Modeligo prove too strong for Bunmahon

The nominations for this year’s different players and club of the year along with the other various awards presented by the Waterford GAA County Board are set to be announced in the coming days or weeks.

To be honest, sometimes trying to second guess those charged with selecting the various winners and even the final three, four or five contenders is a difficult task. Often the winners are well received and at times the winning list takes a little thinking about.

Last year, many were somewhat dismayed for example that Ballysaggart were not amongst the final three in contention for the Club of the year.

I know it is not the case, but sometimes when the winners are announced you can’t but feel that the judging was done on the result of one or two games.

Whoever is named winners of the different awards this year I am sure will be winners on merit. Owing to circumstances beyond my control this year I cannot stick my head out and pick the top three or five adult and underage footballers and hurlers, but I will stick my head out and say that if Modeligo are not in the final running for the position of club of the year then I will be shocked.

Over the past twenty years or so some great work has been put in by the older members of the club with the youngsters in the area, working with them in the local community centre over the winter months and in the summer months with the local Naomh Brid Club.

On Sunday afternoon last the fruit of that hard work was reaped when the club won the County Junior Hurling final for the second time in six years and now will go on to represent the county in the Munster Club Championship over the coming weeks.

Modeligo have a hard act to follow in Ballysaggart. For many years Waterford’s interest in the Munster Club Championship at Intermediate and Junior level was more than disappointing.

But Ballysaggart changed all that last year when after winning the Western and County Junior Hurling finals they went on to win the Munster Final on a never to be forgotten December Sunday afternoon in Mallow and then went on to play the All-Ireland Final in Croke Park which would end in a draw but lost the replay in Mullingar.

There is some that will tell you that Modeligo are a more all round better team than what Ballysaggart were. Modeligo may not have a Stephen Bennett operating on the edge of the square to put up a high score in each game but what they do have is a bigger number of players who can register smaller amount of scores, and at the back marshalled by former inter county player Pat Fitzgerald they are a strong outfit. Another plus for the side heading into the Munster Championship is that the likes of Paudie McCarthy, Pa Walsh, Sean Hennessy, Tom Cashman who all started in the stand on Sunday afternoon are all experienced players.

Modeligo went into the game with Bunmahon as the warmest of favourites. This is often a dangerous tag to have on your shoulders going into any game, but it did not effect Modeligo, who won this game with ease and maybe could have won it by a lot more than they did on the day.

The opening exchanges of the game were close. Kieran McCarthy opened the scoring on three minutes, and extended that lead when Patrick O’Donovan pointed moments later.

In the Eastern Final Fionn Buckley proved to be Bunmahon’s main score treat and he opened their account in this game with a pointed free on eight minutes.

Bunmahon two minutes later had the chance to pull level when they won what appeared to be a easy free, just over thirty metres from goal, but slightly more than half way between the upright and the sideline. Fionn Buckley’s effort went wide of his near upright. Had it gone between the uprights, would we have got a different result to the game, we will never know, maybe the final result might be closer.

Both sides swapped scores through Jamie Troy and Fionn Buckley to keep two between the sides, but efforts from Jamie Troy and younger brother Michael with a brace gave Modeligo a 0-6 to 0-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Modeligo in the second quarter upped their game a gear and at the break they held a -13 to 0-5 advantage.

Jamie Troy and Patrick O’Donovan hit points early in the second quarter for the side in green and white but Michael Harney would pull one back from a free to leave five between the sides with twenty-one minutes showing on the score board clock.

Two of the three O’Donovan brothers Nicky and then Patrick as well as Jamie Troy all hit scores for Modeligo before Ciaran Buckley hit Bunmahon’s fourth of the game with four minutes of the half remaining.

Modeligo however would finish the half without dropping the pace. Jamie Troy hit a point only for it to be cancelled out with a Fionn Buckley effort but Modeligo would hit the last score of the half through Michael Troy.

Holding an eight point lead coming out for the second half, Modeligo did not ease up in their attacking play.

Jamie Troy put over a brace of early points and then he did brilliantly to pick out Tom Devine with an excellent pass on forty minutes and from close range the winner of an All-Ireland Minor Medal and winner of All-Ireland ‘A’ and ‘B’ Colleges medals made no mistake.

Modeligo still refused to let up and they went fourteen points in front when Kieran McCarthy pointed a minute after Tom Devine’s goal. Within second’s Modeligo went even further in front when Michael Troy cut in from the stand side of the field towards the road goal and smashed a second Modeligo goal past Bunmahon net minder Pa Queally.

A brace of Tom Devine points followed seconds apart to give Modeligo a 2-18 to 0-5 lead with the game now entering its final quarter.

Bunmahon reduced Modeligo’s lead by two when Michael Harney and Fionn Buckley scored but the scores were soon cancelled out with efforts from Sean O’Donovan and Man of the Match Jamie Troy.

Bunmahon’s last score of the game came from the stick of John Roche eight minutes from time.

Modeligo still refused to take their foot off the accelerator and they hit late scores from Jamie Troy, Patrick O’Donovan who put over three of his sides last five scores of the game and Tom Devine to help Modeligo to what was a comfortable 2-25 to 0-8 victory.

Modeligo: Donal O’Keeffe; John McGrath, Brian McCarthy, Robbie Buckley; Sean O’Donovan, Pat Fitzgerald, Shane Troy; Kieran McCarthy, Thomas Walsh; Nicky O’Donovan, Jamie Troy, Pa Donovan; Michael Troy, Tom Devine, Rian Reddy Subs: Pa Walsh for Kieran McCarthy (BS), Louis Queally for Nicky Donovan, Pa Walsh for Kieran McCarthy, Sean Hennessy for Rian Reddy, Paudie McCarthy for Robbie Buckley, Richie McGrath for John McGrath

Scorers: Jamie Troy 0-9 (3F), Patrick O’Donovan 0-6, Tom Devine, Michael Troy 1-3 each, Kieran McCarthy 0-2, Nicky O’Donovan, Sean O’Donovan 0-1 each. 

Bunmahon: Pa Queally; John Fenton, Tommy Power, Martin Malone; David Crowley, Patsy Casey, Niall Queally; John Roche, Ciaran Buckley; Micheal Harney, Finbarr Power, Conal Queally; Richie Walsh, Fionn Buckley, Dylan Power. Subs: Ricky Power for Niall Queally, Kieran Roche for Patsy Casey, Dylan Power for Richie Walsh, Brendan Murphy for Finbarr Power, William Harney for Charlie McKeown.

Scorers: Fionn Buckley 0-4 (1f), Michael Harney 0-2 (2f), Ciaran Buckley, John Roche 0-1 each.

Referee: Tommy O’Sullivan (Cappoquin/Affane).