AIB All Ireland Club Hurling Championship

Semi-Final

Dunloy 1-14 St Thomas 0-13

Sunday 18 December

Brendan McTaggart reports from Croke Park, Dublin

And the Dunloy juggernaut rolls on.  The Cuchullains came to Croke Park on Sunday as underdogs but booked their place in the Club All Ireland final for the fifth time in their history.

Four points separated the sides by the time referee John Keenan called time at the end of the hour, Dunloy having to withstand a barrage of St Thomas attacks on their goal in the closing stages but the winning of this game came in mid-way through the second half and a moment of pure genius from Keelan Molloy.  Collecting a pass from Nigel Elliott, Molloy gathered and set off to find a yard of space.  The St Thomas defence converged on Molloy but he continued on his merry way, lifting the sliotar to evade a challenge before rippling the onion bag.  You’ll travel far to see a finer goal.  It felt like a game changer at the time, it proved to be the winning of this game.

Defensively Dunloy were superb.  St Thomas rarely looked like threatening Ryan Elliott’s goal with Ryan McGarry, Oran Quinn, Eamon Smyth and Kevin Molloy all superb.  The midfield duo of Conor Kinsella and Eoin McFerran snuffed out the threat of the lauded duo of Bernard and David Burke while in attack Dunloy caused problems for the full hour.  Ronan Molloy, Seaan and Nigel Elliott going through a mountain of work, Conal Cunning with touches of class while Keelan Molloy is turning Croke Park into his playground. 

The Cuchullains made one change to the team that claimed the Ulster Championship two weeks ago, Deaglan Smith coming on for Anton McGrath.  They played against the breeze in the opening half but made a superb start.  Nigel Elliott with a cracking score inside the first 20 seconds and Conal Cunning two minutes later.  St Thomas and Conor Cooney opened their account in the 6^th minute but Dunloy were well on top on the opening exchanges and should have been further ahead but for some wayward shooting.

The Galway champions were making the most of the wind at their back with Gerard Kelly’s puck outs going a mile towards Hill 16.  Dunloy were dealing with the aerial assault with Kevin Molloy and Ryan McGarry instrumental but St Thomas begun to settle into the game with Damien McGlynn bringing the sides level.

Keelan Molloy’s dummy and strike from out the field restored the Dunloy lead moments later but it would be their last score for fully 16 minutes at St Thomas looked to turn the screw.  They opened a two point lead in the same time with Conor Cooney’s second of the day (free) along with scores from Oisin Flannery and Mark Caulfield but Dunloy without scoring, were looking dangerous.  When they got past the sweeping David Burke, the inside forward trio always looked like doing damage and they were awarded a penalty after 19 minutes thanks to the brilliance of Nigel and Seaan Elliott.  The later dragged down inside the square.  Cunning stepped up to take the penalty and while he struck his shot well, St Thomas ‘keeper Kelly dived to his right and at full stretch pushed the sliotar to safety.

Despite that miss, Dunloy looked to have found another gear.  Keelan Molloy’s second of the game cut the St Thomas lead to the minimum but the Dunloy radar was faltering with a number of wides.

St Thomas weren’t fairing much better at the other end of the pitch with Conor Cooney uncharacteristically missing a couple of frees. 

The closing stages of the first half were key for the Cuchullains.  They had another half goal chance with Nigel Elliott going close but they tagged on another couple of scores from Cunning (free and ’65) either side of Cooney’s second converted free of the half to leave the sides tied on 0-6 apiece at the short whistle.

Being level at half time was the bare minimum Dunloy’s performance in the first half deserved.  They had created 17 scoring chances against the wind but were wasteful in possession on a couple of occasions.

They started the second half in the same vein of form as the first.  Using the width of Croke Park to their benefit to create holes in the St Thomas defence and making the sliotar to the work.  St Thomas came out with more intensity with Aaron Crawford having to come off after a dangerous foul that saw David Burke lucky to stay on the pitch.  With ‘Snoozer’ leaving the pitch, it hurried the introduction of Paul Shiels, ‘Shorty’ instrumental as Dunloy looked to wrestle momentum and dominate the middle third.

