Cappoquin back as a senior hurling club for 2015

Down the years, clubs in Waterford as well as up and down the country have undertaken a research of the Club’s history, or had someone to do it for them, and the final product coupled with photographs have been put together in book form and often sold as a fundraiser for the club.

I am not sure if a History of the Cappoquin/Affane Club and the clubs prior to their merging in the 1960’s has ever taken place. If one has not ever been done, I know for a fact that there is plenty in the area well equipped to putting it together and that it would be well received locally and in the wider GAA community especially those that have connections with the Corner-stone Club down the years but maybe no longer reside in the area.

Should one have been put together, another chapter would have to be added in the near future as the club on Sunday afternoon last won its first piece of major silverware in hurling at adult level since the 1970’s when they beat Saint Saviours in this years Intermediate Final at Fraher Field, and will now take their place in the senior championship for the first time since they lost it in the 1990’s.

Since then, Cappoquin have gone close to going back into the senior championship but it was not to be, as along the way they fell to defeats in games they were expected to win.

The work to begin preparations for their return to the senior grade will not begin when they return to training for their upcoming Munster Championship game, nor will it begin in the late winter or early spring months when they return to training for the 2015 championships.

The work began in the 1990’s when the likes of the late Mick Lacey a member of the Waterford Senior Hurling winning team in 1959 and the then Curate of the Parish Fr Connie Kelleher seeing that the required work was not being put in got players to the GAA field when previous to this the bulk of the work with the youths in the area was being done by the local soccer clubs.

However the real work began to begin towards the end of the 90’s when Michael ‘Magoo’ Murray and Tommy O’Sullivan began to take charge of the clubs youngest players. They would later be joined by the likes of Fintan Murray and Billy Tobin amongst others.

Cappoquin went into Sunday’s game as the clear favourites in the eyes of many. But for long sections of this game they were made work very hard for their win by a hungry Saint Saviours team.

Most reading this will be aware that I never got to play in a competitive game of hurling, but it has not stopped me taking a keen interest in the game down the years.

There is some that feel that unless you have played the game you are not qualified to speak out on certain things within the game.

Forward’s often get all the credit when a team wins a game, but I think if I had the chance to play I may have been a back, my height would have restricted me on becoming a goal keeper, but it is these positions I often look to when I watch a game and down the years some of the best players I have seen are those that have filled the shirt numbers one to seven.

One of the best of these is former Cork goal keeper Donal Óg Cusack. Many people have strong views on the Cloyne Club man, but one thing regardless of our views on him is that for many years he was one of the best in the game of his era.

People speak of legacies when players retire or die and the same is often done of Politicians.

When it comes to Donal Óg his legacy is possibly the short puck out, something I am sure that most will know is something I hate.

Over the years modern day coaches have looked at other teams play and decide when they see something done that works they decide that they must introduce it into the game plan of teams they are coaching.

The unfortunate thing about the short puck out is that while it worked for Donal Óg Cusack and it worked for Cork, for the majority of teams it does not work and when it goes wrong it puts a team under a lot of pressure.

On Sunday afternoon Saint Savours had a game plan. From the restart after the ball had gone behind the goal post they were finding, the same one or two players who were often dropping short were to be found and on more than one occasion, the plan went wrong but it was still persisted with.

To me, hurling is a simple game but is often made very complicated. The main aim or tactic should be to get the ball from your own end of the field to the other in a quick as possible way and that is often done hitting a long straight ball down the field. Hitting a long straight ball it should be remembered does not always mean landing it into your centre forward or full forward. A long straight ball can also be hit to the wing or corner forwards.

In the 30 plus hours since the end of Sunday’s final I still cant but help wondering had Saint Saviours more often than not played a more direct long ball game would they have won, as they possibly had the more physically built forwards, something that can be got naturally for hurlers by playing football at a fairly serious level.

Cappoquin had a good start to this game with Man of the Match Shane O’Rourke and then Shane Coughlan splitting the posts from a ’65 and from play respectfully by the fourth minute.

After Shane Coughlan’s score Saint Saviours attacked the Cappoquin goal and got the ball into John Paul Jacob who made no mistake in beating Donal O’Rourke who was back between the posts for the Corner-Stone men after missing the Western Final win over Ballinameela through injury.

Shane O’Rourke hit his second of the game to draw Cappoquin level bit the side from just off the Cork Road exiting Waterford city (or entering, depending on what direction you are travelling) would not be long behind as John Paul Collingwood and Nicky Jacob put over scores to give them a two point advantage.

