Ballygunner (Waterford) 2-20 Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 2-15
Ballygunner manager Darragh O’Sullivan acknowledged that his team don’t often find themselves in the sort of hole they occupied at half-time in this AIB Munster club hurling semi-final at TUS Gaelic Grounds.
Nonetheless when it does happen – like on Sunday and in last February’s All-Ireland final when they trailed by two with seconds left before the Harry Ruddle thunderbolt – his life must flash in front of his eyes.
Five points down at the break this time and regardless of scoreboard arithmetic, they were being pushed around all over the place by a puissant-looking Na Piarsaigh, regular Limerick champions and winners of the county’s only club All-Ireland.
There was no doubting their provenance in the first half when they never let the champions settle. Peter Casey and Will Henn sniped for scores, Will Donoghue powered through centrefield and at the back they gave little away.
Ballygunner’s problems were compounded by getting bent out of shape by the onslaught, leaving Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald outnumbered up front and further handicapped by hasty and unfocused distribution whenever their dazed team-mates could lift the siege.
In retrospect it was vital that the two isolated attackers made the most of a 14th-minute chance that fell their way when one long ball into them was broken by Emmet McEvoy and fell for Fitzgerald, who fed Hutchinson and he snapped the ball past Evan Condon.
It wasn’t one of the lively full forward’s most conspicuous displays but that ability to take scores under pressure was a Godsend for his struggling team.
Helped by Hutchinson’s serendipity, the champions pressed on and by the 20th minute, the crowd of 3,321 were getting something like the elemental battle hoped for between Munster’s two most recent All-Ireland champions.
Na Piarsaigh were having none of it though. Having pegged back the Waterford champions when O’Donoghue played an exquisite ball into his partner Keith Dempsey and he scored a goal, they pushed on and thanks to a further goal from Conor Boylan, led 2-11 to 1-9 at the break.
“The first thing we said,” according to O’Sullivan afterwards, “was we wouldn’t panic and we didn’t. And we just worked on two or three things, tactical things, that probably helped.
“Maybe our tackle rate wasn’t up as high as [we’d like]. That’s probably why but we were asked serious questions in the first half. They ran through us at times and they were running from deep and we tried to put a stop to that and they didn’t get the same space maybe in the second half.
“It’s probably sheer work-rate and guts and heart and determination in the second half that turned that game for us. We said we’d keep tipping over the scores and we did and then obviously Patrick’s goal brought it back to a point and gave us momentum as well. And when you have momentum it’s hard to switch it and we just stuck at it and it was a phenomenal performance.
“It’s what the association is about, the club, the spirit and the heart. They should put that on a video and send it around the world and say these are club sides getting nothing for it. Phenomenal.”
Pauric Mahony had already stepped up in the first half. He had to overcome a ropey opening phase but once his eye was in, he displayed phenomenal marksmanship as well as energy and bravery in continuing to go for scores.
All told, he hit 0-13, seven from play, but also had to process five wides – that’s 18 shots in an hour.
“Ah it’s phenomenal and you’d take your hat off to him,” said his manager. “Pauric’s doing it a long time for us. He keeps doing it and keeps doing it.”
The score that turned the match was a goal by Fitzgerald, following through from a long ball struck in by goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe.
Within seconds Pauric Mahony had equalised and the match was going in only one direction. They eased away in the final quarter.
Na Piarsaigh were curiously flat in the second half and never reached the level that had given them such an edge.
“We shut them down, in fairness,” said O’Sullivan. “Barry Coughlan was massive in the full-back line too. A lot of one-on-ones went in there and he broke the ball out and came out with it.
“Ronan Power’s point in the second half from underneath the stand – phenomenal scores. It’s hugely pleasing for the group and the club and the players to do what we did in that second half but look there’s no cup here today. That’s the reality of sport, the cup is the next day.”
There was further gloom for the Limerick side when county full back Mike Casey had to hobble off in the 54th minute but whatever spirit had driven them up until half-time had been thoroughly exorcised.
Ballygunner will play Ballyea of Clare in the provincial final next Saturday week.
BALLYGUNNER: S O’Keeffe; I Kenny (jt capt), B Coughlan, T Foley; S O’Sullivan, P Mahony, R Power (0-1); C Sheahan (0-4), P Leavey; M Mahony, Pauric Mahony (0-13, six frees), P Hogan (0-1); K Mahony, D Hutchinson (jt capt; 1-0), P Fitzgerald (1-1).
Subs: H Ruddle for Fitzgerald (57 mins), B O’Keeffe for K Mahony (61).
NA PIARSAIGH: E Condon; E McEvoy, M Casey, C King; M Foley (0-1), R Lynch (0-1, free), J Boylan; W O’Donoghue (capt), K Dempsey (1-1); K Downes (0-4, three frees), P Casey (0-3), C Boylan (1-1); W Henn (0-3), D Dempsey (0-1), A Breen.
Subs: S Long for Foley (29 mins), T Grimes for M Casey (54), D Breen for Downes (57).
Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork).
