By Brendan McTaggart
Last Sunday Cushendall and St Johns served up another thriller. It’s a pairing that serves up a feast of championship hurling in the recent past with the first of these remarkable encounters coming in Pearse Park, Dunloy four years ago.
2015
St Johns were five up at the half time and still five clear at the business end of the quarter final. Cushendall produced a Lazarus like comeback in the closing stages and as history would show, it wasn’t the only time they would produce the goods when their backs were to the wall on their run to the All-Ireland final.
St Johns looked on course to reach the semi-finals with Jimmy Peoples and Barry McFall netting in either half but two goals in the closing stages took victory from the jaws of defeat for the Ruairi’s. Sean McAfee with two majors earlier in the game before a quite brilliant 21 yard free from Neil McManus brought them to within touching distance and McAfee completed his hat-trick moments later. Final score Cushendall 4-10 St Johns 2-15.
Interestingly, Cushendall had just seven starting last weekend from their starting 15 while the Johnnies had just six.
12 months ago almost to the date, Dunloy were the hosts once again but this time there was no winner at the end of the hour. The two sides were tied on 10 different occasions with St Johns leading by four with two minutes of normal time remaining. Against a lesser team you would think, game over. Right? Wrong. Alex Delargy with a goal and points from Natty McNaughton and McManus had them one clear. Ciaran Johnston had the opportunity to restore parity from a free and after a delay with some hand bags, the Johnnies man nailed his free with the last action of the game.
2018
An epic game that had everything we love about championship hurling. Passion, drama, tension, misses, brilliant scores and they got to do it all over again two weeks later.
The replay and subsequent final were pushed back a further week than would be the norm with St Johns involvement in the football championship but the extra time just added to the occasion. A huge crowd made their way to Páirc Mac Uílin and while Cushendall edge St Johns by two points at the end of a pulsating hour of hurling, they weren’t assured of the win until the death.
The Ruairi’s started like a train only for St Johns to reel them in. Sound familiar? The reason I had déjà vu last Sunday. St Johns took the lead in the second half with Peter McCallin’s goal but the game changed when Ryan McNulty had to come off and Cushendall took advantage. The Johnnies full back was having a titanic battle with Conor Carson on the edge of the square and the Cushendall man scored two late goals to all but seal Cushendall’s place in the county final.
St Johns showed their undeniable fighting spirit with a late goal from Conor Johnson but Cushendall and Eoin Laverty had the final say. Again looking at the starting 15’s from that day and last weekend, Cushendall had just nine while St Johns had 11.
2019
An intriguing rivalry between two sides that bring the best out of each other. What history has shown us is the faces may change but the spirit within their squads is incredible. Next to nothing separates them and Sunday promises to be another cracker.