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Foley gives Graig the honours in battle of respect
John Knox
Graignamanagh0-14 Blacks and Whites2-7
IT IS a parish divided but obviously respect abounds, and it was with as health a competitive attitude as you could find that neighbour took on neighbour in this hugely competitive and absolutely gripping intermediate hurling league clash at Gowran on Saturday.
Blacks and Whites came to the battle ground with the dual crowns of Kilkenny and Leinster junior champions behind their name. Graignamanagh had nothing but their dreams and hopes after a few tough seasons tested their resolve.
In the opening seconds the crash of raw ash-on-ash screamed across the damp evening air and we knew instantly we were in for a contest. The battle waged. It was engrossing throughout. At the finish it was spellbinding.
It the end a fortuitous 63rd minute point for Graig left them celebrating while at the same time it condemned ’Whites to a rather unlucky defeat.
You see, getting to the finish was hard and demanding. The winners went in for the rest two points down (0-6 to 1-5). Although they dominated the play and scoring thereafter with the wind in their backs, they couldn’t get space on gritty opponents.
When a roving and hugely effective Cathal Dunne clipped over a nice point from the right of the town end goal in the 57th minute (0-13 to 1-6), the game looked theirs.
Bearing in mind the balance of play, plus the fact that ’Whites hadn’t scored for 23 minutes, the deal definitely looked done.
Far from it! When staring defeat squarely in the face the ’Whites thundered forward. Two minutes from the end team captain, Peter Cleere turned a half chance into a goal. The losers’ tails were up.
Draw looked on
Right on the hour the hard chasing John Lennon broke a ball for stylish wing-back, Paul Murphy and he landed the equaliser for ’Whites from 45 metres. A diplomatic draw looked on the cards.
The play rumbled on into the first, second and then third minute of additional time. Graig were awarded a free on their own ‘45’ when a player was boxed in by opponents, apparently with too much enthusiasm. The deadly striking Ray Coady launched a bomb towards the opposing goal.
The ball was half cleared, but it was picked up about 30 metres in front of the target by Brendan Foley. He shot his second score, which turned out to be the winner.
“That was a great result for us,” insisted Graignamanagh chairman and selector, John Meaney. “We had to dig out the win after a hard fought match.
“I though we were going to split the spoils. We are delighted after a few testing seasons, and hopefully this will give us the confidence to drive on in the next round.”
There wasn’t a hint of claiming bragging rights in what was, afterall, a derby within the parish. It wasn’t a night for that sort of thing. An incident about five minutes before the break captured the mood.
A Graig player got his timing all wrong charging into a tackle and he buried an off guard opponent.
“Sorry about that, sorry,” shot the quick apology as an assuring hand touched a shoulder. Sure, the exchanges were manly, there was a good pace to the game and style to the hurling, but there was no place for rancour on this field.
Graig threatened early on that they might run away with the game. While the losers had the opening point in their opening attack after only 20 seconds from Sean Kealy they found themselves 0-4 to 0-1 down after a mere nine minutes.
Eddie Walsh (free), Ray Coady with a pair of long range efforts, and Brendan Foley did the scoring for Graig. A foul on Michael Ryan earned sweet striker Niall Kennedy the second score for Blacks and Whites before the same player reduced the deficit to the minimum in the 15th minute (0-4 to 0-3).
Somewhat against the run of play the losers hit the front again in the 19th minute. This time John Lennon lashed a ball out of defence from the ’Whites ‘50’ line. The wind carried the sliotar long, which caught out the Graig defence. Tommy Farrell got a clear run at goal from about 20 metres. The net bulged. ’Whites led by 1-3 to 0-4.
Hotely contested
Four points were shared equally after that before the break, which left ’Whites leaders by 1-5 to 0-6.
During the hotly contested opening minutes of the new half Ray Cody (65) and Niall Kennedy (free) traded points. Slowly but surely Graig got on top, with Coady, Brendan Foley, Ger Dowling, Ger Walsh, Cathal Dunne and a super determined Leonard Blanchfield driving the cause with most force.
A brace of scores from Cathal Dunne, one a beauty from a 20-metre sideline cut on the left, levelled the match at 1-6 to 0-9 on 46 minutes. Within two minutes Ray Coady landed a glorious point from a 65 that was less than a metre in from the right sideline (0-10 to 1-6). Coady and Ger Walsh added to the Graig take as ’Whites hung on grimly.
Indeed, in the 52nd minute the ’White might have been buried. A Ger Walsh pass sent Brendan Foley clear on goal. He was deprived of a big score by a brilliant save from fine ’keeper, John O’Grady.
The 57th minute Cathal Dunne point mentioned earlier followed and the game looked over. The dramatic final twist added to the enjoyment.
Great warriors for the losers were James Brennan, who was superb at No. 3, Paul Murphy, Michael Maloney, Sean Kealy, goalie O’Grady and playmaker Niall Kennedy.
Scorers: Graignamanagh – Ray Coady (0-5, two frees, two 65s’); Cathal Dunne (0-3); Lee Kinsella, Brendan Foley (0-2 each); Ger Walsh (0-1); Eddie Walsh (0-1, free). Blacks and Whites – Niall Kennedy (0-5, three frees); Tommy Farrell, Peter Cleere (1-0 each); Paul Murphy, Sean Kealy (0-1 each).
Graignamanagh – R. Dowling, M. Bolger, J. Cahill, K. Walsh, L. Blanchfield, G. Dowling, D. O’Neill, R. Coady, B. Foley, H. Flood, G. Walsh (capt), E. Walsh, S. O’Brien, C. Dunne, L. Kinsella. Subs – P. Whelan for O’Brien; K. Dowling for Flood.
Blacks and Whites – J. O’Grady, M. Doyle, J. Brennan, D. Brennan, P. Murphy, M. Maloney, J. Lawler, P. Cleere (capt), J. Lennon, S. Kealy, N. Kennedy, J. Doyle, T. Moloney, M. Ryan, T. Farrell. Sub – B. Moloney for J. Doyle.
Referee – G. Rafter (Threecastles).
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Weather for Kilkenny
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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