Kilbrittain 2-17

Kilrossanty 0-9

NOEL HORGAN REPORTS

WHAT a glorious chapter in the history of Kilbrittain GAA Club.

On a weekend where its home division, Carbery, celebrated its centenary year in style, the hurling heroes of Kilbrittain gave the region another reason to cheer as they powered to AIB Munster club junior hurling championship glory at Mallow on Saturday.

Kilbrittain gave a display fitting of the occasion, even if they took close on ten minutes to open their second-half account, having led 0-11 to 0-3 at the interval.

Backed by a strong wind, Waterford kingpins Kilrossanty trimmed the deficit to four points in the interim, suggesting the Cork champions might be hard pressed to prevail.

After Luke Griffin broke their second-half duck, the Rebel standard-bearers clicked smoothly into top gear, with Mark Hickey quickly adding a goal to put them back in the driving seat where they remained until the finish.

They were comprehensive winners in the end, much to the satisfaction of manager Joe Ryan, who felt their overall performance left precious little to be desired.

Kilbrittain's Mark Hickey scores side's first goal. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

‘I’m delighted for the lads, to put in a performance like this in a Munster final was unbelievable, topping any they produced over the course of the county championship,’ he remarked.

‘In the county final, we probably played to our full potential for about 20 minutes, but this was a full 60-minute performance,’ insisted the Kilbrittain boss, who admitted he was slightly concerned after Kilrossanty made the early running in the second half.

‘They had a strong wind, which was a little worrying because we were giving away frees, so we were relieved to get our first score after half-time, particularly since it came from play.

‘Then our first goal came at the right time, and the lads never looked back. They’re a confident bunch, and their confidence was up at that stage,’ noted Ryan.

Kilrossanty opted to operate with a sweeper when facing the wind, a tactic that brought mixed results.

It enabled them to limit the progress of the opposition’s attack to such an extent that the hard-working Bertie Butler was the only Kilbrittain forward to get on the scoresheet from play before the break.

Mark Hickey celebrates his goal. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Mark Hickey provided Kilbrittain’s primary source of penetration from frees, including a couple of breath-taking efforts from distance.

If the Kibrittain forward division wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders in the first half, the Kilrossanty forwards were finding it even more difficult to make headway.

The decision to move Eoin O’Neill from the right corner to centre-back, allowing Aaron Holland to function as an unattended defender, worked a treat for Kilbrittain against a Kilrossanty attack in which Waterford senior Padraig Fitzgerald carried the main threat.

Kilbrittain’s numerical advantage, not to mention the tenacity of full-back James Hurley, meant the roaming Fitzgerald promised more than he achieved, relying on placed balls to comprise the losers’ entire first-half tally.

Aaron Holland embellished his excellent defensive work with an outrageous long-range score, which, preceded by points from free-taker Hickey and midfielder Josh O’Donovan, left Kilbrittain three to the good before Kilrossanty got off the mark in the tenth minute.

After Pádraig Fitzgerald cut the gap to the minimum two minutes later, Kilbrittain steadily tightened the screw, reeling off six points on the trot, including a fine effort from play by wing-back Tomás Sheehan.

Kilrossanty reverted to an orthodox formation in the second half, which appeared to be doing the trick after midfielder Seamus Fitzgerald bagged their first score from play, and Padraig Fitzgerald completed a four-point sequence in the 39th minute.

Kilbrittain captain Philip Wall raises the cup. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

But the resultant puck-out was won by Kilbrittain skipper Philip Wall, who placed Luke Griffin for a point, giving the Carbery men the boost they required to get back on track.

Mark Hickey’s goal, resulting from good work by Conor Hogan, soon followed to restore their eight-point lead, and derail Kilrossanty’s short-lived resurgence.

Hogan, Butler and Griffin were all seen to good effect as the Kibrittain attack moved much more menacingly as a unit in the second half.

The picture was every bit as encouraging in defence where James Hurley hardly put a foot astray in the No. 3 shirt, with Eoin O’Neill and Darragh Considine completing a resolute full-back line that ensured David Desmond was never seriously tested between the sticks.

Sean Sexton and Josh O’Donovan both did their bit to keep the flag flying at midfield as Kilbrittain increased the lead to 11 points, 1-16 to 0-8, before Conor Hogan and Luke Griffin were involved in a move completed by a well-taken goal from Bertie Butler in the 49th minute.

Butler’s strike removed any lingering doubts about the outcome, but there was more misery to follow for the losers, who, denied a consolation goal when Pádraig Fitzgerald hit the side-netting from a close-in free, had two players dismissed in the dying minutes.

Scorers

Kilbrittain: M Hickey 1-9 (9f); B Butler 1-3; J O’Donovan, A Holland, T Sheehan, S Sexton, L Griffin 0-1 each.

Kilrossanty: P Fitzgerald 0-7 (6f); S Fitzgerald 0-2 (1f).

Kilbrittain: D Desmond; E O’Neill, J Hurley, D Considine; T Sheehan, A Holland, C Sheehan; S Sexton, J O’Donovan; M Hickey, P Wall, R Crowley; C Hogan, L Griffin, B Butler.

Subs: C Ustianoski for Crowley (52), D Harrington for Sexton (56), T Harrington for Holland (56), N O’Donovan for O’Donovan (62), C Kenny for Hickey (62).

Kilrossanty: S Hogan; P Keating, D Fitzgerald, S Veale; M Dunne, C Walsh, J Kay; S Fitzgerald, F De Paor; J Power, E Power, P Cunningham; A Dunwoody, P Fitzgerald, D Walsh.

Subs: J Whyte for J Power (42), P Whyte for P Fitzgerald (inj, 60).

Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).