Cahill is a proud captain
By Shane Brophy
You have to be a special character to be captain of a club senior hurling team at 23 years of age and that is certainly who Jerome Cahill is as he got the honour of being the latest Kilruane captain lead his club to a county senior hurling title.
“I’m hugely proud, and so proud of that second half performance,” he began.
“Things weren’t going our way in the first half, but we stuck with it and set the tone early in the second half. I’m just so proud of the guys, 2-13 in the second half is phenomenal stuff.
“We were fortunate to be only five down at half time and Kiladangan had expended a lot of energy to be that five up and probably should have been more ahead, but we sensed a real opportunity and set the tone early in the second half and we know we have been creating goal chances all year and thankfully we got two chances today and took them going.
“It was just about staying going, even when things are going against you, you have to stay going and we got the momentum in the second half and didn’t lose it.
“We probably had more space inside in the second half as well to create chances and there were more runners and support play. We have been doing that all year, even last Sunday as well and could have taken a few more of those chances.
“The combination of all of the above and the unity that has been built among this group that has been built up in this group over the last two years stands to you in games like that.”
Every final has a scoring hero and Sunday it was Cian Darcy whose two second half goals ending up being both the turning and exclamation points on Kilruane’s victory.
“I’m so happy for Cian Darcy,” he added.
“He was able to redeem himself this week after probably a below par performance last week. That will be great for him, he is a serious player, he is the guy you want in that position. I knew it was our day when that goes in.”
Jerome followed in the footsteps of his father John who was part of the Kilruane teams of the late seventies and early eighties who won four county titles, and their knowledge and experience came to the fore in the lead-up to the replay.
“History and tradition is important,” Cahill added.
“We probably had that more so than Kiladangan.
“Even thought it was 37 years ago, it does stand to you on the big days, going to people for advice, to the like of my father, they were in a replay against Blackrock in a Munster semi-final and everyone was saying that their chance was gone too but that tradition stands for something.”
One of the big questions Tipperary hurling supporters wanted to know was whether Jerome would return to the county fold having opted off for the last two years, and while he wasn’t fully committal, it remains uncertain as to whether we’ll see him back in the blue and gold in the near future.
“I have been there before, and I know the commitment and dedication that is involved,” he explained.
“Also, I know the reward and privilege it is to put on that blue and gold jersey. But having said that I feel I have a good balance in my life at the moment which I wouldn’t get if I was training five nights a week. I want to maintain that.
“I am sure Liam (Cahill) and the boys, anything they do will be for the betterment of Tipperary hurling. We’ll see what comes down the line, but we’ll worry about Ballygunner next Sunday first.”