St Thomas troubles in front of the target continued in the third quarter and while Dunloy weren’t exactly prolific, they opened a three point lead with Coby Cunning putting daylight between the sides.

Conor Cooney’s free in the 44^th minute was the first score for St Thomas in the second half but Molloy’s major followed.  Brilliant from Nigel Elliott, the catch and vision to find Keelan Molloy coming off the shoulder.  The run and finish simply outrageous from Molloy.  A goal good enough to grace any pitch in Ireland, Keelan Molloy did it in headquarters.

Anton McGrath followed up Molloy’s goal with a sublime effort from his left, wide on the left but St Thomas found another level.  They kept Dunloy scoreless for 10 minutes while Caulfield, Cooney (free) and McGlynn all fired over to leave two between the sides with five minutes remaining.

With the game in the melting pot, Dunloy delivered once again.  Three scores in a two minute spell from Nigel Elliott, Cunning and a huge score from Eamon Smyth put them five clear.

The fourth official showed four minutes of injury time and St Thomas laid siege on Ryan Elliott’s goal.  It was never coming.  Dunloy defended heroically in the closing stages with an Eanna Burke point all the Galway men could muster as the final whistle blew.

With this current Dunloy team finally getting over the line in Ulster, they are now one step away from becoming hurling immortals.

On 22^nd January, Ballyhale awaits.

TEAMS

Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, Ryan McGarry, Oran Quinn; Aaron Crawford, Kevin Molloy, Eamon Smyth; Conor Kinsella, Eoin McFerran; Ronan Molloy, Keelan Molloy, Nigel Elliott; Seaan Elliott, Conal Cunning, Deaglan Smith

Subs: Anton McGrath for D Smith (29); Paul Shiels for A Crawford (33); Nicky McKeague for N Elliott (58); Gabriel McTaggart for R Molloy (60)

Scorers: C Cunning 0-7 (3fs 1’65); Keelan Molloy 1-2; N Elliott 0-2; E Smyth 0-1; S Elliott 0-1; A McGrath 0-1

St Thomas’: Gerard Kelly; Cian Maloney, Fintan Burke, John Headd; Evan Duggan, Mark Caulfield, Cathal Burke; Bernard Burke, David Burke; Brendan Farrell, Conor Cooney, Oisin Flannery; Victor Manso, Eanna Burke, Damien McGlynn

Subs: Conor Headd for B Farrell (HT); Shane Cooney for V Manso (42); Darragh Boyle for M Caulfield (53)

Scorers: C Cooney 0-6 (4fs); D McGlynn 0-2; M Caulfield 0-2; E Duggan 0-1; O Flannery 0-1; E Burke 0-1

Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow)

Cushendall manager Brian Delargy speaks with Brendan McTaggart after his side lost narrowly to Dunloy in the championship decider….

Cushendall manager Brian Delargy was making his way off the Corrigan Park pitch when we caught up with him on Sunday.  He had just witnessed his side push the reigning champions to the pin of their collar in an enthralling final where the Ruairi’s looked like they had the Cuchullains number on the day.  During our interview, Cushendall legend Sambo McNaughton congratulated Delargy for his efforts saying: “Well set up man, you’s did everything right.  You can’t be faulted.  Just a little bit of luck, nothing wrong with that.”  Praise indeed if it were needed for Delargy but the Cushendall manager said their game plan was all about the work he, his backroom team and players put in as they prepared for the final: “We sat down last week to think on a plan for Dunloy, between the players and the management team we knew we’d have to stop Dunloy’s dangermen and get enough up top as well.  A lot of it went right today but their big players got the scores when it mattered.”

The final score certainly didn’t do the Ruairi’s justice.  Six points was never a fair reflection on the game but Delargy said the score line mattered little: “When we were pushing up we knew we were leaving ourselves short at the back.  Just two men inside 40 or 50 yards.  We pushed up and maybe took away some of the space for our forwards but the game took a run of itself and it’s hard to control.  Six points or one point, it was never going to matter at that stage.”

The Ruairi’s made a dream start with Cormac McClafferty’s goal coming inside the first 20 seconds.  Delargy said the start was by design: “We had planned to do that.  We pushed Ryan (McCambridge) inside with Neil (McManus) alongside him.  If we won the throw in, we were sending in a high ball and it worked but we try to plan everything as a management team, we pulled that one off today and it wasn’t by fluke either.”

