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 Sunday Independent 22nd February 2004 | |||
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By Dermot Crowe
Before a crowd of just under 6,000 at Thurles, on a bright and chilly afternoon, they held their nerve when facing the breeze in the second half, having led by just a point at the interval. Niall Bergin brought O'Loughlin Gaels level in the 56th miinute, the sixth time the teams were tied, but then Newtown found another gear when the pressure was greatest.
At no time in the match did O'Loughlin Gaels manage to enjoy a lead and in the final 16 minutes of play, after Bergin's point, they failed to score. Not for the first time in the match Ben O'Connor proved a hugely influential figure when needed most: pointing a free 19 minutes into the second half and two minutes later setting up John Paul King for another score.
This was the crucial period of the match, and Newtown rose to the challenge impressively. With eight minutes left they had moved three points clear after a great score, the game's last, from midfielder Jerry O'Connor who had a massive second half - he was fouled for an earlier Newtown point, claimed two for himself from play, and set up his brother for another in a neat, if fairly audacious, one-two.
But Ben O'Connor was the day's star player, even finding time to kick a 20-yard pass to Maurice Farrell late in the game when he lost his hurl that almost set up a further score. He ended the match with eight points and was involved in various scores, or moves that led to scores - we lost track of how many.
Of his grand total, five were from frees, a few of those great strikes. He managed a 10-point haul in the drawn match and within 12 minutes of yesterday's replay O'Connor had accumulated half of that sum. Although Andy Comerford settled into the match, it took him a quarter of an hour to get in his first clearance as the Newtown half-forward caused numerous problems early in the match.
Comerford grew as the game progressed, but O'Connor found a second breath in the final quarter that proved critical. Newtown wouldn't be half the team without him. Four of the other Newtown forwards failed to score, with King an honourable exception, finishing the match with three points from play.
O'Loughlin Gaels will greatly rue not closing off the match six days earlier, but they can have no complaints about yesterday's outcome. They began the match with numerous switches in attack, only two players - Nigel Skehan and Brian Dowling - starting in their named positions.
Jimmy Comerford joined Niall Bergin at midfield, with Martin Comerford playing at centre-forward, but both midfielders were taken off in the second half and Comerford was a pale shadow of the player we saw in Kilkenny's colours last year.
Much of that can be attributed to the redoubtable defensive work of Newtown's half-back line. None of the O'Loughlin Gaels' half-forwards scored from play, and Nigel Skehan, their high-scoring free-taker, was limited to three shots from placed balls. He scored two, having put over nine placed balls the first day.
The early fireworks were all from Newtown as their half-forward line thrived, none more so than the exceptinal Ben O'Connor. He started the match like a man possessed and while his contribution waned as it progressed towards half-time the scores were a vital buttress for later.
Only some slack finishing kept O'Loughlin Gaels within striking distance in the early stages. King scored two sweet points - in the fourth minute and on the stroke of half-time - which left Newtown with the slimmest of interval leads, 0-8 to 1-4, rough justice considering how much they dominated the first 15 minutes.
Two scores from Ben O'Connor set them on their way and King's first had them 0-3 to 0-0 up after just four minutes. The O'Loughlin Gaels' half-back line found itself frequently on the backfoot but there was some relief when they sneaked a goal on five minutes to limit the damage.
A high ball in from Alan O'Brien broke to Colin Furlong and he found Maurice Nolan who poked it home. Newtown's response was three points from Ben O'Connor, half of his six in the first half coming from play, and an early booking for Seán Dowling summed up the Kilkenny team's predicament.
A fine score from Furlong settled O'Loughin Gaels, however, and they came more into the match as Comerford at centre-back made a few smart clearances. Brian Dowling's score on 16 minutes, for instance, came from Comerford's first decent strike - things were beginning to look up.
Two minutes later they drew level when Skehan had his first free. Until then Newtown defended with great discipline; this was his first opening.
Ben O'Connor hit back with a first Newtown score in 12 minutes, but it was their greatest drought, and nowhere near the previous day when they went 21 minutes without a score.
Skehan sent over another free before King closed the scoring with his second, leaving Newtown 0-8 to 1-4 ahead at the break. The match resumed with Jerry O'Connor exerting greater influence, putting over the first point but it stayed poised until the final quarter when Newtown hit that invaluable higher gear.
With the O'Loughlin Gaels needing a goal as the match neared its end, a desperate late attack by full-back Brian Hogan was halted by some fierce hooking. A goal would have been a travesty.
Newtownshandrum: P Morrissey; J McCarthy, B Mulchy, G O'Mahoney; I Kelleher, P Mulcahy, P Noonan; A O'Brien, Jerry O'Connor 0-2; D Mulcahy, B O'Connor 0-8 (0-5 fs), JP King 0-3; J Bowles, D O'Riordan 0-1, M Farrell. Subs: D Naughton for O'Riordan (50 mins); John O'Connor for Farrell (54).
O'Loughlin Gaels: K Cleere; B Kelly, B Hogan, B Murphy; A O'Brien, A Comerford, S Dowling; N Bergin 0-1, J Comerford 0-1; A Geoghegan, M Comerford, N Skehan 0-2 (both fs); M Nolan 1-1, C Furlong 0-1; B Dowling 0-2. Subs: S Cummins for Bergiin (54 mins); J Lawlor for J Comerford (58 mins).
Referee: P Horan (Offaly).
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