Kilkenny SHL: O'Loughlin Gaels welcome back key players as team begins to 'gel'

O'Loughlin Gaels forward Kevin Murphy has hailed the benefits of the early rounds of the St Canice's Credit Union Senior Hurling League as part of the club's overall process 'to gel' their inter-county players with their exclusively club players.

Currently, seven panelists from O'Loughlin Gaels are part of Derek Lyng's ranks on the Kilkenny senior panel.

"With six or seven lads back from the county, it's great to have them back and to have these games to gel us together," Murphy said after his club's 5-19 to 1-16 win over Lisdowney.

Murphy was in fine form in front of goal during his club's win on Sunday evening, bagging 3-3 alongside forwards Luke Hogan (2-2) and Conor Kelly (0-5, 0-4f, 0-1 65) who all kept Aidan Tallis busy in the Lisdowney goal.

One of Luke Hogan's two goals

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"We didn't really threaten the goal too much against Glenmore so it's nice to rack up a few goals here today," he said.

"I don't know if it was too comfortable," Murphy continued, adding, "we weren't taking them for granted at all. They're a good team and they put it up to us today."

MATCH REPORT - O’Loughlin Gaels showed their county championship winning credentials even at this early stage of the year, hunting goals in their comprehensive win over Lisdowney.

Spearheaded by man of the match Kevin Murphy (3-3) and followed closely by sharp-shooters Luke Hogan (2-2) and Conor Kelly (0-5, 0-4f, 0-1 65), it was far from a stroll in the park for Brian Hogan’s team with Lisdowney performing admirably for much of the contest.

The result leaves Lisdowney winless after two games in Group A, after their loss to Dicksboro last weekend. Meanwhile, O’Loughlin Gaels are sitting pretty on top of the group after scraping past Glenmore on the opening weekend.

As the cliche goes, ‘goals win matches’ and the Gaels’ firepower in front of goal was key to their victory, but another figure instrumental to his club picking up the two points was goalkeeper Stephen Murphy, who fresh from pulling off a number of high quality saves against Glenmore, stood up to the mark on Sunday last in a game where perhaps Lisdowney weren’t as far off the mark as the scoreline suggests.

FYI: What we know after round two of the Kilkenny senior hurling league

Lisdowney started the better of the two sides and held a 0-3 to 0-1 lead inside five minutes as Richard McEvoy, Brian Kavanagh and Charlie Brennan all raised white flags.

The blistering start made by the 2024 intermediate champions proved to be a warning heeded by O’Loughlin Gaels who hit back with 1-3 of their own, the lively Kevin Murphy at corner forward bagging an impressive total of 1-2 at that juncture of the match with less than 15 minutes played (1-4 to 0-3).

Like buses, when one comes another isn’t too far away and so it proved for the O’Loughlin Gaels’ full-forward line as a delightful ball from Jack Nolan found Luke Hogan with Hogan crashing the ball past Aidan Tallis after 18 minutes of play (2-5 to 0-4).

Eibhean McEvoy and Charlie Brennan kept Lisdowney in touch with a point apiece but the city tsunami hit again in the 25th and 27th minutes respectively.

Luke Hogan was at the heart of two further goals, the first his own as he greeted a pass from David Fogarty and went on a powerful run to net (3-5 to 0-6 after 25 minutes) and Hogan was involved in a fourth goal just minutes later as his rebounded shot dropped in the path of Kevin Murphy who pulled to the net from close range (4-5 to 0-6).

The 2023 senior champions, held the advantage on the scoreboard and were shading the game in general play but no doubt the Lisdowney faithful, both on and off the field, were left wondering how the gap between the sides had open up to such an extent.

The North Kilkenny club to their credit finished the half well with a respectable total of 1-2 in the final three minutes.

Lisdowney’s first green flag of the evening saw Brian Kavanagh take advantage of a Paddy Deegan error to net and join Luke Holohan and Richard McEvoy on the scoresheet in their best period of the match. O’Loughlin Gaels led 4-6 to 1-8 at half-time.

If Lisdowney supporters had hopes of turning around the seven point deficit, their dreams were blown to smithereens by the midway mark of the second half as O’Loughlin Gaels hit score after score, reaching a grand total of 1-8, with a Brian Kavanagh 65 and point from play the only response from John Connor’s outfit (5-14 to 1-10 after 46 minutes).

PICTURES: Kilkenny league/championships continue with top quality hurling on show

Kevin Murphy’s golden period in front of goal continued during that period of the match as he found the net for a third time, leaving Aidan Tallis picking the ball of the net yet again.

Lisdowney’s performance levels failed to wilt despite their predicament and to their credit finished with a spirit that may put them in good stead for the games ahead.

Brian Kavanagh continued his fine form on place balls in the dying minutes, while Eibhean McEvoy and Eoin Kenny also slotted over points to leave the scoreline at 5-19 to 1-16 on the call of time.

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O’Loughlin Gaels - Kevin Murphy (3-3); Luke Hogan (2-2); Conor Kelly (0-5, 0-4f, 0-1 65), David Fogarty (0-4); Fionan Mackessy (0-2); Robbie Buckley, Jordan Molloy, Huw Lawlor (0-1 each).

Lisdowney - Brian Kavanagh (1-6, 0-3f, 0-1 65); Richard McEvoy (0-2, 0-1f); Charlie Brennan, Luke Holohan, Eibhean McEvoy (0-2 each); Eoin Kenny, Donal O’Carroll (0-1 each).