Delargy continued: “I’m serious proud of them to be honest, Brendan.  I couldn’t have asked for anything more.  Yes they hit a few wides and a few handpasses here and there but they done me proud and done Cushendall proud the way they performed and that’s all you can ask for.

“When we were coming up in the bus, you want a performance and hopefully the result looks after itself.  It’s going to be hard to take over the next few days but I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

The Cushendall challenge stumbled in the closing stages and Dunloy showed their championship pedigree to get over the line.  The Ruairi’s scored just one point in the closing 14 or so minutes and a number of wides hurt their push for the Volunteer Cup.  Delargy commented: “There was a period and to be fair they were shots from good areas and the boys that you want taking your shots.  We had a goal chance and they turned it over, went up the field and Keelan Molloy gets onto a trademark break to hit a worldy.  It’s a game of inches.

“I know Dunloy have four in a row.  We were close today but we think we’re close everyday.  Someday we’ll get them.”

In one of the best finals in living memory, Cushendall more than contributed to an epic game and Delargy said he hopes that despite defeat, they have put some rumours to bed: “I think we play a good brand of hurling now.  There’s a myth going about that because we’ve been on the stream so much that everybody thinks we’re slow and dogged and stuttering, our boys just proved today that we can hurl with anybody in Antrim.  Our lads are some of the best players in the county team, it’s maybe put away some of that myth.  We can play a bit of hurling as well.  

“I’m seriously proud.  As a manager you try and set everything up and let them show the work they’ve been doing and they done that today.  They just came up against a good Dunloy team.”

Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship Final

Dunloy 1-20 Cushendall 2-11

Sunday 16 October

Brendan McTaggart reports from Corrigan Park, Belfast

Corrigan Park played host to one of the biggest roller coaster finals in living memory on Sunday afternoon with Dunloy and Cushendall going toe to toe for the right to take the Volunteer Cup back up the M2.

In the end, it was the Cuchullains who edged the Ruairi’s in the closing stages to make it four in a row but they were pushed to the pin of their collar by a Cushendall side who threw everything they had at them.

In 60 minutes of enthralling championship hurling, the sides were tied no less than seven times and the game was still in the melting pot going into injury time.  The Cuchullains held a three point lead before substitute Chrissy McMahon held his nerve to score Dunloy’s only goal of the game and seal their 16^thcounty crown.

The score board certainly didn’t so the Ruairi’s justice.  This was a titanic tussle between Antrim’s two heavy weights of the game and neither were willing to take a backward step.  In the cauldron like atmosphere of Corrigan Park, these two sides pushed each other to their limits.  Moments of brilliance and heroic defending.  Stylish scores and magnificent turnovers.  It was everything you would want in a final with the Cuchullains and Cushendall delivering in spades.

In the end, Dunloy’s vice like grip on the Volunteer Cup remains, but they wont have many harder assignments in living memory than the test Brian Delargy’s men asked of them on Sunday.

Cushendall showed three changes from their semi-final victory over Loughgiel, Ronan McAteer, Cormac McClafferty and Fred McCurry coming into the 15 while Dunloy had Eoin McFerran in for the injured Deaglan Smith.

The Ruairi’s made a dream start with a goal inside 20 seconds and straight from the training ground.  A high delivery was broken into the path of Neil McManus and while he didn’t strike his effort cleanly, Ryan Elliott couldn’t clear the danger and McClafferty finished from close range.

No yard was given nor spared in the opening exchanges as both sides upped the intensity from the get go. Cushendall had Mr Reliable, McManus on frees and keeping the scoreboard ticking while Eoghan Campbell scored a point that brought a roar from the terraces either side of the stand.

Conal Cunning’s free taking was being tested but he answered with a series of sumptuous scores from all ranges while Aaron Crawford and Keelan Molloy also chipped in to leave the sides tied midway through the first half.

