Evening Echo
by John Horgan
Monday, 2nd September 2002

Tom Ryan's expertise has reaped a rich dividend on his travels throughout Munster. In Tipperary with Toomevara and in his native Limerick, success has been the story.

He is now within one hour of adding another feather to his cap in Cork and his delight was obvious yesterday in the bedlam that ensued in the Newtown dressing room.

"I think our lads gave a tremendous performance of power hurling. Avondhu got two goals at vital stages and we had to come back from them," he said. "They were body blows and they were mistakes in our defence that we haven't been making all the year.

"The lads responded positively and Gerry O'Connor came back after injury to get a few great scores. Pat Mulcahy as well was outstanding and we are really looking forward now to the final against Blackrock.

"We have a good strong panel now that we mightn't have had at the start of the year so we are poised now to issue a big challenge to Blackrock. Gerry's goal was a classic and I thought our half-backs of Alan O'Brien, Pat Mulcahy and Phil Noonan were outstanding. We won some good ball in the middle of the field and moved it in fast. These fellows have worked very hard and deserve to be in the final."

Everything in Newtown is geared towards hurling and the final could be a classic.

A few yards away Pat Mulcahy, now maturing into one of the best hurlers in the county, was equally thrilled at the outcome. "It was a good win. In the first half we were under the cosh a bit and we gave away a few soft goals but our goal after half time was a very big score.

"We didn't believe we'd win like this beforehand but I suppose a club against a division gives you a bit of an advantage when you go five or six points ahead. We have been doing well all year without playing above ourselves."