Cappoquin at times seemed intent in going for goals in this game and on thirteen minutes they tried their luck for the first time. Keith Landers with a ground strike, something that we don’t see enough of in the modern game had his goal bound effort taken off the line by Kieran Murphy and when the ball was brought out of defence by the side in Black and White stripes, it was worked down the field and when it came to Dan Connors he made no mistake in extending his sides lead.

Shane O’Rourke pulled a point back for Cappoquin, and shortly afterwards they missed another chance to have a green flag waved when Andy Molumby crashed his shot off the crossbar and under pressure the Saint Saviours defence was forced to play the ball over their own end line conceding a ’65 which Shane O’Rourke converted to leave one between the sides.

Andy Molumby levelled matters and Shane O’Rourke followed up with a point on twenty four minutes to give Cappoquin the lead once more.

Saint Saviours fought back to level from an Adam Brophy free and when the same player pointed from between his own ’45 and ’65 metre line, they were back in front, a lead that went to two points thanks to an effort from John Paul Jacob on twenty nine minutes.

Had Saint Saviours gone to the dressing rooms leading few would have complained. However it is important to keep going till the loud shrill of the referee’s whistle is sounded to end the half or the game and credit to Cappoquin they kept going and were rewarded with virtually the last puck of the half when Shane Coughlan finished a Keith Landers pass past Derrick Murphy for his sides first goal of the game which saw them retire with a 1-7 to 1-6 advantage.

Saint Saviours began the second half by drawing level courtesy of another Adam Brophy free on 32 minutes.

Second later Cappoquin had another chance of a goal, a long ball was played into the inside forward line where Killian O’Sullivan opted to try and kick the ball to the net but he failed to get the required power into the shot and it was cleared by the Saint Saviours defence, but when the ball fell to the same player a moments later, he made no mistake in splitting the posts.

Saint Saviours were back on level terms on 38 minutes when Adam Brophy again scored from a free.

On 41 minutes Cappoquin stole a huge march on the city side. County Minor Andy Molumby attempted his luck for a second Cappoquin goal but his effort was kept out by Derrick Murphy in the Saint Saviours goal making a good save but he was powerless to stopping Killian O’Sullivan rattle the net for a second Cappoquin goal.

This score proved decisive as Shane O’Rourke and Keith Landers landed points for Cappoquin but John Paul Jacob pulled one back as Cappoquin lead 2-11 to 1-8 heading into the final quarter.

Cappoquin went 2-14 to 1-9 in front with 12 minutes to play, but a 21 metre free which was cracked to the net by Adam Brophy who proved there is nothing wrong with the current penalty ruling if the ball is struck right followed by a Dan Connors point left four between the sides with six minutes to play.

The Saint Saviours support inside the ground must have been wondering if their side could do as Passage did in the 2013 senior final and hit a run of late scores that would record a win that few expected.

But Cappoquin would finish the game the stronger of the two sides.

Shane Coughlan and Adam Brophy traded scores which was followed with efforts from Shane O’Rourke (2), Andy Molumby and Killian O’Sullivan secured a 2-19 to 2-11 victory.

Cappoquin: Donal O’Rourke; Kevin Looby, Colm Looby, Timmy Looby; David Cahillane, Conor Murray, Shane Murray; Paul Murray, Finan Murray; Shane O’Rourke, Keith Landers, Andy Molumby; Shane Coughlan, PJ Curran, Killian O’Sullivan. Subs: Colin Landers for PJ Curran, Patrick Morrissey for Shane Coughlan, Paudie Landers for Killian O’Sullivan

Scorers: Shane O’Rourke 0-12 (5f, 2 ’65), Shane Coughlan 1-3, Killian O’Sullivan 1-2, Andy Molumby, Keith Landers 0-1 each.

Saint Saviours: Derrick Murphy; Brian Quinn, Kevin Boland, Darren Tuohy; Paul Holohan, Kieran Murphy, Peter Crowley; Adam Brophy, Joseph Phelan; Dean Crowley, Nicky Jacob, Dan Connors; Shaun Corcoran, John Paul Jacob, John Paul Collingwood. Subs: Brian Jacob for JP Collingwood, Keylin Cassidy for Paul Houlihan, Stephen Whelan for Nicky Jacob

Scorers: Adam Brophy 1-5 (1-4f, 1 ’65), John Paul Jacob 1-2, Dan Connors 0-2, John Paul Collingwood, Nicky Jacob 0-1 each.

Referee: Michael O’Brien (Portlaw).