The Cuchullains stretched into a two point lead with Cunning’s frees, Eamonn Smyth and Nigel Elliott splitting the posts while McManus fired over a brace of frees.  The Cuchullains looked to be finding their rhythm but Cushendall hit another major blow in first half injury time.  The Cuchullains had just passed up a major opportunity of their own with Ryan McGarry’s effort agonisingly going to the left of the post. Cushendall responded with their second major.  A free from McManus dropping in the heart of the Dunloy defence where Sean McAfee doubled on the sliotar in mid-air and found the onion bag.

Dunloy responded with Cunning’s seventh score and fifth free of the half to leave the minimum between the sides at half time, 2-6 to 0-11 in favour of the Ruairi’s.

The second half started with the same hair raising intensity as the first.  You couldn’t take your eyes off the game with end to end, high octane action with both sides looking, searching for that level which would take them clear.

Mid way through the second half Cushendall still held a one point lead but incredibly they would only find the target one more time in the 14 minutes of the hour plus injury that would remain.  Their accuracy left them when they needed it while the Cuchullains defence found another level.  They forced turnovers and turned the screw at the other end of the pitch with Keelan Molloy showing his class.  

The Ruairi’s hit five wides in succession while Cunning (free), McGarry, McMahon and Seaan Elliott split the uprights to hive Dunloy a three point lead.

McManus hit his seventh point of the game, second from open play to leave two between the sides but it was going to take another major for Cushendall to reeel the Cuchullains back in.  Fergus McCambridge had a chance but the Cuchullains defence scrambled, the sliotar fell to Niall McCormick but Phelim Duffin was the Dunloy hero with Elliott out of position, Duffin stopped McCormick’s effort and cleared the danger.

Keelan Molloy’s third point of the final followed, a super score to give the Cuchullains a bit of breathing space but the fate of the Volunteer Cup was sealed with McMahon’s major in injury time.  Claiming a cross-field ball from Ronan Molloy, McMahon showed all the composure and class needed to seal the Cuchullains victory.

Four in a row, five in seven years.  The Cuchullain Village are still Kings of Hurling in the Saffron County.

TEAMS

Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, Ryan McGarry, Oran Quinn; Aaron Crawford, Kevin Molloy, Eamonn Smyth; Paul Shiels, Eoin McFerran; Ronan Molloy, Gabriel McTaggart, Nigel Elliott; Keelan Molloy, Conal Cunning, Seaan Elliott

Subs: Conor Kinsella for Kevin Molloy (blood sub 14 reversed 16); Anton McGrath for R Molloy (blood sub 15 reversed 17); Chrissy McMahon for G McTaggart (24); Conal Kelly for S Elliott (57); Anton McGrath for N Elliott (60)

Scorers: C Cunning 0-11 (9fs 1’65); C McMahon 1-1; Keelan Molloy 0-3; R McGarry 0-1; A Crawford 0-1; E Smyth 0-1; N Elliott 0-1; S Elliott 0-1

Cushendall: Eoin Gillan; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ronan McAteer; Alex Delargy, Ryan McCambridge; Cormac McClafferty, Sean McAfee, Niall McCormick; Aiden McNaughton, Neil McManus, Fred McCurry

Subs: Christy McNaughton for S McAfee (38); Fergus McCambridge for C McClafferty (44)

Scorers: N McManus 0-7 (5fs); S McAfee 1-1; C McClafferty 1-0; E Campbell 0-1; N McCormick 0-1; F McCurry 0-1

Referee: Kevin Parke (Naomh Eanna)

Past pupils Fergus, Fred, Scott, Stephen, Ryan (& Conn) came to visit St Mary’s PS & Nursery Unit, Cushendall on Friday. The boys had a Q&A session with the children then got presented with a Good Luck card signed by all the staff & pupils. They then visited the Nursery Unit. Everyone at St Mary’s cheered the boys and wished them and all the Ruairi Og Senior Hurlers the very best of luck in the County Final on Sunday. A few proud mammy’s in the audience too

Meanwhile out at Glenann PS, where the principal is former Dunloy hurler Paudie Shivers, the pupils were brilliantly kitted out in their maroon and white as they welcomed Ruairí Óg stars Aidan McNaugthon, Christy McNaughton and Paddy Burke to the school ahead of the big game in Corrigan Park Sunday vs. Dunloy.

