By: Kevin Corrigan
Molloy Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 5
Kilcormac-Killoughey 2-24
Birr 0-14
It was easily K-K’s best display of the year. They were decent in their win over St Rynagh’s in their previous game but raised the bar significantly here and make the semi-finals ahead of St Rynagh’s on the head to head rule.
Birr were through to the quarter-finals no matter what happened here and couldn’t make the semi-finals but even with nothing tangible to play for, their display was very disappointing. With Coolderry recording an anticpated win over Kinnitty, a win for Birr here would have eliminated the four in a row seeking champions.
You could argue that the time for Birr to beat K-K is in a knockout game but there was an opportunity to evict them and open up the championship for them and everyone else. Birr never went after that, they were a mile off the pace in the first half and only approached championship intensity for an all too brief spell in the second half. There are no repercussions for Birr in defeat but this was a very flat, subdued performance and it was all too easy for K-K to win.
K-K’s hunger and work rate was much closer to the levels that has made them such an invincible force in the past three years. You would expect this with their championship aspirations on the line but they still produced a really good display and they are still the team to beat.
They will get stronger too as Adam Screeney was togged out in Banagher, presumably ready to be thrown in if K-K were in panic stations in the closing quarter. As things worked out, there wasn’t a remote sense of crisis at any stage in this game and Screeney wasn’t used but should be good to go for the semi-final in a month’s time.
K-K do have injury worries. Jordan Quinn’s season could be over, Ter Guinan went early here and they will be praying this isn’t another bad hamstring injury while Daniel Hand was heavily strapped up and went off carrying a leg near the end.
Making the semi-final direct will be a big help to them. Cillian Kiely was a big doubt after getting injured in the win over St Rynagh’s but came through the full game and he showed his value as he anchored the defence quite brilliantly.
Kilcormac-Killoughey were outstanding in the first half. Their application and work rate was exactly where it was needed and they had Birr, who welcomed Eoghan Cahill back from injury, on the back foot from the throw in. Playing almost flawless hurling in all sectors and with a healthy spread of scorers, K-K stormed into a 0-8 to 0-1 lead after 12 minutes. The writing was on the wall for Birr that early and they never threatened a revival.
K-K’s lead was 0-11 to 0-3 after twenty minutes, 0-16 to 0-8 at half time and it required something extraordinary for Birr to win. Six of Birr’s eight first half points came from Eoghan Cahill frees and the overall attacking display by the losers was very substandard.
Birr did briefly threaten a revival in the second half. They worked harder and closed down K-K players quicker. K-K showed fleeting feet of clay and Birr had the gap down to five on four different occasions, 0-16 to 0-11, 0-17 to 0-12, 0-18 to 0-13 and 0-19 to 0-14.
It was a five point game heading into the closing ten minutes and a goal would have made it very interesting but Birr didn’t truly go after the game. Instead, they never scored again after the 48th minute and they didn’t raise a whimper as they died a death late on.
K-K controlled the closing minutes with impressively efficiency. They were 0-23 to 0-14 ahead and had it won when Peter Geraghty stroked home a fantastic goal in the 56th minute. Sub Oisin Mahon scrambled home their second two minutes into injury time and the way K-K’s hunger seems to be coming back will have been noted by everyone else.
MATCH ANALYSIS
THE SCORERS
Kilcormac-Killoughey: Daniel Hand 0-6 (4f and 1 ’65’), Colin Spain 0-4, Peter Geraghty 1-1, Thomas Geraghty and Conor Mahon 0-3 each, Oisin Mahon 1-0, Lochlann Kavanagh and Leigh Kavanagh 0-2 each, Conor Slevin (f), Cillian Kiely, Damien Kilmartin 0-1 each.
Birr: Eoghan Cahill 0-9 (7f), Darragh Tierney 0-2, Padraic Watkins, Ian Kerin, Luke Nolan 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Brecon Kavanagh, Tom Spain, James Mahon; Ter Guinan, Cillian Kiely, Enda Grogan; Colin Spain, Damien Kilmartin; Daniel Hand, Conor Mahon,Leigh Kavanagh; Peter Geraghty, Thomas Geraghty, Lochlann Kavanagh. Subs – Jack Screeney for Guinan, inj. (10m), Alex Kavanagh for Lochlann Kavanagh (50m), Brian Guinan for Kilmartin (53m).
BIRR: Adam Fitzgerald; Jimmy Irwin, Cormac Kenny, Ben Miller; Joe Ryan, Padraic Watkins, Colm Mulrooney; Morgan Watkins,, Ian Kerin; Barry Harding, Luke Nolan, Darragh Tierney; Eoghan Cahill, Emmet Nolan, Ailbe Watkins. Subs – Joe Ryan for Boyd (20m), Brendan Murphy for Harding (HT), Lochlann Quinn for Emmet Nolan (39m),
Referee – Adam Kinahan, Clodiagh Gaels.
STATISTICS
Wides: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 10 (3 in first half); Birr – 10 (3 in first half).
Yellow cards: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 1 (Cillian Kiely; Birr – 3 (Joe Ryan, Luke Nolan, Cormac Kenny).
Red cards: 0
By Offaly Secretary Sat 5th Sep
