LAST UPDATE | 21 Jan
St Thomas’ 0-18
O’Loughlin Gaels 0-17
CONSIDER THE FINAL three scores that pushed St Thomas’ through the storm and into their second All-Ireland title.
With six minutes of normal time, and doubtless a fair few for stoppages left in the day, Mark Bergin slotted over a free for O’Loughlin Gaels that left the Galway side with the minimum of leads.
Then with the ball zipping off the floor and swallowed up by rucks, it squirted out to Éanna Burke. He had but a second to decide what to do and the ball was in and out of his hand in less than half that time, sent over the bar. Two in it.
Three minutes later and the conditions are telling. Big time. A ball dropped behind in the break and retreating Gaels midfielder Cian Loy went to make a routine pick. He missed.
Oisín Flannery collected and Loy, frustrated and tired, flaked a stick at him. Free. Routine conversion for Conor Cooney.
Back came the Gaels, reeling off three consecutive points, Bergin clipping one and fouled for the move that brings an outstanding point from sub Conor Kelly. David Fogarty repeated his heroics against Cushendall with a late point. All square.
64 minutes. A long clearance. The ball again elusive. Eventually, it’s in the hands of Éanna Burke. Off-balance, falling backwards over the sideline, two Gaels players in his face, he somehow shoots through the rain and over the bar.
A score to win any All-Ireland final.
A performance that must rank as one of the sweetest.
For O’Loughlins, when you ride the donkey close to the tail, chances are you get bumped off eventually.
Single-point wins over Ballyhale Shamrocks in their domestic final, Na Fianna in the Leinster decider and another against Ruairí Óg Cushendall in the semi-final, had them going in feeling they were invincible.
You’d never doubt the ability of St Thomas’ to stay in a game. All the same it was a bold tactic to try to win a game of hurling when you are lashing the ball long into a two-man, occasionally three-man forward line for the entire first half.
When it did get up the field, it fell to Oisín Flannery more often than not and Huw Lawlor had his number the vast majority of examples, blocking him down twice in consecutive plays before over-zealously conceding a free.
The effect of bringing so many back meant that the Kilkenny club’s half-back line had the freedom of Dublin and made hay. The threat of Paddy Deegan had been long signposted and he delivered two first half points. But he was matched by Jordan Molloy who delivered a brace and was involved in so much clever play.
And for all that, the teams went in at half-time just two points adrift.
David Burke has now rewritten the rules and expectations of cruciate injury recovery. When he left Galway training on a Wednesday night in late March, many would have felt the next time he would have played was the following summer.
He started the driving on and was assisted by James Regan who was dropping out of the full-forward line.
The finer details can be listed; O’Loughlin Gaels were the victim of some shoddy umpiring on eight minutes. Luke Hogan short-sticked a ball across the pitch to Eoin O’Shea and his first shot was half-blocked. The ball dropped nicely to Owen Wall to drill goalwards.
It was collected brilliantly by Fintan Burke, sliding on his backside while collecting the ball in his hand.
However, the ball in his hand was well over the line.
Now, on the other side of it there were two red card calls. The first coming in just the fifth minute when Conor Heary barrelled into Conor Cooney, the second a nudge of helmets from Jordan Molloy on Burke.
Who was more hard-done by as they headed down the tunnel, the Gaels ahead by 0-10 to 0-8?
The answer arrived shortly after the break. After picking up a loose ball, Gaels’ midfielder Jack Nolan went to skip inside a challenge. There was some contact with James Regan.
Immediately and picked up by the television cameras, referee Sean Stack shaked his head wanly at Regan. Red card.
He couldn’t believe it. Nobody in the crowd could either.
From the free awarded to Nolan, goalkeeper Stephen Murphy slotted over from a monstrous distance.
But the response was exhilarating as St Thomas’ hit four unanswered points. The work was going on at either end of the pitch as that run was punctuated by a goal chance that fell to Paddy Deegan who was swallowed up, the play continuing until Victor Manso had added to the Thomas’ tally.
From that point, the numerical advantage appeared to lie with the men in red and blue. The workrate belonged to the side who had left here at the semi final stage last year, blindsided by a Dunloy haymaker they never saw coming.
“We were very disappointed then leaving Croke Park. Being realistic, a few days later we were wondering would we ever get the chance to get back here again. Honestly, we probably said no but after a few weeks, we dusted ourselves down and got back in the gym, kept going and saw how the Galway championship went and do what we do,” said manager Kenneth Burke later.
11 years ago, it was his father John on the sideline. Kenneth was 30 back then and the elder statesman of the team. It’s too recent for him to get sentimental about.
“Yeah, it’s special but you just don’t talk about it much. You’re a cog in the wheel but it’s done now and lives with you forever.”
And ever.
Scorers for St Thomas’: Conor Cooney 0-7 (4f), Éanna Burke, David Burke 0-3 each, Victor Manso, James Regan 0-2 each, Cathal Burke 0-1, Gerald Kelly 0-1f
Scorers for O’Loughlin Gaels: Mark Bergin 0-4 (0-2f), David Fogarty, Paddy Deegan, Sean Bolger, Jordan Molloy 0-2 each, Mikey Butler, Conor Heary, Luke Hogan, Conor Kelly 0-1 each, Stephen Murphy 0-1f
St Thomas’
Gerald Kelly; Cian Mahony, Fintan Burke, David Sherry; John Headd, Shane Cooney, Cathal Burke; Damien Finnerty, David Burke; Darragh Burke, Conor Cooney, Victor Manso; James Regan, Éanna Burke, Oisín Flannery
Subs:
Evan Duggan for Sherry (20m), Bernard Burke for Manso (50m), Damien McGlynn for Flannery (58m)
O’Loughlin Gaels
Stephen Murphy; Tony Forristal, Huw Lawlor, Mikey Butler; David Fogarty, Paddy Deegan, Jordan Molloy; Jack Nolan, Cian Loy; Mark Bergin, Eoin O’Shea, Conor Heary; Owen Wall, Luke Hogan, Seán Bolger
Subs:
Conor Kelly for O’Shea (47m), Jamie Ryan for Nolan (50m), Paddy Butler for Loy (58m)
Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin)