Glenann PS wish to thank the boys for coming along and answering questions, getting photographs and doing their Half the Pot draw this week!

Good luck to Ruairí Óg Senior Hurlers on Sunday!

Cushendall manager Brian Delargy speaks with Brendan McTaggart ahead of Sunday’s final….

Now in his second year in charge, Brian Delargy has taken his Cushendall side to the decider for the first time in three years.  You may think that isn’t much of a drought, but the Ruairi’s have been the one constant in Antrim hurling for a generation or more.  A three year gap is the most they haven’t been at this stage of the championship since 2005 where they bridged a six year gap from their previous win – ironically enough that came in 1999 against Dunloy!

The Ruairi Og manager said there aim was simple from the start of the year.  Reach the decider: “We set that as our target at the start of the year.  Make sure we were there and have that four week break.”

In previous years, Cushendall have had a love-hate relationship with the new championship structure.  More often than not, they have ended up in the quarter-finals but Delargy said they targeted the four week break: “It can work to your advantage (being in a quarter final) but we were able to get a challenge game in between times and it allowed us to work on a few things and have any injuries or niggles cleared up.

“Naomh Eanna up first and the lads got off to a great start.  We played ok in patches against Loughgiel but nowhere near our potential.  St John’s at home was a good challenge for us and I suppose Christy (McNaughton) was the difference.”

Having played for barely 10 minutes against Loughgiel, Christy finished with 1-2 but had to come off injured.  Delargy said they are sweating over the fitness of a few players: “He (Christy McNaughton) hasn’t trained since.  Dom (Delargy) and Paddy McGill haven’t lifted a hurl either.  We’re hopeful though.  We’ll give those lads every chance to prove their fitness.

Christy is a huge asset for us.  He one of those lads that works off instinct, he knows exactly where the posts are.  He’s struggled a bit all year with injuries and looked like he was coming good.  He just seemed to twist his knee but he’s been working with Oisin Quinn, our Strength and Conditioning man to get back out again.”

It’s not all doom and gloom on the injury front for Cushendall however, Delargy confirming that Arron Graffin is likely to have game time on Sunday having recovered from yet another knee injury.

In their semi final, Cushendall looked to be coasting towards the final.  They were left clinging on however with Loughgiel scenting blood after the dismissal of Liam Gillan.  Delargy said: “We had to win that game twice.  We knew it was going to be tough and that was the case.  You’re never going to get an easy game against Loughgiel but we fought well.  It was a game we could have lost and got turned over given the pressure we put on ourselves but we didn’t lay down.

“We seemed to get our goals at the right time in the game and when you score three goals in a game, they’re going to make a difference.  Scoring goals at vital times like that makes it tough for the opposition, no matter how well they’re clipping over scores.

You’re never going to dominate a team like Loughgiel, they had a pile of confidence from the Rossa game and looked to be building momentum but we got over the line and that’s all that mattered.”

So onto Sunday’s final.  Cushendall and Loughgiel in another decider, the sixth time the Volunteer Cup will either be draped in maroon and white or green and gold.  Delargy said he was delighted to have reached this stage but now they’re here, they’ll be doing all in their power to add to their 14 senior championships: “We wanted to reach the final.  Three years is a long time for a club like Cushendall to not reach the final and it was important for us to get here.  But we’re here now and we’ll give it our best against Dunloy.

“We’ll have our plans in place but we’re not going to navigate too far from what we’ve been trying to do for the last two years since I’ve come in.

“We’re trying to make better use of the ball.  Retain possession and running off the shoulder but it’s important to play to our strengths too.”

Having tasted defeat to Rossa at the semi final in 2021, Delargy said that while the job comes with added pressure and expectation, it’s days like these that he’s still involved with his beloved Cushendall: “I’ve really enjoyed it.  This is a serious group of individuals who come in and give nothing less than 100% every time they show up, no matter if it’s training, league games or championship.

“The atmosphere is special, there’s no getting away from that.  Being in a championship final brings about a buzz around the community, you have to enjoy days like these.

“The schools have maroon and white day on Friday and it definitely adds to the occasion.  It’s for days like these that we train for and hopefully we can do the business of Sunday.”