Nire qualify for Munster Final

“Kiely (John – Jackson) was right about (Conor) Gleeson”, the words I received in a text message leaving the Fraher Field on Sunday evening.

The teenager who has received some rave reviews over the past few weeks and he was magnificent again in this game.

However he was not the only one to stand out in a yellow and blue shirt, as the O’Gorman twins Thomas and Maurice, the Wall brothers Diarmuid and Brian, their first cousin Shane Ryan, Jamie Barron, Justin Walsh, Liam Lawlor and Shane Walsh whose brothers Ger and Pat were part of the Nire team that won a first senior final with the club 21 years ago all played a major part in this win, and with new Waterford manager Tom McGlinchey watching on for the first time since he was official confirmed as Niall Carew’s successor recently must have been impressed and will be hoping to get as many of these players involved in his panel in the year ahead.

2069 was given as the official attendance at the Munster Intermediate and Senior Club double header at Fraher Field on Sunday afternoon and its fair to possibly say that apart from some Ardfert fans who had to make a long journey back to Kerry after the Intermediate game, few if any of the rest that passed through the gates of Fraher Field left the ground early.

Football at times has its knockers and at times its easy to see why as games played out are one sided drab affairs but that could not be said of this game.

This was club football at its best, even forgetting it should be taken into account that the game was played in mid November.

Throughout the game little if anything separated these two sides and it was no surprise that at the end of thirty, sixty and again seventy minutes that the sides were inseparable. And even as the game headed towards the 80^th minute it looked as though another hour at a minimum was going to be needed to find a winner.

Cratloe came to Fraher Field with a huge following, all hoping to see what the clubs hurlers done a week earlier, becoming one of a small few clubs across Ireland who have qualified for a Senior Hurling and Football double appearance in a provincial final in the one year.

As things would turn out for the East Clare outfit however, it was not to be as the Waterford Champions proved to be the better of the two teams, setting up what is only a second appearance in a Munster Final in the clubs history.

While Cratloe will be disappointed with the final outcome, they will be the first to admit with a Munster Senior Club Hurling Final to be played next weekend against Limerick champions Kilmallock, the last thing they wanted in Fraher Field was for the game to go to an extra twenty minutes.

However, they will feel that they could have won the game within the hour as in the closing seconds of the game they been awarded a penalty but referee Derek O’Mahony who was much closer to the action than those watching on from the stand did not think a penalty should be awarded and instead within seconds of the incident awarded The Nire a free out.

In a game where the sides were level on six occasions in normal time and again once in extra time, it was the visitors who got the game off to a great start with a Cathal McInerney free on two minutes.

It took The Nire a little longer to get into their stride but were level by the end of the sixth minute after Shane Walsh put over his sides first score of the game from a movement which started with a cleverly struck quick ’45. Podge Collins and Jamie Barron would then swap scores to tie the scoring at two points each after ten minutes.

If you are a regular reader of what appears on this site, you will know that I am not a fan of a short quick puck out when it comes to either hurling or football.

Such a practice I feel should be got rid off as it more often than not puts a team under pressure even if they are as many sides now play with two more defenders than there is attackers in the same end of the field.

Sometimes it works, but it is rare it does and when it does not work then teams are made to pay. This time it was The Nire that made to pay, and it could well have proven to be a very costly on another day.

Goalkeeper Tom Wall sent a short pass towards the stand side of the field playing out of the road goal, but it was Podge Collins who proved to be the most alert player in that area of the field and he was able to collect the ball and send it back in around The Nire’s goal mouth where Cathal McInerney was waiting and he was able to fist pass the Collins pass past Tom Wall in the Nire goal to give his side a 1-2 to 0-2 lead with 11 minutes played.

Sides are often at their most vulnerable just after scoring a goal and so it proved here for Cratloe.

Shane Ryan put over a point fro The Nire on 13 minutes after some good work by Michael O’Gorman, and four minutes later The Nire were in front for the first time when after some excellent work by Jamie Barron who picked out Conor Gleeson with a perfect pass, who slotted past O’Kelly in the Cratloe goals who was deputising for Pierce de Loughrey who as being treated to a cut his nose in the dug out.

But if it is true that a team is often vulnerable after leaving in a goal, it was The Nire’s turn now for it to happen to them, as within seconds Podge Collins and Conor McGrath linked up to send Conor Ryan through for Cratloe to beat Tom Wall for the second time in this game.

How would The Nire now react to conceding a second goal was on the minds of those present supporting them in the ground. The answer however was as The Nire only knows how.

Conor Gleeson from a Liam Lawlor pass and Jamie Barron kicked points to level matters with eight minutes of the half still to play.

