Gunners leave it late to secure county final passage
Ballygunner's Dessie Hutchinson scores a goal against De La Salle in the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Co. Senior hurling championship semi-final played at Walsh Park. Photo: INPHO/James Lawlor
Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Pauric Mahony came off the bench with an incredible man of the match performance to pick Ballygunner up off the floor when they looked to be heading to a first defeat in ten years against De La Salle in the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Co. Senior Hurling Championship semi-final at Walsh Park on Sunday afternoon last.
After the champions had Patrick Fitzgerald sent off on a second yellow card in first-half injury-time, they looked in trouble with under three minutes remaining on the clock as they trailed by two points, having shot 12 wides.
But Kevin Mahony’s inspirational 57th-minute point brought the roars of the Ballygunner faithful in the stands and within two minutes, they had two goals to their name, Pauric setting up Dessie Hutchinson for two green flags as they ran out six-point winners at the death.
Within a minute of the throw-in, referee Eoin Morrissey was in conversation with his linesman, Dessie O’Leary, in front of a packed South Stand, when Kevin Mahony clashed with Reuben Halloran, with yellow cards issued to both players – the former lucky that it wasn’t the other colour.
From the resulting free from well inside his own half, Halloran dissected the posts to give De La Salle the lead before Ian Kenny sent the ball over his own endline for a 65 that Halloran drove wide as the city outfit started on the front foot.
Patrick Fitzgerald landed a fine eighth-minute point for Ballygunner before Adam Farrell advanced from his defensive position to score for De La Salle. Harry Ruddle and a pointed free from Dessie Hutchinson edged the champions in front for a first time inside 14 minutes, 0-3 to 0-2.
Kevin Mahony stretched the Ballygunner lead to two points on 17 minutes before De La Salle scored a crucial goal four minutes later. Reuben Halloran sent in a free into the square, and after Tadhg Foley couldn’t clear, Brian Cunningham nipped in to send the ball crashing into the Gunners' net.
The Gunners replied with three points of their own thanks to Dessie Hutchinson, Peter Hogan, and Kevin Mahony as they regained the lead, 0-7 to 1-3, with 28 minutes on the clock before Thomas Douglas restored parity in injury-time.
After picking up a yellow card for a loose hurl on 16 minutes, Ballygunner corner-forward Patrick Fitzgerald was sent off by referee Eoin Morrissey three minutes into first-half injury-time for a late hit on Lorcan Dwyer. Shaun O’Brien stood over the resulting monster free to split the posts as De La Salle went in at half-time, wind-assisted, leading 1-5 to 0-7.
The opening ten minutes belonged to De La Salle as they stretched their lead to five points with four good efforts, two from the hurl of Reuben Halloran and one apiece from Thomas Douglas and Cormac McCann, who replaced the injured Kevin Moran at the half-time break.
With the Gunners failing to find their range with Hutchinson twice wide, they did steady the ship through Paddy Leavey, only for Halloran to regain the five-point lead for his side by the 44th minute with two points from placed balls.
But Pauric Mahony landed three frees in a row for Ballygunner, with his brother Mikey also finding the target, as the De La Salle lead was down to one point until Jack Twomey scored a fine point underneath the stand to stretch the lead with three minutes remaining.
Kevin Mahony’s third point of the afternoon was a crucial one, as it raised the Gunners' faithful, and what happened next was probably predictable. Pauric Mahony teed up Dessie Hutchinson for a 58th-minute goal as the county captain raced through to fire past Shaun O’Brien before the former extended the lead with a point. Suddenly, De La Salle were chasing a goal to force extra-time.
It was the champions that secured their county final passage with a second green flag from Hutchinson after he was once again set up by Mahony to rifle an unstoppable effort to the roof of the net. They left it oh so late with Pauric Mahony putting the icing on the cake with a fifth point with the final puck.
Dessie Hutchinson 2-2 (2f), Pauric Mahony 0- 5 (4f), Kevin Mahony 0-3, Paddy Leavey 0-2, Patrick Fitzgerald 0-1, Harry Ruddle 0-1, Peter Hogan 0-1.
Reuben Halloran 0-7 (6f), Brian Cunningham 1-0, Thomas Douglas 0-2, Adam Farrell 0-1, Shaun O’Brien 0-1 (1f), Cormac McCann 0-1, Jack Twomey 0-1.
Stephen O’Keeffe; Adam O’Neill, Ian Kenny, Tadhg Foley; Harry Ruddle, Philip Mahony, Ronan Power; Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey; Dessie Hutchinson, Mikey Mahony, Peter Hogan; Patrick Fitzgerald, Kevin Mahony, Eoin Cuddihy.
Pauric Mahony for Eoin Cuddihy (36), Conor Tobin for Conor Sheahan (52), Cormac Power for Kevin Mahony (60)
Shaun O’Brien; Conor Keane, Adam Farrell, Daniel Lalor; Mikey Costigan, Jake Dillon, Lorcan Dwyer; Tom Moran, Eddie Barrett; Reuben Halloran, Jack Twomey, Jack Fagan; Brian Cunningham, Thomas Douglas, Kevin Moran.
Cormac McCann for Kevin Moran (30), Cormac Dawson for Brian Cunningham (46).
Eoin Morrissey (Erins Own).
