Leinster club SFC hurling quarter-final: St Martin’s (Wexford) 1-21 Na Fianna (Dublin) 2-17
For anyone who thinks the “learnings” of defeat are overvalued, this AIB Leinster quarter-final at Chadwicks Wexford Park stands as evidence. A year ago when St Martin’s and Na Fianna met in Parnell Park, it was the Dublin champions who finished stronger and progressed down the road that led to provincial and All-Ireland titles.
This time around, when the match was in the balance – seconds of the three additional minutes remaining – the Martin’s didn’t need to be asked twice. They quarried possession out of their defence and Diarmuid O’Leary got the ball up to Rory O’Connor.
The Wexford forward was disrupted by Conor McHugh but somehow regained possession and as he struggled to get the ball away, a free was awarded by former All-Ireland referee James McGrath, a late replacement for injured Kilkenny official Seán Cleere.
The ball ran for Ben Maddock who stuck it over the bar but the free had been signalled. Any jitters O’Connor might have experienced addressing what would be the winning shot, were alleviated when the ball was talked in by dissenting voices and duly dispatched.
RM Block
There was time – as there always is in such circumstances – for Na Fianna to conjure one more chance but the Martin’s defence held firm and the All-Ireland champions were out. O’Connor was jubilant after the late deliverance.
“Winter hurling is about territory. I’ll always say it. It’s where your big ball winners in the forwards have to come up trumps. You’re not going to get lovely balls into corners where you run out, flick it up, put it over the bar.
“It’s about winning the ball on the break. The ball went down into the D. It flicked out. I think David [Codd] caught it. Diarmuid O’Leary got it [away].
“All week I’ve been saying this game is going to be slow and dirty. Get the ball up inside there 45 and see what happens. I’ll be honest with you. I wasn’t thinking of scoring from out on the sideline for that. I was head down to try and draw a free.
“Within reason I was trying to see where it would take me. I didn’t hear a whistle, and I was looking around and I threw it out.”
On a lovely, mild afternoon in Chadwicks Wexford Park with the pitch in fine shape for November, it was St Martins, who looked the more convincing for most of the first half. Although both teams were error-prone – sharing 18 missed chances between them – the home side got on a scoring run to lead by five, 0-10 to 0-5 after 25 minutes of edging in front only to be pulled back.
Within four minutes, the champions wiped out the deficit. The critical score came when Peter Feeney got down the left wing from half back and played the ball over to Seán Currie, who caught it and managed to kick to the net. It was redemptive for Currie, who moments earlier had been penalised for overcarrying for Rory O’Connor to fire over the 10th point.
Colin Currie then stepped up with two points, one a free from inside his own 65 before Dónal Burke whipped over a wonderful score from the left-hand sideline.
Barry O’Connor, whose size and ball winning capacity caused trouble all afternoon was even more of a handful this year than 12 months ago when he was already awkward enough. Courtesy of an assist from cousin, Rory, he levelled the match at half-time.
Again, the scoreboard was nip and tuck but after Martin’s had crept ahead 0-14 to 1-10, they conceded another goal, AJ Murphy dispatching after a great catch by Dónal Burke. Seconds later, Rory O’Connor defiantly responded with a point. The Wexford champions weren’t going away.
In the 50th minute, their key score came. O’Leary cleared a ball up to Rory O’Connor and he supplied cousin, Barry with the goal scoring assist.
It was a funny match in some ways. The error count continued in the second half and the eventual winners landed themselves in hot water by losing a wealth of ball despite having an extra man – David Codd, who in fact played very well – at the back. Liam Rushe played a similar role for Na Fianna.
It could have been more costly. At the end, Colin Currie got in behind the defence but his shot was taken off the line by Codd and minutes later, AJ Murphy exploited yet another mix-up to carve out a chance but his shot whistled over the bar rather than into the net. Still, Seán Currie added a point for an apparently decisive 2-17 to 1-18 lead.
In a reversal of last year, Martin’s finished the stronger. The O’Connors rattled off three injury-time points – Rory’s brother Jack had already supplied four – to send an energy surge through the ground.
“We were just trying to create a bit of history for ourselves and see where this would take us,” said Rory O’Connor.
It takes them into a semi-final against Naas, who they defeated in a tough battle last year with dreams of a first provincial final flickering, although an intermediate football match is also on next week’s horizon.
ST MARTIN’S: C Quirke; E O’Leary, C Firman (capt.), P Dempsey; D Waters, D O’Leary, J Barrett; David Codd, A Maddock; J O’Connor (0-4, 1f), Darren Codd (0-2), J Firman (0-2); M Coleman (0-1), B O’Connor (1-2), R O’Connor (0-9, 6f).
Subs: B Maddock for A Maddock (46 mins), B Stafford (0-1) for Coleman (48 mins), S Audsley for O’Leary (59 mins).
NA FIANNA: J Tracey; M Murphy (0-1), C McHugh, S Burke; L Rushe, P O’Dea, P Feeney; B Ryan (0-2), J Kavanagh; S Currie (1-3), D Burke (capt; 0-2), J Meagher (0-1); C Currie (0-6, 3f), T Brennan, AJ Murphy (1-2).
Subs: C McCarthy for Brennan (half-time), L Stacey for Kavanagh (52 mins).
Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath).
