Clarinbridge crush O'Loughlin Gaels

March 17, 2011

AIB All-Ireland club hurling final at Croke Park.

The runaway winners were five points behind with half time looming but outscored their opponents by 2-14 to 0-3 in the ensuing 32 minutes of play. Gaels managed just two points in the second half, while Clarinbridge tagged on 1-11 to take the Tommy Moore Cup with plenty to spare.

The sides were level at the break. Gaels had bossed most of the first half and led by 0-9 to 0-4 with a couple of minutes left before the short whistle but Clarinbridge hung in there and were level thanks to a flurry of late points and an injury-time Mark Kerins goal.

Centre forward Mark Bergin pointed the Kilkenny champions into a first-minute lead and added a sublime score from play before Danny Loughnane made it 0-3 to no score after four minutes.

It could have been worse for the Galway men had not Bergin sent an easy free wide from in front of the posts after a foul on Martin Comerford, while O'Loughlin Gaels were also unfortunate when Brian Dowling's shot came back off an upright.

Paul Coen thought he had pulled one back for Clarinbridge but the corner forward was deemed to have overcarried the sliothar before firing it over the bar. In the ninth minute, Loughnane got out in front of his man and swivelled to drill a fantastic Gaels point into the Hill 16 end: 0-4 to no score. Super score.

There were ten minutes on the clock before Eoin Forde opened Clarinbridge's account and Bergin sent another (very soft) free wide after Alan Geoghegan went to ground. Bergin may not have been finding the range from placed balls but it was a classic case of deja-vu as he instantly knocked over another fine point from play: 0-5 to 0-1 in the 13th minute.

At the other end, Mark Kerins shortened his grip and fired over a second point for the Maroons after his brother Alan had done the spadework. Bergin landed another beauty from play at the start of the second quarter but Coen responded for the westerners after Mark Kerins' free from an acute angle rebounded off the crossbar.

Geoghegan dropped over a seventh O'Loughlin Gaels point from out the field and Maurice Nolan followed up with another long-range exocet to make it 0-8 to 0-3 after 22 minutes. The first half had been all one-way traffic, with Gaels dominating possession and winning all the 50/50s while 'Bridge were living on crumbs.

The afternoon threatened to go from bad to worse for the Galway kingpins when full back Brian Burke went down holding his hamstring, but the No.3 was able to continue after receiving treatment. Wing back Jamie Cannon seemed to take some encouragement from this as he stole forward to register a nice score, but Comerford replied with the score of the half, popping the sliothar over the bar across his shoulder from out on the left wing.

Opposing full forward Alan Kerins replied at the other end, with two minutes left in the first half. Clarinbridge made a switch before the short whistle, with Enda Collins coming in for Stephen Forde. Eoin Forde slotted over their second point in as many minutes and they were within three, 0-9 to 0-6, with half time approaching.

Geoghegan banged over an instinctive point for Gaels in the second minute of added time but Clarinbridge had the bit between their teeth now and Mark Kerins fired a groundstroke to the net to close the gap to just a single point.

Incredibly, centre forward Kerins won a penalty deep into first-half injury time when Gaels full back Andy Kearns pulled him down, but goalkeeper Stephen Murphy brilliantly diverted the resultant shot over the bar. That score left the sides level at the break: O'Loughlin Gaels 0-10, Clarinbridge 1-7.

The Kilkenny men were very lucky that full back Kearns was still on the pitch as he reacted badly to Kerins' goal, appearing to strike the Clarinbridge talisman in the face - an act of petulance worthy of a red card but punished only with a yellow. Kearns also conceded the penalty less than a minute later but the referee took no further action.

Mark Kerins won and converted a free in the first minute of the second half to put Clarinbridge ahead for the first time. It was an advantage they would not relinquish. Bergin missed another free at the other end and Mark Kerins clipped over a Clarinbridge free that never should have been awarded: 1-9 to 0-10.

Sub Enda Collins put three between the teams before Bergin finally found his range from frees in the 35th minute. Mark Kerins' 65 put a goal between them once more with eight minutes played in the second half.

Then came an inspirational score from Collins, who danced through three or four challenges before drilling over a stunning point on the run. Bergin's free again had the gap down to the goal with ten minutes of the second half played but the Leinster champions were hanging on at this stage: 1-12 to 0-12.

Clarinbridge were now winning the midfield battle, with David Forde immense at centre half back, and they led by four when Eoin Forde knocked over his third point from play twelve minutes after the restart. And the writing was on the wall for O'Loughlin Gaels as roaming full forward Alan Kerins smacked over an epic point from out the field. At the end of the third quarter, Eoin Forde scored again - his fourth - 1-15 to 0-12 after 45 minutes. What a transformation!

With the scent of victory in their nostrils, Clarinbridge were now running freely at their opponents, while Gaels had lost their shape and discipline. Mark Kerins missed a simple free but followed up immediately with a tremendous point from play and another effort that rebounded into play off an upright.

Eanna Murphy and Man of the Match Mark Kerins (free) added to the procession and Clarinbridge led by nine. In the 52nd minute, Eoin Forde sealed the deal when he got in behind the O'Loughlin Gaels defence and tucked the sliothar past Murphy to the back of the net: 2-18 to 0-12. Double scores!

O'Loughlin Gaels sub Seamie Cummins picked up a straight red card for a ridiculous wild pull right at the death, but the day belonged to Micheal Donoghue's Clarinbridge, who were far too good once the recovered from a tentative start.

Clarinbridge - L Donoghue; C Forde, B Burke, P Callanan; J Cannon (0-1), D Forde, M Donoghue; B Daly, E Murphy (0-1); S Burke, M Kerins (1-7, 4f, 1p), S Forde; E Forde (1-4), A Kerins (0-2), P Coen (0-1). Sub - E Collins (0-2) for S Forde .

O'Loughlin Gaels - S Murphy; B Kelly, A Kearns, E Kearns; A O'Brien, B Hogan, N Bergin; P Dowling, M Nolan (0-1); N McEvoy, M Bergin (0-6, 2f), A Geoghegan (0-2); B Dowling, M Comerford (0-1), D Loughnane (0-2). Subs - S Cummins for B Dowling, B Murphy for Kelly.

Ref - J Ryan (Tipperary).