Cahill inspires Kilruane to much needed victory
GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Group 3
Kilruane MacDonaghs 3-21
Moycarkey/Borris 2-19
Report: Enda Treacy in Templemore
A late flurry of scores from Jerome Cahill in the final ten minutes proved decisive for Kilruane MacDonaghs as they just about produced enough to get past a savage effort from Moycarkey-Borris in this group 3 County Senior Hurling Championship clash on Saturday.
For some 50 minutes, it looked as though Moycarkey were going to pull off an upset over their north opponents, but good tinkering on the line by the Kilruane management saw Cahill go in at full-forward and create havoc for the last ten minutes, scoring 1-2 in that time to see his team over the line.
Kilruane produced just enough here and they will be relieved to have gotten out of Templemore with the two points, as they were heavily reliant again on the county players in Niall O’Meara and Cian Darcy who were excellent throughout despite their team having malfunctions in other areas of the pitch.
Indeed, Kilruane got off to the dream start as Kian O’Kelly pounced on a dropping ball inside the first 30 seconds to whip home the opening goal of the game and test the Moycarkey resolve early. However, this did little to deflate the Mid men as they settled down well with two frees in response from Kieran Morris.
Jack Morrissey was very lively at centre-forward for Moycarkey and he fired over his first of the day soon after, but a Cian Darcy free and scores from Jerome & Kieran Cahill opened up a three-point lead for Kilruane after ten minutes.
The sunny conditions were a dream for championship hurling and Moycarkey were warming to the task as Rhys Shelly was giving an exhibition of puckouts in the opening quarter, pinging some laser accurate balls to the half forward line which were causing big problems for the Kilruane back line, and this led to four points on the bounce with Kieran Morris tagging over two frees along with scores from Max Hackett and John Bergin.
There was a ferocious pace to the game despite the heat and Kilruane were yet to get into their stride, but Niall O’Meara was beginning to have an influence and levelled proceedings with a nice score in the 20th minute and Conor Cleary was starting to link up the play well at centre-forward, assisting Darcy and Kian O’Kelly for scores from play in the following five minutes to open up a three-point lead.
Moycarkey refused to get flustered though and they soon had a chance to level up the scores, as Kieran Morris latched onto a lovely cross-field ball before being hauled down in the square by a Kilruane defender. Up stepped goalkeeper Rhys Shelly who dispatched a rocket into the left bottom corner.
That penalty spurred Moycarkey on further as Kilruane were beginning to lose discipline and gave Kieran Morris three frees on the trot to extend the Mid sides lead to three coming up to half time. But Cian D’Arcy was proving menacing inside for Kilruane and he produced a stunning goal on the stroke of half time, producing a lovely volley with his right foot from the 21-yard line which flew past Shelly into the top corner to give his side a badly needed boost going into the second half.
Moycarkey were dealt a blow at the start of the half as Kieran Morris was forced off through injury as his 34th minute free was his last involvement either side of KIlruane scores, but his replacement JJ Darmody made an instant impact as he ghosted in behind the Kilruane defense unnoticed to rifle a low shot to the net and extend Moycarkey’s lead with 38 minutes played.
Scores were traded between Darcy and Kyle Shelly between the 40th & 48th minutes as the game dropped into an expected lull for a period, but a searing final ten minutes from Kilruane proved to be the winning of the game, as Jerome Cahill’s move inside set off the onslaught of scores to come; his goal coming in the 51st minute after a lovely pick out by Niall O’Meara, along with D’Arcy (5) and Cahill (2) notching further points in this period.
A late purple patch from Jack Morrissey who scored three points in two minutes gave Moycarkey a glimmer of hope, but Kilruane closed out the remaining minutes and set up a winner takes all clash with Loughmore in the final round next weekend.
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
Kilruane MacDonaghs: Conor Doheny (7); Eanna Hogan (6), Jack Peters (6), James Cleary (6); Eoin Hogan (6), Darragh Peters (6), Willie Cleary (6); Craig Morgan (6), Seamus Hennessy (6); Niall O’Meara (0-3, 8), Conor Cleary (7), Jerome Cahill (1-3, 8); Cian Darcy (1-12, 0-9f) 8), Kieran Cahill (0-2, 6), Kian O’Kelly (1-1, 7).
Subs: Ray McLoughney (6) for Eanna Hogan (HT); Paidi Williams (6) for C Cleary (34); Aaron Morgan (6) for Hennessy (46 inj).
Moycarkey-Borris: Rhys Shelly (1-0 pen, 8); Kevin Hayes (6), Tom Hayes (7), James Power (6); Kevin O’Reagan (7), Eoghan Hayes (7), Pat Molloy (8); Niall Heffernan (7), Kieran Cummins (0-1, 7); Max Hackett (0-2, 7), Jack Morrissey (0-4, 8), John Bergin (0-2, 7); Kieran Morris (0-8f, 8), Conor Hayes (6), Darren Flood (6).
Subs: JJ Darmody (1-0, 7) for Morris (37 inj); Kyle Shelly (0-2f, 7) for Flood (40); Rory Ryan (6) for Bergin (53).
Referee: Sean Everard (Moyne-Templetuohy).