The visiting side went back in front once more three minutes from the break when Cathal McInerney put over a free from about 40 metres which most inside the ground was awarded about 5 metres further out the field, but The Nire would be level within two minutes when the impressive Brian Wall got onto the end of a good Jamie Barron pass to kick his first score of the game.

The Nire however were somewhat unlucky not to have gone to the dressing rooms with an advantage on the scoreboard as two minutes into stoppage time Conor Gleeson hit the crossbar with an effort that could just as easily have gone under as over.

The Nire however did go to the dressing rooms with just 14 players on the field as just seconds from the end, Michael O’Gorman who has proven to be such a key member of the team in recent games was brandished a black card by Derek O’Mahony who blew his half time whistle before The Nire could introduce anyone.

During the break The Nire management team of Benjie Whelan, Paudie Halpin, Ger Walsh, Michael Lawlor and Ger Peters decided to enter Keith Guiry into the game as O’Gorman’s replacement and he soon began to make an impact.

Shane Ryan from a free hit the first score of the second half from a free which was soon followed with the black carding of Enda Boyce of Cratloe. The resulting free saw Brian Wall extend his side’s lead to two points. But these scores inside the first four minutes of the half would prove to be the only ones The Nire would hit till the final four minutes of the game.

In between, Cratloe exerted a lot of pressure on The Nire defence.

Cathal McInerney from a free drew his side to within one of The Nire on forty-six minutes and two minutes later the sides were level again for a fifth time when Podge Collins pointed.

The visitors were now in the middle of a bit of a purple patch and McInerney put over two more points to edge his sides two in front, and it was looking as though the dream for the East Clare outfit was about to be fulfilled.

However as we all know no game is ever over till that final whistle is blown and in the following minutes The Nire mounted a lot of pressure on the Cratloe goal.

Four minutes from the hour mark Shane Walsh kicked a delightful point for The Nire to leave just one between the sides and with the home side now digging even deeper, Jamie Barron not for the first time in this game picked out Conor Gleeson with a perfect pass and he made no mistake in putting the ball between the uprights to send the game to extra time.

Scores in extra time were always going to be at a premium, as both sides began to tire for their efforts from playing on what was a growing increasingly heavy pitch.

Cathal McInerney opened the scoring in extra time when he pointed to edge his side in front but before the turn-around in extra time the sides were level for a seventh time after Keith Guiry did well to pick out Shane Walsh and the former duel inter county made no mistake raising a huge cheer from the large Nire support inside the ground.

Six minutes into the second half of extra time Keith Guiry having replaced Michael O’Gorman at the break in normal time after he had picked up a black card was ordered off after he suffered the same fete.

Jamie Barron followed up with a point for The Nire to send them one point up, Shane Ryan playing a pivotal roll in the build up and before the end, that lead was doubled when Brian Wall from a Jamie Barron pass secured his sides place in their second Munster final in two weeks time against Kerry Champions Austin Stacks at a venue yet to be confirmed.

The question now on the lips of many Nire and supporters across the county is can the side based in Ballymacarbry become the first club from Waterford to win a Munster Senior Club Football Championship. Of course they can. Maybe in the past when it came to such games, too much respect was shown to the opposition. Don’t get me wrong, The Nire will respect Austin Stacks between now and the game. They will respect them after the game, but once the side burst out of the dressing room doors and onto the field, The Nire will have to forget about who they are playing and just go out and do what they have done over the past few games, playing the standard of football they have played recently and if they do, anything is possible.

The Nire: Tom Wall; Maurice O’Gorman, Thomas O’Gorman, Justin Walsh; Seamus Lawlor, Brian Wall, Diarmuid Wall; Craig Guiry, Shane Walsh; Michael O’Gorman, Michael Moore, Jamie Barron; Shane Ryan, Liam Lawlor, Conor Gleeson. Subs: Keith Guiry for Michael O’Gorman (BC), Jack Guiry for Justin Walsh, Dermot Ryan for Michael Moore, Alan Lawlor for Keith Guiry (BC).

Scorers: Conor Gleeson 1-2, Jamie Barron, Shane Walsh, Shane Ryan (0-2f) 0-3 each, Brian Wall 0-2.

Cratloe: Pierce De Loughrey; Sean Chaplin, Barry Duggan, Shane O’Leary; David Ryan, Michael Hawes, Enda Boyce; John Galvin, Fergal Lynch; Conor Ryan, Sean Collins, Liam Markham; Cathal McInerney, Conor McGrath, Podge Collins. Subs: Eoin O’Kelly for Pierce de Loughrey (BS 13-21) David Collins for Boyce (BC).

Scorers: Cathal McInerney 1-6 (0-4f), Conor Ryan 1-0, Podge Collins 0-2.

Referee: Derek O’Mahony (Tipperary).