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All Square Between Belfast’s Big Two

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Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship

Group 1

St John’s 0-20 Rossa 1-17

Friday 14 August

Brendan McTaggart reports from Corrigan Park

As far as championship openers go, it wasn’t bad, was it?  Champions St John’s hosted their nearest and dearest, playing out a second half thriller.  Rossa looked like they had avenged their quarter final defeat in the 2025 championship with the help of an early Daire Murphy goal and a first half that seen the Shaws Road men play with an intensity the Johnnies couldn’t reach.

Gerard Cunningham’s men hit back in the second half and showed their championship pedigree and character.  Despite playing against the wind, there was almost an inevitability about them getting their equalising score.  What wasn’t inevitable was Oisin MacManus missing a free in the seventh minute of additional time at the end of the hour.

MacManus had been superb from placed ball, raising the white flag on 11 occasions.  His strike would have given the home side the lead for the first time in the contest and while it was far from a ‘gimme’, it looked like the champions were going to break Rossa hearts once more. 

It didn’t happen.  His effort looked to tail to the right of the posts and while the St John’s players protested, referee Mark O’Neill confirmed the decision with his umpires.  A dramatic ending to an intense second half that had a bit of everything you love to see in championship hurling.

Brilliant scores, super catches, turnovers, chances spurned and the odd off the ball incident.  It wouldn’t be a contest between the real Big Two of Belfast if there wasn’t.  In fairness, it was a game that was played with championship intensity with the odd lose hurl ‘left in’ but nothing that warranted serious attention from the officials.

The honours were shared, deservedly so?  Possibly.  Rossa did pass up on a lot of chances in the second half with a plethora of wides and efforts dropping short.  Each missed opportunity seemingly breathing life into the home sides challenge.

The game was just 11 seconds old when the only goal of the game was scored.  Daire Murphy breaking free and firing low to give the Jeremiah’s the dream start to their championship.  He would add the opening point of the game with his first of four frees in the third minute before the home side finally wakened from their slumber.

Three unanswered white flags from Ryan McNulty, Michael Bradley and MacManus’ first free of the night brought the home side to within one point after five minutes.  Rossa responded with a trio of unanswered points of their own through Gerard Walsh, Declan McCartney and Thomas Morgan and on the balance of play, it was a deserving lead for Rossa.

They were playing with more intensity and not letting St John’s settle into the game and with Corey Walsh and Diarmuid Rogan in particular playing strongly, the Rossa defence wasn’t giving the Johnnies attack any breathing space.

Ciaran Johnston split the posts from distance to reduce the deficit to two points but such was the strength of the Rossa defence, they only yielded one further point from open play in 20 minutes.  St John’s and MacManus did add a further four points from frees before Ronan Donnelly split the uprights in injury time while Rossa had points from Dominic McEnhill, Stephen Beatty, Daire Murphy, Aodhan O’Brien split the posts either side of a Declan McCartney score to leave the half time score 1-10 to 0-9 in Rossa’s favour.

With the advantage of a wind at their backs in the second half, it was very much a case of advantage Rossa at the interval.  St John’s didn’t play with any cohesion and the Jeremiah’s were well worth their four point lead.

The home side needed a strong start to the second half but it was Rossa and a Gerard Walsh free that opened the scoring.  St John’s did look more like themselves in the opening exchanges and a brace of points from Caolan Wilson and a massive free from Domhnall Nugent raised the voices of the home support.

The opening 10 or so minutes of the second half were evenly contested however.  Rossa added scores from Daire Murphy and Gerard Walsh frees before MacManus (free) and Eoin Trainor split the uprights.

Both sides were playing with more fluidity and precision in possession although their shooting did let them down on occasions.  McNulty and McEnhill fired over to leave four between the sides in the 42nd minute but that McEnhill score would be the Jeremiah’s last for fully 20 minutes. 

St John’s went about their work with their half back line excelling.  Ciaran Johnston and Ryan MvcNulty in particular impressing.  MacManus fired over three points from placed ball along with a Ronan Galbraith point to bring the sides level for the first time in the game in the 58th minute.

Gerard Walsh edged Rossa ahead again with his fourth white flag of the contest as the game edged into injury time.  MacManus and Murphy exchanged frees, Murphy’s free brought forward to the 21 meter line for indiscipline on the St John’s line but a brilliant point from Sean Wilson tied the sides in the sixth minute of injury time.

There was still time for one last chance and MacManus stood over the sliotar on his own ’65 but it was the only time in the match the Johnnies marksman radar let him down.  Honours even after a pulsating second half.

TEAMS

St John’s Starting XV: Domhnall Nugent; Enda McGurk, Conal Morgan, Lorcan McCallin; Sean Wilson, Ciaran Johnston, Ryan McNulty; Caoimhin Hanna, Aaron Bradley; Ronan Donnelly, Shea Shannon, Conall Bohill; Donal Carson, Michael Bradley, Oisin MacManus

Rossa Starting XV: Donal Armstrong; Niall Crossan, Ciaran Orchin, Corey Walsh; Declan McCartney, Gerard Walsh, Diarmuid Rogan; Stephen Beatty, Conall Shannon; Dominic McEnhill, Daire Murphy, Luca McCusker; Aodhan O’Brien, Eoin Trainor, Thomas Morgan

Referee: Mark O’Neill (Armoy)

TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, FOLLOW THE LINK…..

https://myalbum.com/album/d29PQNUqkwFihT/?invite=6c035539-303b-4f91-8ec2-608e7e872036

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