BY NOEL HORGAN

THE honour of collecting the trophy for Kilbrittain fell to Philip Wall, who certainly played a captain’s part in their success.

Lining out at full-forward, but switched to centre-forward shortly after the throw-in, he was a key figure in Kilbrittain’s scintillating start. More importantly perhaps, he did much to steady the ship after the tide began to flow against them.

Wall completed Kilbrittain’s tally before half time, and landed their first score from play in the second-half – a superb effort following a powerful run goalwards.

Describing the victory as the best thing he’s experienced in his hurling career so far, Wall said he felt extremely proud to skipper the side.

‘It’s an absolute privilege to captain this group, who have conducted themselves so well all year, especially when the Glen threw everything at us tonight,’ Wall said.

‘I was a minor when I made my debut with Kilbrittain’s top team in 2017, so I’ve been waiting eight years for our first bit of success.

‘It’s been a long time coming, and, after we lost the final to Lisgoold in 2021 and were eliminated by the Glen in a penalty shoot-out two years ago, I began to wonder if we were ever going to get out of this grade.’

Kilbrittain captain Philip Wall lifts the Jimmy Mahoney Cup after their victory. (Photo: George Hatchell)

As well as the current management, Wall credits men like Vincent O’Brien, Aidan Donoghue, John Considine and particularly Jamie Wall for the work they’ve done in developing the team since the formation of the premier junior grade.

Despite Kilbrittain’s dip in form following a blistering start in the final, he said he wasn’t worried at half time, because he felt it was par for the course in terms of the team’s displays all year.

‘It’s happened in every championship game, so, while we were two points down, I was confident we’d pull out the win in the second half,’ Wall said.

‘We’re just thrilled to get over the line, because it got a bit nervy there near the end,’ he admitted, adding he can’t wait to play at intermediate A level with Kilbrittain in 2026.

‘We’ve several young players who’ve matured a lot in this campaign, so, fingers crossed, we’ll be able to do well next year.’

Kilbrittain man-of-the match Mark Hickey said he found it difficult to describe how much this victory meant.

‘We’ve been losing for so long, it’s just great to bounce back this year, and hopefully we can drive on up to the ranks now.

‘With the momentum it gives us, I don’t think it’s going to be another 15 years before we win our next county.’

Hickey said Kilbrittain had extra motivation going into the final, because the fixture occurred on the birthday of Oisin Gillain, the young player who passed away from SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome) in March.

‘That makes the win even more special,’ he said, a sentiment similarly expressed by manager Joe Ryan during his post-match interview.

‘This is great for the community, because there’s families in it that have suffered tragic loss over the past year or two, so it’s brilliant if the lads’ achievement brings them a bit of joy and distraction,’ he remarked.