Battling Saint Mary’s Fall Just Short

There was disappointment for Saint Mary’s at Fraher Field today against Russell Rovers in the Munster Junior Club Hurling Final as they finished second best on the day; eight points behind the Cork side that it must be said on the day were the better of the two sides.

For whichever side that would return home with the trophy, it would be a year to remember for them as both sides were appearing in their first Munster Club final. The Cork side recently won their first ever adult grade hurling county final, while the Touraneena men recently celebrated in some style a first hurling county final in 30 years.

Indeed for both clubs it is not just this past year where both have proved to be successful. The East Cork side a few short years ago combined with their neighbours in Cloyne won a County Minor Hurling Championship and many on this team have gone on to win honours at a higher level in recent years.

The East Cork side have won the Imokilly (East Cork Divisional) junior title in the last two years. They won the Imokilly Junior League two years running 2017 and 2018 and last year they won the Imokilly and County Junior B Football Titles, the first adult county final that the club had won in its 90 year history, but this latest win tops all that they have achieved up to now.

For Saint’s Mary’s the Sliabh gCua/Saint Mary’s G.A.A. Club have completed its 50^th successive year playing in Western and County Championships in Waterford.

Those 50 years (1970 to 2019 inclusive) have thrown up many memorable days. Two Intermediate Hurling and Two Intermediate Football County Finals have been won. A grade below, three County Junior Hurling Finals have been won, while in the lifetime of the current club three County Junior Football Finals have been won. In addition the club has won numerous titles at divisional level in both the Junior and Intermediate grades.

The club has competed in the past at different times in the senior grades in both hurling and football for a short while and in 1989 when the club won a Junior Hurling and Intermediate Football Double at Divisional and County Level, it was named as Waterford’s Club of the Year, and is in contention for it to happen again this year following the success they had on the field of play, winning Divisional and County Finals and going on to give a very good account of themselves in the County Final against what is a very good Russell Rovers side from Cork.

This game was moved to Fraher Field yesterday evening (Saturday) from Mallow where the Munster Junior Club Finals are played in recent years on the Sunday closest to December 8. The move came about because of the weather conditions and the issuing of Status Yellow weather Alert by Met Éireann, where Storm Atiyah would generate wind speeds of between 65 to 80 Kilometres an hour with gusts set to reach between 110 and 130 Kilometres an hour.

Many people (myself included) often take a pop in charge of administration of Gaelic Games (or other sports) when they make a call that we might not all agree with, and when they make one like they did last night, to split the finals and to bring the starting time forward so that people attending the games can get home (if they wish) in daylight and before the winds reach their expected fastest speeds the officers deserve great credit for putting the safety concerns of players and supports ahead of everything else. So the Officers of the Munster Council take a bow.

Going into this game the Saint Mary’s side would have known that the two Russell Rovers corner forwards Brian Hartnett and Josh Beausang were going to be the two biggest dangers to their chances of winning a first provincial title for the club and it was this pairs performances that proved to be key to the East Cork side winning, as Josh Beausang netted a goal with the games first attack and Hartnett netted a second for the Cork side eight minutes from the hour mark, a score which proved to be the winning of the game.

Saint Mary’s won the toss and opted to play with it at their backs in the first half, but when they went in at the break locked 1-4 to 0-7 on the scoreboard they knew that it would take a big second half performance while playing into the wind if they were to win.

Played out in front of a paying attendance of 1610, the East Cork side who won their first ever adult hurling county final earlier this year got off to a brilliant start when Brian Hartnett played in Josh Beausang for a goal struck from close range inside a minute of the throw in. And when Jack McGrath followed up with a point within a minute of the early goal, the sizeable Saint Mary’s support which came from across the county must be wondering was it going to be one of those days.

The Touraneena men however hit back with an opening point from top scorer Eoin Kearns from a placed ball which was cancelled out on six minutes with a score from Kieran Walsh. Sean Fitzpatrick followed up with another point for Saint Mary’s to leave that early goal between the sides, before Aidan Kearney made a timely interception form a Josh Beausang effort which seemed dissent for the back of the net on nine minutes but the former inter county hurlers touch deflected the ball out for a ’65 which Beausang missed while playing into a strong wind.

Eoin Kearns and Josh Beausang swapped scored from placed balls with 18 minutes played. Kevin Moynihan pointed for the East Cork side on 20 minutes but this would prove to be their last score of the half, as the Touraneena men enjoyed a period of dominance.

Two Eoin Kearns points the second of which came from open play narrowed the gap to one, and when Dermot Tobin put over an excellent score on 26 minutes it looked as if it might be the Mary’s Day on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception but alas it was not to be.

Saint Mary’s could and should be in front at this stage. The Touraneena men had a clear cut penalty call on 16 minutes, just moments after Josh Beausang pointed to give his side a 1-3 to 0-3 lead, when Mike Kearns was pulled down in the box, but with the referee some way off the play and the big full forward refusing to make a meal of things which some would have the referee decided not to give the Touraneena side a penalty, and in the first minute of added time at the end of the half hour, Jason Sheehan had a goal attempt smothered by the Russell Rovers defence, while Eoin Kearns with the final puck of the half put a pressure free from 55 metres out just to the left of the left hand upright.

