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Magical Shamrocks simply made brave Carrickshock men vanish
By John Knox
THERE was an element of the showman magician about the display from the wonderfully talented Shamrocks (Ballyhale), a sort of now you see it, now you don't when game Carrickshock vanished from the senior hurling championship.The game was flowing along, not particularly smoothly for the champions it has to be said, as the challengers went stride for stride with the hat-trick chasers almost up to the 40 minute mark. Deep within the mind's eye, some Carrickshock-ers must have got some sort of glimpse of the county final.
A little over 10 minutes further up the hurling road this senior championship semi-final was over. Carrickshock were a beaten docket. Shamrocks, now on course for another league/championship double, were looking forward to a county final clash with James Stephens at Nowlan Park on Sunday week.
"We were slow to open up, but once we got into our stride we looked fairly okay, didn't we?" suggested Shamrocks manager, Maurice Aylward when he answered a question with a question following their comfortable victory at Nowlan Park on Sunday.
A 13-point defeat didn't only bury Carrickshock, it must have left them wondering where they stood in the order of things following a season that up to this was one of progress and promise. This wasn't a Carrickshock collapse. It was another Shamrocks show!
Frightening story
The scoring figures from the second half told a frightening story as far as the losers were concerned. They harvested a mere four scores, three from frees and the other a 65.
Against that Shamrocks scored 1-14. The breakdown didn't matter. The one-sided scoring exchanges left the champions clear, clear winners over a team that should have beaten them only a few weeks ago in the league.
The teams went to the dressing-rooms for the rest level at 0-7 each. The 'Shock shaded the exchanges when hostilities resumed, Richard Power shooting two points against one reply from T.J. Reid.
That left Shamrocks needing a 37th minute score from newcomer Brendan Costelloe after fielding a cut-in from the left of the country end goal by T.J. Reid to square the game again, this time at 0-9 each.
Henry Shefflin, who for most of the game was the subject of what I would term was a crude approach to marking, then cut loose. He claimed the next four scores, one a mighty effort after teaming up with T.J. Reid to create the opening.
Colin Fennelly, Eoin Reid and T.J. Reid weighed in with three more to make it seven in-a-row for the Shamrocks. From being together not so long beforehand the difference had now shot up to 0-16 to 0-9. This was the 48th minute.
Richie Power interrupted the flow when he converted a 20-metre free for the losers. Within 90 seconds the contest was put beyond all argument.
Margin was considerable
Shefflin pumped a ball from near midfield into the danger area. The sliotar fell to the left of the Carrickshock square. T.J. Reid was on hand. He swiped the ball one-handed into the net, and took his team 1-16 to 0-10 clear.
All that was left to be decided was the size of the winning margin, which turned out to be very considerable. Shefflin led the charge to victory, but he had numerous willing and able accomplices.
James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, as is his wont, ran that area of the field between the two forties when the game needed turning for the Shamrocks. The ever so efficient defence, together and even individually, simply slammed shut the shutters. Colin Fennelly, T.J. and Eoin Reid also sailed with greater ease when ‘King Henry’ helped set the course towards victory.
“These guys know what they want, and they are going for it,” assured Maurice Aylward. “They won’t relax now that they are in the final.”
The challengers earned a lot of credit for their spirited opening half show, and especially so because they looked less than sure of themselves for long stages. After 11 minutes they found themselves 0-1 to 0-3 down. They looked to be sinking by the 21st minute when the deficit was 0-2 to 0-7.
Apart from a goal chance for Jamie Power in the fourth minute, which was killed by the quick advance of goalie James Connolly before the ball was eventually put wide by James Moran, the losers hadn’t threatened all that much. Yet they dug deep and picked up the pace after Richie Power picked off a point when a Shamrocks defender was hooked as he attempted to clear a ball.
Spark life into team
Michael Rice, who with the aforementioned Power, Niall Tennyson, David Franks and John Murphy did most to spark life into the team, added a minor – at the end of a huge delivery from Franks – before Power converted another free. Another pair of scores, this time from Shane Power, who was gifted the ball via a rash clearance by a Shamrocks defender, and Mark O’Dwyer left the challengers well off at the rest when level at 0-7 each.
A five point take during the closing 10 minutes of the half was better than any team had done against Shamrocks this season. There was room for optimism. It didn’t last long. Once Shamrocks clicked into mean mood during the third quarter the game took on a different life entirely.
Another big hurling hat-trick is a distinct possibility!
The teams
Shamrocks – J. Connolly, P. Shefflin, E. Walsh, P. Holden, M. Dermody, A. Cummins, B. Aylward (capt), J. ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, M. Fennelly, H. Shefflin, C. Fennelly, T.J. Reid, D. Hoyne, E. Reid, B. Costelloe. Subs – M. Aylward for Hoyne; A. Cuddihy for M. Dermody.
Carrickshock – J. Butler, D. Franks, J. Murphy, L. Gaule, N. Tennyson, J. Tennyson, P. Tennyson, S. Power, J. Dalton, M. Rohan, R. Power, M. Rice, M. O’Dwyer, J. Morn, J. Power. Subs – P. Barron for S. Power; N. Rohan for J. Moran.
Referee – E. Mansfield (Cloneen/Railyard).
Shamrocks Senior County Finalists 2008
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