by Noel Horgan
The Corkman
Friday, October 16th 2003

Victory over Blackrock in last Sunday's permanent tsb county senior hurling championship final has dispelled all suggestions that the historic breakthrough made by Newtownshandrum in 2000 was just a flash-in-the-pan.

That was the point emphasised by the man who had masterminded Newtown's latest triumph as he dished out the plaudits to the people that had been at the helm three years ago.

Amid scenes of unbridled jubilation in the champions' dressing room, team coach Ger Cunningham insisted that Newtown hadn't got the credit they deserved for their success in 2000.

"It had taken the same amount of effort and hard work to bring the initial championship to the club, and I want to pay tribute to Bernie O'Connor, Jim Coughlan and Simon Morrissey, the men who steered Newtown to the top for the first time."

"They didn't get the recognition, and the players didn't get the recognition, for what they achieved that year and I'm just glad that I was able to do something to silence the critics who felt that Newtown had won a soft county in 200."

"I said to the lads going out that we had to win another county in order to prove that we were real champions, and, in beating a team of Blackrock's quality, I don't think that anyone will question our credentials from now on."

"We got a good start today, with Jerry O'Connor shooting a super score, but we had planned for that."

"We decided it was very important to set the earl pace, and let them try to catch us, because we knew from last year how difficult it is to peg Blackrock back. Another part of our game-plan was not to start pumping high balls into the forwards, so we varied our puck-outs, and I think it worked out very well for us, especially when we had a strong wind in the second half."

"Our defence was absolutely magnificent, and, as I've said, I felt our forwards prospered from the service they were getting after half-time."

Not surprisingly, Cunningham paid a special tribute to man-of-the-match Ben O'Connor, whose contribution of ten points was the key factor in enabling Newtown to dethrone the Rockies.

"Ben O'Connor is probably the best forward in the county, and possibly the best forward in the country. His first touch, his vision on the ball, and his ability to take scores have been a huge asset to us all year, and to be honest, I have yet to coach a forward like him."

Stalwart wing back Philip Noonan was also very quick to acknowledge the immense part played by Ben O'Connor in paving the way for Newtown's great win.

"I thought Ben was outstanding, he just kept picking off point after point to steady us up after Blackrock scored a goal from the penalty. It was a very tough game, but we knew from last year that Blackrock were a very hard team to beat."

"But we were very confident coming up, because we felt we were an improving side, and that they weren't getting any better. We also felt that we hadn't got the credit for our win in 2000, and that we hadn't done ourselves justice last year, so we were probably even more motivated than we were in the last two finals."

"I think we proved a point today, and I'm confident that this Newtown team will be strongly in the running for the county title over the next few years," said the ever-reliable defender.

Ben O'Connor revealed that he was in no doubt before the game that Newtown wouldn't flop in the way that they did in last year's final.

"Every player on the panel had put in a huge effort all year, and we were determined that we would get the reward for that today. We had already beaten good teams like Imokilly and Sars, and we knew that it was only a matter of everybody clicking on the day to get the result we wanted against Blackrock. Nobody can say that we don't deserve to be county champions after beating the Rockies, and we are absolutely delighted that we have made amends for last year's defeat."

Goalkeeper Paul Morrissey said that after losing to Imokilly in the 2001 semi-final, and to Blackrock last year, it was a great feeling to be crowned champions for a second time. "People say that you haven't won a county until you beat a city club in the final, but we beat a Blackrock team that was going for three-in-a-row today, and you can't do much better than that."

"I thought all the lads played great stuff, but Ben O'Connor and James Bowles were unbelievable in the forwards, and they got the scores that broke Blackrock's heart in the second half," concluded Morrissey.

Newtown's James Bowles - still a minor- burst pasat the challenge of Blackrock's Fergal Ryan during Sunday's final.

Pat Mulcahy, man-of-the-match in the 2000 final, and a colossus at centre-back again last Sunday, described it as a fantastic victory, adding that this Newtown team is going to be around for a long time to come.

"We have some great young players coming through but I have to say that I was a bit worried coming up today because we hadn't really clicked in any of our previous games. Thankfully, everything came right for us, and perhaps we were a little bit hungrier than Blackrock."

"They beat us last year fairly and squarely, and they are still a fine side, so, no doubt, they will come back strongly next year. We will be hoping to be there again too of course, but we will enjoy this victory for what it is, and I can assure you, it's a great feeling to be the county champions for the second time in four years."

Seasoned team captain John McCarthy also felt that Newtown's inconsistent form in most games this year was something to be concerned about ahead of the clash with Blackrock.

"We played well in the first half, but I knew that the first ten minutes of the second half was going to be the most crucial period of the match. If we kept the momentum, extended our lead a bit, there was good chance that we would be able to see out the rest of the game."

"We did that until they got the goal with about seven minutes to go, but we had the bit between our teeth at that stage, and we were able to run them off the field in the last five minutes."

McCarthy revealed that Newtown had their homework done on Blackrock. "Ger Cunningham, Patsy Morrissey and Seanie Clifford decided to start Ben O'Connor on the '40 because we reckoned that if we could beat the Blackrock half back line and midfield, we would break them."

"That's why Ben was out there, and fortunately, he gave an exhibition worthy of a player of his ability. It was always likely to be enough to do the trick for us because we have the best and most consistent club centre back in the county in Pat Mulcahy."

"Pat proved that again today, and, with him on board, we were satisfied before the match that we would be capable of containing the Blackrock forwards, and that's the way it turned out," said McCarthy, who also skippered Newtown to county intermediate success in 1996.