Killeagh 2-26 Na Piarsaigh 2-24Â
Some late magic from Barry Walsh crowned an outstanding team display as Killeagh edged Na Piarsaigh in a thrilling Co-Op SuperStores Senior A Hurling Championship clash in Midleton on Sunday evening.
Na Piarsaigh will be left wondering how 2-24 wasn’t enough to win the game. But they came agonisingly close.
Level for a seventh and final time after Craig Hanafin notched his third point on 54 minutes, the game was locked at 2-21 to 1-24. Then, Barry Walsh stepped up with two superb frees either side of a brilliant Ryan McCarthy effort – set up by the immense Andy Walsh in the Killeagh half-back line. Suddenly, Killeagh were three clear with just over a minute remaining.
With Killeagh three ahead and with a minute to go, Daire Connery lined up his ninth shot of the evening. It trailed wide. His only wide.
A fourth Killeagh point from Seán Long followed, pushing them four ahead in stoppage time and seemingly safe.
But there was one final sting. Hanafin won a penalty in the dying seconds, and Connery blasted it into the bottom corner. One-point game. One minute to go.
Philip O’Neill went long with the puckout, Barry Walsh made a sensational fetch, and teed up Cathal Fitzgibbon – capping a standout defensive display with the insurance score.
The total of 54 scores reflected the sheer brilliance of both teams in a game of exceptional quality.
Cian Buckley, Na Piarsaigh, tries to block Ben Walsh, Killeagh. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Na Piarsaigh, trailing by a point at the break after Padraig Guest’s late goal, came out strongly in the second half. Substitute Cian Hogan added drive from midfield, and his equaliser in the 37th minute made it 0-17 to 0-14.
From then on, the margin rarely moved beyond two points either way. The lead constantly changed hands. Na Piarsaigh briefly took the lead on 41 minutes, but points from Seán Long and Barry Walsh swung it back Killeagh’s way.
Ross O’Sullivan was superb for Na Piarsaigh, landing five points without a miss. His fourth, an outrageous effort, nudged them in front again by the 45th minute.
But then another twist to the tale. A long delivery missed Barry Walsh and Dylan McCarthy, and amid the scramble Colm Leahy couldn’t gather. Ryan McCarthy swooped, found space, and rifled to the roof of the net, 1-21 to 1-19 with 48 minutes gone.
Just 90 seconds later, Na Piarsaigh were level again, only for another stunner from Barry Walsh to turn the game. Under serious pressure from three defenders, he broke clear and buried a rocket into the net, 2-21 to 1-21.
Still, Na Piarsaigh refused to wilt. Within five minutes, they were level again. But Killeagh’s composure in the final moments – even with the late penalty drama – proved just enough.
Keith Buckley, Na Piarsaigh and Barry Walsh, Killeagh battle for possession. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
The quality was just as high in the first half, where both sides lined out with sweepers and an extra midfielder, sacrificing one in the full-forward line. Brendan Delaney swept for Killeagh, with Evan Lane drifting into the middle third. Na Piarsaigh varied their setup, with Owen Galvin the spare until replaced by Hogan before the break.
That switch came just before Guest’s goal, a sharp diagonal ball into the corner, where he skipped past Patrick O’Brien and finished low. It left Killeagh ahead by the minimum, 0-14 to 1-10, at the interval.
They had worked hard to build that cushion, responding to an early 0-2 to 0-0 deficit by levelling within five minutes. A Barry Walsh free nudged them ahead, and three quick points opened up a 0-7 to 0-4 gap. By the 21st minute, they led by five, the largest margin of the game.
But from start to finish, this was a classic. Quality, grit and plenty of drama.
Scorers for Killeagh: Barry Walsh 1-8 (0-8 f), R McCarthy 1-3, S Smiddy, S Long 0-4 each, E Lane 0-3, D McCarthy, Ben Walsh, R Long, C Fitzgibbon 0-1 each.
Scorers for Na Piarsaigh: D Connery 1-8 (1-0 pen, 0-3 f), R O’Sullivan 0-5 (0-1 f), P Guest 1-1, C Hanafin 0-3, K Moynihan, C Hogan 0-2 each, P Murphy, C Meaney, L Sheehan 0-1 each.
KILLEAGH: P O’Neill; B Delaney, P O’Brien, A Keniry; A Walsh, D Walsh, Ben Walsh; S Long, C Fitzgibbon; R Long, R McCarthy, S Smiddy; Barry Walsh, D McCarthy, E Lane.
Subs: Colm Leahy for R Long (43), Ciarán Leahy for Lane (55).
NA PIARSAIGH: L Donovan; K Buckley (c), C Flynn, G Joyce; P Murphy, C Buckley, C Meaney; G Healy, C Hanafin; K Moynihan, D Connery, P Guest; P Rourke, R O’Sullivan, O Galvin.
Subs: C Hogan for Galvin (29), L Sheehan for Rourke (49), E Sheehan for Meaney (51).
Referee: Patrick O’Mahony (Kilbrittain)