Third Dean Ryan Cup for De La Salle

De La Salle are Dean Ryan Cup champions after an eleven point victory over Gael Choláiste Mhuire at Fraher Field.

This final was expected to be a close affair, but in truth as the final outcome suggest, this was far from the case.

Shane Ryan finished the game as its top scorer hitting eleven points for the now three times winners of this competition over the course of the hour and is surly a player that the new county minor hurling selectors will be looking at to have in their plans for the 2013 Munster Championship.

It was the Cork side who are attached to the famous North Mon academy that got the scoring underway in this game, as Donal Gunning with a strong wind at his back easily found the rage.

However, from here on in, it was De La Salle all the way. Man of the match Shane Ryan levelled matters on three minutes and seconds later the Waterford City side were three points to the good after Centre back Jack McCarthy found Sean Treacy who in turn laid the ball off to Dessie Hutchinson and the Ballygunner man gave Darragh O’Connell in the Cork City sides goal no chance with a well executed shot.

Shane Ryan landed two further points for De La Salle to give them a five point lead with seven minutes played.

Points from Darragh O’Connell and Peter Hogan were swapped in the eleventh minute before Eddie Gunning followed by a brace from Shane Ryan followed to give De La Salle a 1-6 to 0-3 lead after fourteen minutes.

A minute later, the game was all over as a contest. De La Salle College won a free on the half way line which wing back Craig Brown looked more than capable of putting over the cross bar, but as the ball neared the Cork sides goal, it began to dip but as Darragh O’Connell came out of his goal expecting to collect the ball, he failed to get a grasp of the ball which went over his arm and then dropped into an empty net to give De La Salle a 2-6 to 0-3 lead.

Shane Ryan hit a brace of points for De La Salle to extend their lead to eleven before Donal Gunning hit a brace of scores for the Cork side inside two minutes of each other. Shane Ryan and Darragh Tuohy landed points for their respective sides to give De La Salle a 2-9 to 0-6 advantage as the side’s switched ends.

Dayne Lee and Shane Ryan got the second half scoring underway with a point for each time inside the first four minutes of the second half.

Dessie Hutchinson and a brace of Shane Ryan scores soon followed which gave De La Salle a 2-12 to 0-7 lead after 44 minutes.

Dayne Lee pulled a point back for Gael Choláiste Mhuire on forty eight minutes before De La Salle won somewhat of a controversial penalty just minutes later.

Darragh O’Connell easily dealt with an incoming ball and as he came out of his goal to send it up field, one of the De La Salle players went to the ground and referee Willie Barrett straight away indicated for a penalty having adjudged that the Na Piarsaigh man had barged coming out. Despite the protest of the Cork sides players, the decision of the Ardfinnan official stood, but Darragh O’Connell had the final say as he made a good save from Craig Brown’s effort and then cleared the ball up field.

Prior to this the Cork side were unlucky not to have hit a goal as they hit the upright and then the crossbar in quick succession.

De La Salle however finished the game in control  as Shane Ryan, Kevin Crowley and Peter Hogan landed points for the Waterford city side to give them a 2-15 to 0-9 lead with time almost up, but it was Dayne Lee that closed the scoring with a point in added time for the Cork side.

DE LA SALLE: Eoin Purcell; Niall Blanchfield, Eddie Hayden, Sean Barlow; Craig Brown, Jack McCarthy, Kieran Dillon-Murphy; Gus Flynn, Mark Shanahan; Peter Hogan, Dessie Hutchinson, Michael Roche; Mark Mullally, Sean Treacy, Shane Ryan. Subs: Patrick Walsh for Michael Roche, Shane Walsh for Sean Barlow, Kevin Crowley for Mark Mullally, Ian Long for Eddie Hayden, Brian Cunningham for Sean Treacy.

Scorers: Shane Ryan 0-11(7f), Dessie Hutchinson 1-1, Craig Brown 1-0f, Peter Hogan 0-2, Kevin Crowley 0-1.

GAELCHOLÁISTE MHUIRE: Darragh O'Connell; Brian O'Callaghan, Eddie Gunning, Robert O'Meara; Eric O'Keeffe, Colin O'Sullivan, Adam O'Donovan; Kieran Hanafin, Eoin O’Leary; Craig Connolly, Paul White, Liam Coughlan; Donal Gunning, David Braham, Dayne Lee. Subs: Darragh Tuohy for David Braham, Cathal O'Callaghan for Paul White, Evan Sheehan for Donal Gunning.

Scorers: Donal Gunning (3f), Dayne Lee (1f) 0-4 each, Eddie Gunning (f), Darragh Tuohy 0-1 each.

Referee: Willie Barrett (Tipperary).