Cool-hand Cleary’s darting prowess aids Kilruane rescue
By Shane Brophy
Kilruane MacDonaghs manager Liam O’Kelly was happy to get a second bite of the county final cherry after Willie Cleary’s last gasp equaliser on Sunday.
“Some of our players are devastated, and you can appreciate that, but I said to the lads, we came from behind and drew the match so we are happy to be where we are. We’ll come back next week and give it another shot,” he said.
O’Kelly paid tribute to the coolness of Willie Cleary in slotting over the last free, it wasn’t the most difficult, but with so much riding on, better players could have frozen but his cool hand and ability at darts came to the fore.
“I thought it was over, but we came back,” he said after Bryan McLoughney had nudged Kiladangan in front.
“Willie Cleary, what pressure he was under with that free! Testament to him, the boys tell me he throws darts every second night, he is a very good dart thrower. I have had huge confidence in him for the past two years.”
After limping out of the semi-final against Upperchurch/Drombane, Jack Peters managed to start and played the sixty minutes as the Kilruane management looked back to the past in terms of getting the most impact from Seamus Hennessy, repeating what Tyrone did with Peter Canavan in the 2003 All Ireland final by starting him, taking him off before half time in the knowledge he would be going back on for the final push.
“That was a tactic,” O’Kelly admitted.
“I wanted to start Seamus. It is a county final and who bigger to go to than to be a leader than Seamus. He did twenty minutes and have a good input, made the first score. I pulled him after twenty minutes and brought him back on for the last twenty and he won the free, Willie put the ball over the bar, and it was history after that.
He added: “I can’t say enough about Jerome Cahill. For me as a club player he is outstanding, he is our leader, our captain, our go-to man. He had a superb game again today. We are delighted to have Jerome Cahill in our ranks.
“A few lads around him picked up a few injuries. I had to bring off my own son Kian O’Kelly, I had to bring him back in again, he wanted to go back in. Those guys in there will play on one leg for me and that is how those lads are.”
There was a moment of controversy in the second half when a Bryan McLoughney shot that appeared to have gone wide was given as a score for Kiladangan. However, O’Kelly wasn’t going to be drawn on that.
“I don’t have a view on it, it is done, over with so we move on,” he said.
“I am not going to cry over spilt milk, I don’t operate that way. I respect Kiladangan, they are a quality side. I knew they would have a purple patch.
“That will be played out in the media during the week, it has no relevance to me, it doesn’t change the result. We’ll prepare and get ready for the replay next weekend.”