Kevin Sheehan on the restart put the Touraneena men in front, but they were not long in front as Josh Beausang with a brace of frees edged his side in front on 35 minutes. Eoin Kearns levelled matters on 38 minutes for the Touraneena men but this was as good as it got for them on the day.

Playing with the aid of a very strong wind into the town goal Beausang from a free and Jack McGrath pointed for the Cork side before Beausang put over a delightfully struck sideline cut at the midway point of the of the second half to put his side three points up.

Eoin Kearns and Beausang scored from frees to keep three between the sides and on 50 minutes Jack Power had a goal effort deflected out for a ’65 which when struck by Eoin Kearns fell just short.

Brian Hartnett pointed for the East Cork side on 51 minutes and with the next attack the same played when he found himself one on one with Saint Mary’s net minder John Patrick Fitzpatrick finished to the net to all but secure the win for his side as it put them seven points up.

JJ Coffey and Josh Beausang swapped scores before Beausang added another brace of frees to ensure that the title was heading to Cork for the second year in a row.

This is a Saint Mary’s side that deserve great credit for what they have done this year. Winning a Divisional Final was never going to be a certainty. There is as anyone that follows the Western Championships will tell you some very strong sides in the competition. After winning the Western Final, winning a County was never going to be easy. Ballydurn, just like Saint Mary’s are a side with the last number of years that are trying hard to get out of the Junior grade and when they sides met at Walsh Park, they made it very difficult for Saint Mary’s.

After winning the county final anything that happened after that was going to be a bonus. Beating Castletown Ballyagran was good. Beating a fancied Carrick Davins side in the semi finals was even better, and while many were not expecting anything out of Saint Mary’s in today’s Munster Final, they did themselves proud and were well in contention going into the final ten minutes. Maybe had Saint Mary’s been awarded the penalty they should have got midway through the first half and had it resulted in a green flag been waved, maybe the game might have had a different outcome.

Saint Mary’s move up a grade next year and will be involved in the Intermediate Championship. This is a competition which is much tougher to win than the Junior One, and maybe even harder to win than the senior grade in Waterford, so closely are some of the teams competing are matched. There are a number of teams that have played in the senior grade in recent years, and sides that come down do not always go up at the first time of asking.

This is a Saint Mary’s team that has a mixture of youth and experience. In key areas of the field the side has a number of very big men who are all able to hurl. They have shown in the last number of months that they have benefitted from the coaching from the likes of Mossie Geary and Dan Shanahan.

Yes, this side will be a year older next year and it remains to be seen if all involved in this year’s panel will make themselves available next year. Can the side pick up an extra player of two? Additions like Brendan McGourty, John O’Shea and Aidan Kearney in the last few years have made a telling impact when mixed by the young players who were born and brought up in the area.

Saint Mary’s may not win next year’s Intermediate Championship. To do so would be a massive ask, however they won’t be fodder for any of the sides that you would expect to win it or at least the sides you expect to do best. Saint Mary’s this year played against them in the West Waterford League and they reached the final which is yet to be played. Yes, I know that some of those sides may well have played some or all of the games without key personnel, some of whom were involved in different inter county sides, but in reaching the final as a junior side against intermediate teams, the men from Touraneena have shown that they won’t be too far away when it comes to the shakeup of who wins what in 2020.

Russell Rovers: Ross Walsh; Kevin O’Brien, Eoghan O’Sullivan, Paul Lane; James Kennifick, John Paul Ivers, Chris Ruddy; Kevin Tattan, Kieran Walsh; Daniel Moynihan, Luke Duggan Murray, Jack McGrath; Brian Hartnett, Kevin Moynihan, Josh Beausang.

Subs: Daniel O’Brien for Jack McGrath (56), Eoin McGrath for Kieran Walsh (62), Kevin Ivers for Chris Ruddy (63), James Ahern for Paul Lane (66).

Scorers: James Beausang (1-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 sl), Brian Hartnett (1-1), Jack McGrath (0-2), Kevin Moynihan and Kieran Walsh (0-1 each).

Saint Mary’s: John Patrick Fitzpatrick; Cillian Tobin, Denis Coffey, Ronan Gleeson; Aidan Kearney, Brendan McGourty, Dermot Tobin; Sean Fitzpatrick, Kevin Sheehan; Jack Power, Jack Skehan, Eoin Kearns; Stephen Coffey, Mike Kearns, Jason Sheehan.

Subs: JJ Coffey for Stephen Coffey (20), John O’Shea for Jack Skehan (ht), Cian Geary for Jason Sheehan (53), Gearoid Hallinan for Jack Power (63).

Scorers: Eoin Kearns (0-7, 0-6 frees), Dermot Tobin, Sean Fitzpatrick, Kevin Sheehan and JJ Coffey (0-1 each).

Referee: John O’Halloran (Limerick).