The Nire Bow Out In Controversial Game at Fraher Field

St Joseph’s Miltown Mallbay are through to a first ever Munster Senior Club Football final after overcoming the challenge of Waterford Champions The Nire at a soggy Fraher Field in Dungarvan on Sunday last.

The Saint Joseph’s Miltown Malbay management team gave a vote of confidence to the team that beat Ennistymon 0-14 to 0-8 in the county final for this game and it was they that got off to a great start in this game racing into a three point lead inside ten minutes while playing with a strong wind at their backs in the opening half.

It was the home side however playing a fourth game in four weeks that opened the scoring with a point from Tom Barron point. The younger brother of Inter county hurler Jamie was on hand to finish a move that saw them win a Sean O’Brien restart after Darren Guiry who was Man of the Match in the Waterford county final two weeks ago kicked wide from a free, second’s earlier.

The visitors however responded with points from Eoin Cleary on four minutes from a free, Kieran Malone, Cleary with another free and then wing back Colin Hehir on ten minutes to go 0-4 to 0-1 in front.

The Nire steadied somewhat after this and were quickly into their stride as Jamie Barron, Shane Ryan from a free and Conor Gleeson kicked points in a row to level matters at four points each with 18 minutes played.

However it was the visiting side to the not so sunny south east that enjoyed the better of the remaining minutes of the opening half as Oisin Looney, Kieran Malone, Conor Cleary and Colin Hehir kicked points between the 18 and 29 minutes to go 0-9 to 0-4 in front.

The Nire playing on familiar ground gave themselves hope going into the second half as the rain poured down just before the break when Conor Gleeson pointed from a free to leave four between the sides as they headed to the dressing rooms, to enjoy underage sides from the two clubs their chance to play in the driving rain during the interval.

Shane Walsh, Eoin Curtain and Dylan Guiry swapped early second half scores for their respective sides in the opening nine minutes of the second half as The Nire cut the Visitors lead to three, but a minute later the visiting side notched the first goal of the game when Conor Cleary played in a long ball which was won by Cormac Murphy who slipped past his marker and blasted past Diarmuid Murphy to put his side 1-10 to 0-7 in front.

Two points in four minutes edged The Nire a little closer but it was goal’s that they needed, and when another goal did come two minutes later it was at the other end of the field.

Substitute Sean Malone was only on the field three minutes when he connected with a loose ball in front of The Nire goal and finished past a wrong footed Diarmuid Murphy to put his side 2-10 to 0-9 in front.

The Nire had good claims for a penalty two minutes later when Tom Barron was hacked down in the area but referee Padraig O’Sullivan clearly felt that the young Nire number six made the most of the challenge.

With the game all but over the Kerry referee sent The Nire wing back James McGrath off presenting him with a yellow and then a red card to the dismay of the attendance of over 2,000 inside the ground. Darren Guiry the wing back on the other side of the field went straight away to the referee saying that it was he and not McGrath that he had booked earlier, but he was not prepared to listen as McGrath went and stood on the sideline. However some made the referee have a rethink and went to the sideline and invited McGrath back onto the field for the three added minutes played at the end of the hour.

The winners in the second of these minutes kicked the last score of the game through Eoin Cleary and now have a meeting with Kerry kingpins Dr Crokes in the Munster Final on November 25.

All afternoon referee Padraig O’Sullivan from Kerry was the topic of conversation and none more so than when patrons were leaving the ground.

Few if any were talking about the fact that the Clare side were through to a first ever Munster Final as they spilled out onto the Shandon Road. Instead it was all about the referee.

Over the course of the hour, he made some very strange calls, with some of the more strange calls coming in the last ten minutes of the game.

With six minutes remaining Tom Barron looked as if he had a clear cut penalty when he was knocked inside the box, but for whatever reason, one only known to the referee and those he might have since shared his reasons with, he waved play on.

There was no guarantee that if he had outstretched his arms that the resulting one on one kick would have hit the net, and even if it did, The Nire would have had to find four more points plus the one extra that they conceded in stoppage time to get something from the game, sending it to extra time at a minimum

But the strangest call was on the hour mark when as a result of whatever rush of blood went to his head, he issued James McGrath correctly it must be said a yellow card for the concession of a foul, but he followed it with a red card, but in the eyes of McGrath and in the eyes of almost everyone else inside the ground, he was had not been booked earlier in the game.

To his credit James McGrath after making his protest went and stood on the line, even if he was not happy to do so, but within a short space of time the Kerry referee went to the line and invited James McGrath back into the game. It was like being in a school play ground and a teacher spotting some rough play by a child while they played with others and pulled him or her out of the game to reflect on their actions before sending them back in to play with the rest of their classmates and friends.

Those that are regular readers of what appears here will know that I seldom criticise referees in my writing of games, but have done so on a few occasions. On this occasion I think it would be right not to make mention of the Kerry man in charge of this game and the way he officiated. In doing so, I take no pleasure in doing so, but feel that on this occasion it is correct of me and anyone else reporting on the game impartially do comment on the referee’s performance.

The Nire: Diarmuid Murphy, David Meehan, Thomas O’Gorman, Michel Moore, Tom Barron (0-1), James McGrath, Darren Guiry, Tholom Guiry, Craig Guiry, Jamie Barron (0-3), Dylan Guiry (0-1), Shane O’Meara, Shane Ryan (0-1f), Conor Gleeson (0-2, 0-1f), Shane Walsh (0-1).

Subs: Dermot Ryan for Tholm Guiry (37), Conal Mulcahy for David Meehan (46), Ciaran Walsh for Shane O’Meara (56)

Scorers: Jamie Barron 0-3, Conor Gleeson 0-2 (1f), Tom Barron, Dylan Guiry, Shane Ryan (F), Shane Walsh 0-1 each

St Joseph's Miltown Malbay: Sean O'Brien; Aidan McGuane, Enda O'Gorman, Eoin O'Brien; Colin Hehir, Gordon Kelly, Jamesie O'Connor, Oisin Looney, Conor Cleary, Eoin Curtin, Brian Curtin, Kieran Malone; Eoin Cleary, Darragh McDonagh, Cormac Murray.

Subs: Sean Malone for Darragh McDonagh (47), Euan Reidy for Jamesie O’Connor (53), Graham Kelly for Eoin Curtin (56), Michael Murray for Oisin Looney (61).

Scorers: Cormac Murphy 1-1, Sean Malone 1-0, Eoin Cleary 0-3 (3f), Colin Hehir, Kieran Malone 0-2 each, Oisin Looney, Conor Cleary, Eoin Curtain 0-1 each.

Referee: Padraig O’Sullivan (Kerry).