Eanna join Senior honours lists
A WEEKEND of firsts saw history created on the double in Innovate Wexford Park.
Shelmaliers set the tone in dramatic fashion on Saturday as they totally overwhelmed Kilanerin in their Tom Doyle Supplies Senior football championship final replay.
While the Over The Water side were creating history in lifting the title for the very first time, the margin of victory was even more surprising, eventually winning out on a 4-14 to 1-7 final scoreline.
Following the exploits of the drawn game which produced one of the best football finals in more than a decade, the collapse of Kilanerin in the second-half came as a huge surprise.
In reality, had the Shels availed of their first-half chances both from general play and frees they would have been out of sight by the interval.
The breakthrough of Shelmaliers set the scene for 24 hours later. As the crowd just below 7,000 poured into the ground, the general talk was centred on whether Naomh Eanna could bring about a repeat of Shelmaliers’ heroics, and shock the reigning champions, St. Martin’s.
Having first witnessed an epic Intermediate hurling final that saw Cloughbawn and Fethard finish in a draw, the scene was set for the clash to decide who would take the blue riband of Wexford hurling.
As St. Martin’s stormed into a three-point lead inside four minutes of the start, the crowd was somewhat silenced, fearing the occasion was to prove too much for Naomh Eanna.
But credit to the Gorey town outfit as a Conor McDonald goal settled the team, and they went on to give a wonderful display of hurling to a rocking Wexford Park as they shocked the holders on a 2-11 to 0-13 final scoreline.
The DRA had made Cathal Dunbar, who went on to score four points from play, available for the game.
Naomh Eanna followed their appeal route all week and it was only at 11.30 p.m. on Saturday night that the club was informed by text that Dunbar should not stand suspended, which made him available.
The full DRA statement on the matter read as follows:
‘An application to the DRA by Mr. Cathal Dunbar of Naomh Eanna GAA, challenging the decision of Wexford Hearings Committee to impose a minimum fixed penalty of a one match suspension for an infraction of behaving in a way which is dangerous to an opponent, including deliberately pulling on or taking hold of a faceguard or any part of an opponent’s helmet (in hurling) (Riall 7.2 (b) Cat 11 (iv) T.O. 2018) arising out of an incident which occurred during the Wexford senior hurling championship semi-final between Oylegate-Glenbrien and Naomh Eanna on 7th October, 2018, which said decision had been upheld by the Leinster Hearings Committee on 19th October, 2018, was upheld by the DRA Tribunal following a hearing in Dublin tonight (Saturday), 20th October.
‘The DRA tribunal (Mr. Aaron Shearer, B.L., Mr. Michael Murray, B.L., solicitor and Mr. Páraic Duffy) quashed both the decision of Wexford Hearings Committee and Leinster Hearings Committee.
‘Thereafter, all parties consented to the Tribunal hearing the case pursuant to its jurisdiction under Section 11.4 of the DRA Code, whereby it acts as an appellate body of last resort. Having considered the matter, the Tribunal held that it should seek a clarification from the referee. Pending receipt of the clarification and of its decision in respect of the matter, the Tribunal held that Mr. Dunbar should stand not suspended.’